Moroccan Novel Explores Amazigh Identity and History Through Oral Literature

Moroccan writer Allal Abou Saber's latest novel, "The Mountain and What It Carries," delves into the rich tapestry of Amazigh oral literature to explore profound themes of identity, belonging, language, and self-definition. The work seeks to re-examine history and understand the political, cultural, and social significance of regional affiliations.

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Most of the sayings I mentioned in the novel are derived from the Amazigh origin of the country, knowing that Amazigh has relied heavily on orality except in its ancient past.

Published by the Moroccan University of Creators for Culture and Art and Book Printing, the novel is dedicated to Abou Saber's grandmother. Through her memory, he questions what he perceives as reductive beliefs and historical accounts, such as limiting Morocco's history to just 12 centuries, implying a sudden beginning rather than a continuous evolution.

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I wrote this novel out of jealousy for the Amazigh language, feeling a kind of 'Hogra' directed against the Amazigh cause, which has not been given its value, despite it being the origin.

In an interview with Hespress, Abou Saber stated that many of the narratives within the novel are derived from Amazigh origins, emphasizing the tradition of oral transmission in Amazigh culture. He expressed a deep sense of "Hogra", a feeling of injustice or oppression, directed towards the Amazigh cause, which he believes has not been given its due recognition despite being foundational to the region's heritage.

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With advancing age, truths emerge to me about the oppressed language, the oppressed nation, and the oppressed people, and a number of lies about Amazigh culture and existence in this country, but we overlook this, and move in the same constant direction; even though hearts are torn for an Amazigh people that is Morocco, and a Morocco that is the Amazigh people.

Abou Saber further articulated that as he ages, he recognizes truths about the "oppressed" language, nation, and people. He laments the overlooking of historical injustices and falsehoods concerning Amazigh culture and existence in Morocco, despite the deep emotional connection he feels to the Amazigh people, who are intrinsically linked to Morocco itself. The novel also reflects his personal experiences and those of his ancestors, who endured centuries of hardship in the mountains, which he views as a form of unjust exile within their own homeland. He describes the Atlas Mountains, where his people were relegated, as a harsh environment filled with stones, scorpions, and wild animals, a stark contrast to the fertile lowlands.

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This novel extracts what is within me. We have suffered with our mothers, grandmothers, and ancestors for centuries in the mountains, which I consider an unjust exile because the Atlas Mountains are an exile for a people within their homeland, from whom the fertile lowlands were taken, and they were exiled to live with stones, scorpions, and animals in the high and harsh mountains.