Heart And Soul: Amazigh Women Of Morocco

Celeste Hicks meets the Amazigh Berber women of Morocco, who are fighting against the imposition of a conservative Islam that is impinging on women’s freedom.

The Amazigh tribe dates back to the years just after the life of Jesus. They feel they are part of the landscape of this part of North Africa - maintaining cultural and religious traditions like weaving and wearing intricate tatoos that have survived wars and hostilities for nearly two millennia.

Amina Zioual is leader of Morocco’s first ever association for Berber-speaking Amazigh women. Celeste visits the traditional Berber villages to understand how the Amazigh women are fighting for their rights and how they feel about the growing imposition of what they perceive to be Arabic traditions, such as polygamy, veiling and under-age marriages.

The programme also examines the Berbers’ long relationship with Islam, having been some of the world’s earliest converts when the prophet Idriss arrived as a refugee from the Middle East in the 8th century.

Publicity contact: MH2