original inhabitants of North Africa
The Berbers are the original inhabitants of North Africa. Long before the Roman, Arab and later French colonial presence they inhabited the mountains, plains and desert oases from the Nile to the Atlantic and from the Mediterranean to the banks of the Niger. Over the centuries, domination, arabization and colonization have — in varying degrees across countries — oppressed their language and their culture greatly. This made them withdraw to the most inhospitable areas of the Maghreb. Especially after independence from France in the 20th century, the Berber languages and culture came under heavy oppression from the new rulers.
In Tunisia and Libya the post-colonial politics and forced village relocations have reduced Berber speakers to 1% of the total populations and almost completely erased traditional culture and lifestyle. In Algeria, Berber speakers still constitute about 20% of the population but the increasing level of education (in Arabic) and the use of Arabic as sole official language marginalizes the Berber language and culture. Moreover, the Algerian government acts highly repressive against any form of Berber consciousness. The majority of Algerian Berbers live in Kabylia, in the Aures and in Saharan oases like Mzab and Gourara. Among them are also a number of Tuaregs around Tamanrasset in the South. These nomads populate a huge part of the Sahara (mainly in southern Algeria, Mali and Niger). Estimates of their numbers (depending on the source) range from 600,000 to 1,600,000.
The Moroccan situation
In contrast to their counterparts in the rest of the Maghreb, Moroccan Berbers were more successful maintaining their culture, language and traditions. The main reasons are their numerical strength (40% of the population speaks Berber) and their concentration in less hospitable areas (the Atlas Mountains, the Pre-Sahara and the Rif are practically homogeneously Berber). Their independent relationship with the authorities inspired rulers to a pragmatic attitude. Both the Sultans and the French Resident-Generals were forced to give the uncontrollable Berbers relative autonomy. Even today the prevailing ideology of the Moroccan monarchy is pragmatic. It pursues a policy of incorporation rather than repression (unlike the Algerian government in Kabylia) by making Berber identity officially an integral part of Moroccan society. Since the enthronement of Mohammed VI the government shows a greater openness to Berber culture. This is reflected among other things in the creation of the "Institut Royal de la culture Amazigh" (IRCAM) in charge of the promotion and study of Berber culture.