Everything about Kabylie totally explained
» This article focuses on the region in Algeria. For the ethnic group, see Kabyle people. For their language, see Kabyle language.
Kabylie or
Kabylia (
Kabyle:
Tamurt n Leqbayel, or
Tamurt idurar) is a
cultural region in the north of
Algeria.
It is part of the
Tell Atlas and is located at the edge of the
Mediterranean Sea. Kabylia covers several
provinces of Algeria: the whole of
Tizi Ouzou and
Bejaia (Bgayet), most of
Bouira (Tubirett) and parts of the wilayas of
Bordj Bou Arreridj,
Jijel,
Boumerdes, and
Setif.
Gouraya National Park and
Djurdjura National Park are also located in Kabylie.
History
Middle Ages
The
Fatimid dynasty of the
10th century originated in Lower Kabylie, where an
Ismaili da'i found a receptive audience for his millennialist preaching, and ultimately led the
Kutama tribe to conquer first
Ifriqiya and then
Egypt. After taking over Egypt, the Fatimids themselves lost interest in the
Maghreb, which they left to their Berber deputies, the
Zirids. The Zirid family soon split, with the
Hammadid branch taking over Kabylie as well as much of Algeria, and the Zirids taking modern Tunisia. They had a lasting effect on not only Kabylie's but Algeria's development, refounding towns such as
Bejaia (their capital after the abandonment of
Qalaat Beni Hammad) and
Algiers itself.
After the Hammadids' collapse, the coast of Kabylie changed hands regularly, while much of the interior was often effectively unruled. Under the
Ottoman Turks, most of Kabylie was inaccessible to the deys, who had to content themselves with occasional incursions and military settlements in some valleys. In the early part of the Ottoman period, the Belkadi family ruled much of Grande Kabylie from their capital of
Koukou, now a small village near Tizi-Ouzou; however, their power declined in the
17th century.
Modern age
The area was gradually taken over by the French from 1857, despite vigorous local resistance by the local population led by leaders such as Lalla
Fatma n Soumer, continuing as late as
Cheikh Mokrani's rebellion in 1871. Much land was confiscated in this period from the more recalcitrant tribes and given to French
pied-noirs. Many arrests and deportations were carried out by the French, mainly to
New Caledonia. Colonization also resulted in an acceleration of the emigration into other areas of the country and outside of it.
Algerian immigrant workers in France organized the first party promoting independence in the 1920s.
Messali Hadj,
Imache Amar,
Si Djilani, and
Belkacem Radjef rapidly built a strong following throughout France and Algeria in the 1930s and actively developed militants that became vital to the future of both a fighting and an independent Algeria.
During the war of independence(1954-1962), Kabylie was one of the areas that was most affected, because of the importance of the maquis (aided by the mountainous terrain) and French repression. The
FLN recruited several of its historical leaders there, including
Hocine Aït Ahmed,
Abane Ramdane, and
Krim Belkacem.
After the independence
Tensions have arisen between Kabylia and the central government on several occasions, initially in 1963, when the
FFS party of
Hocine Aït Ahmed contested the authority of the single party (FLN). In 1980, several months of demonstrations demanding the officialization of the Berber language, known as the
Berber Spring, took place in Kabylie.
The politics of identity intensified as the Arabization movement in Algeria gained steam in the 1990s. In 1994–1995, a school boycott occurred, termed the "strike of the school bag." In June and July of 1998, the area blazed up again after the assassination of singer
Matoub Lounes and at the time that a law generalizing the use of the
Arabic language in all fields went into effect. In the months following April 2001 (called the
Black Spring), major riots — together with the emergence of the
Arouch, neo-traditional local councils — followed the killing of a young Kabyle (
Masinissa Guermah) by gendarmes, and gradually died down only after forcing some concessions from the President,
Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Since 23 March 2007, the
Military of Algeria has conducted extensive searches in the Kabylie region in search of members of the
GSPC. Two major roads, between
Béjaïa and
Amizour and between
El-Kseur and
Bouira, have been partially closed. The bombings in
Alger on 11 April 2007 rendered this search all the more urgent, as the GSPC has recently become the Maghrebin arm of the
Al-Qaida Network.
Geography
Main features:
- The Great Kabylia, which goes from Thénia (west) to Bejaia (east), and from the Mediterranean Sea (north) to the valley of Soummam (south), that's to say, 200 km by 100 km, beginning 50 km from Algiers, the capital of Algeria.
- Kabylia of Bibans and Kabylia of Babors, which form the Little Kabylia.
Three large chains of mountains occupy most of the area:
In the north, the mountain range of maritime Kabylia, culminating with Tifrit n'Ait El Hadj (Tamgout1278 m)
In the south, the Djurdjura, dominating the valley of Soummam, culminating with Lalla-Khadîdja (2308 m)
Between the two lies the mountain range of Agawa, which is the most populous and is 800 m high on average. The largest town of Great Kabylia, Tizi Ouzou, lies in that mountain range. Larbaa Nat Iraten (formerly "Fort-National"in French occupation), which numbered 28,000 inhabitants in 2001, is the highest urban centre of the area.
Population
The area is populated by the Kabyles, the second most populous Berber people after the Chleuhs in Morocco.
Their name means "tribe" (from the Arabic "qabîlah" قبيلة). They speak the Kabyle variety of Berber. Since the Berber Spring in 1980, Kabyles have been at the forefront of the fight for the official recognition of the Berber language in Algeria (see Languages of Algeria).
Economy
The traditional economy of the area is based on arboriculture (orchards, olive trees) and on the craft industry (tapestry or pottery). The mountain and hill farming is gradually giving way to local industry (textile and agro-alimentary).
Politics
Two political parties dominate in Kabylie and have their principal support base there: the FFS, led by Hocine Aït Ahmed, and the RCD, led by Saïd Sadi. Both parties are secularist, Berberist and "Algerianist".
The Arouch emerged during the Black Spring of 2001 as a revival of a traditional Kabyle form of democratic organization, the village assembly. The Arouch share roughly the same political views as the FFS and the RCD.
The MAK (Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie) also emerged during the Black Spring, and is a political association that militates for the autonomy of Kabylie.
Bibliography
Mohamed Dahmani, Economie et Societe en Grande Kabylie (Alger: Office des Publications Universitaires, 1987)
Makilam, The Magical Life of Berber Women in Kabylia (New York: Peter Lang publishing USA, 2007)
Makilam, Symbols and Magic in the Arts of Kabyle Women (New York: Peter Lang publishing USA, 2007)Further Information
Get more info on 'Kabylie'.
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