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Article: Identity crisis: Algeria.(law making Arabic the official language provokes riots)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- July 11, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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NEXT to religion, language provokes the most extreme passions in Algeria. When, on July 5th, a law came into force making Arabic the only language allowed in public life, fury exploded in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylia. The area was already on fire. After the killing of an immensely popular Berber singer, Lounes Matoub, late last month, protesters sacked government-owned shops and tore down Arabic signs. Although most Algerians believe that the singer, an outspoken secularist, was killed by Islamic militants, Berber anger swiftly turned against the state and its Arabisation policy. For Algerians, language is inextricably bound up with the conflicting visions of their ...