The CBF representatives said how deeply moved they were to be able to take part in this meeting as well as their “pain” at not being recognised for who they are. Mustapha Saadi spoke of the difficulty they experienced as children when it came to saying they belonged to a people, a culture and a history that were unknown to the teachers, who by excessive simplification assimilated them with Arabs.
The speakers underlined the fraternal character of this meeting between Jews and Berbers, in light of the history of this population of more than twenty five million souls, who are clearly the majority in large expanses of the Maghreb, such as Southern Morocco or Kabylia in Algeria.
Marc Zerbib, a member of the Steering Committee, stated that the claim for a recognition of Berber identity in Algeria would also favour the claim for Jewish identity, two components of the historic population of Algeria – “We’ve been there for 2000 years” – who had been put under the bushel to favour the Arab nationalist dimension when the country became independent.
The two communities have already started to get to know each other better. The President of CRIF, Richard Prasquier, was able to express this point of view on the Berber TV channel and his message has already crossed to the other side of the Mediterranean.
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