Because of “Omicron”, national Moroccan events preferred to celebrate the Amazigh New Year from a distance, and other events were organized in small gatherings that did not exceed the scope of family and friends.
And the electronic newspaper, Hespress, pointed out that the Corona pandemic, however, did not prevent “the celebration of the Amazigh New Year 2972 in the Kingdom of Morocco, as some anticipate the event by announcing cultural seminars on social media platforms, while others announced the organization of a mini-party whose merits are transmitted through a platform Facebook”.
Adel Adasco, an Amazigh activist in this regard, said: “Amazigh events give this day what it deserves, because it has to do with the land and our historical identity, and is far from the heavenly religions,” adding in this context that “the celebrations of the arrival of the Amazigh New Year started a week earlier than it was scheduled. The usual, and this confirms that the celebration of the occasion has become popular and throughout the territory of Morocco.”
In a statement to the online newspaper, Hespress, Adasco indicated that “the celebration is no longer limited to mountainous areas, but most families living in major cities celebrate this holy day among the Berbers, because it has to do with the land and belonging to this country.”
The same activist continued: “We took the initiative from within the Tamesna Youth Authority to launch the celebrations of the Amazigh New Year in Mahdia (between Rabat and Kenitra), by organizing a diverse artistic evening, which witnessed the presence of a group of Amazigh activists and events, along with sports stars belonging to the Tamesna region ( Sale, Rabat, Kenitra), members of the Tamesna Youth and members of their families.
The Amazigh activist described the party as “successful by introducing it to the occasion and the traditions of Imazighen, and by presenting traditional dishes (couscous, ilbuburn, broccoli, takla) well-known on this occasion, in addition to artistic musical performances by Berber artists and the Ahwash band,” explaining that “this Amazigh year is different.” From the rest of the past years, as memorialization was confined to the public space, especially in the square opposite the parliament.
Regarding the exceptional circumstance against the background of the pandemic, Adasco said: “Today we chose the closed space to commemorate the event, in order to respect the protocol to prevent the spread of the Corona virus, to avoid gathering, on the basis that we will organize a symbolic pause in front of Parliament, by the way, only members of the commission will know its timing, To avoid crowds and the safety of citizens.
The Amazigh activist concluded his statement by criticizing the lack of response from officials in the country regarding the official adoption of the celebration of the Amazigh New Year, noting that: “The Amazighs, today, are frustrated because officials did not respond to the demand to establish the Amazigh New Year as a national holiday. Our hope was great, especially this year after heading the party The National Rally of Independents is the current government, bearing in mind that (the Dove Party) during its last election campaign raised the slogan of activating the official character and giving the Amazigh the attention it deserves. And our Amazigh identity.”