Loubna Mouna, founder of the Maison de l’Oralité, has stated that Amazigh oral heritage is insufficiently valued and faces critical challenges. According to local media reports, Mouna is advocating for a systemic shift in how North African oral traditions are recognized to prevent the permanent loss of this cultural identity.
- Primary Figure: Loubna Mouna, founder of Maison de l’Oralité.
- Core Issue: Under-valuation and fragility of Amazigh oral traditions.
- Objective: Increased recognition and preservation of oral heritage.
The Risks Facing Amazigh Traditions
The oral heritage of the Amazigh people is currently operating under a state of fragility, according to Loubna Mouna. She reports that these traditions are not receiving the necessary valuation to ensure their survival, leaving them vulnerable to disappearance.
Le patrimoine oral amazigh demeure insuffisamment valorisé et fait face à de nombreux défis.
Loubna Mouna
Mouna argues that the lack of institutional and social recognition creates an environment where traditional knowledge, stories, and linguistic nuances are lost as older generations pass away. This gap in valuation, she suggests, is a primary hurdle in the effort to archive and celebrate the culture.
The Mission of Maison de l’Oralité
To combat this cultural erosion, Mouna established the Maison de l’Oralité. The organization focuses on the collection and promotion of oral histories, treating spoken word as a formal archive of identity rather than a secondary form of history.
By centering the “orality” of the Amazigh experience, the organization seeks to elevate the status of these traditions from mere folklore to a recognized pillar of cultural heritage. Mouna emphasizes that the challenges facing this heritage are not merely about recording sounds, but about assigning a tangible value to the intellectual and artistic contributions of the Amazigh people.
