Mohand Arav Bessaoud (24 December 1924 in Taguemount El Djedid,

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

– 1 January 2002 in Newport) was a Kabyle

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

. He was described as the spiritual father of

Berberism Berberism is a Berber ethnonationalist movement, that started mainly in Kabylia (Algeria) and Morocco during the French colonial era with the Kabyle myth and was largely driven by colonial capitalism and France's divide and conquer policy. ...

("Dda Moh"), and a strong supporter of the

Amazigh Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connections are identified by their u ...

culture.

Biography

Mohand Arav was part, as soon as 1963, of the early movement that led to the rise of the National Liberation Front. He had published ''Happy The Martyrs Who Have Seen Nothing'' in 1963 in which he documented his war experience against the French. This book earned him the death penalty by the

Ahmed Ben Bella Ahmed Ben Bella (; 25 December 1916 – 11 April 2012) was an Algerian politician, soldier and socialist revolutionary who served as the head of government of Algeria from 27 September 1962 to 15 September 1963 and then the first president of ...

administration. More precisely, he wrote explicitly how Ramdane Abbane (one of the historic leaders of the Algerian movement) was murdered by

Abdelhafid Boussouf Abdelhafid Boussouf (; 17 August 1926, Mila, Algeria – 31 December 1980 Paris, France) was an Algerian nationalist and a leader of the National Liberation Front (FLN) during the Algerian War of Independence (1954–62). He was a member of the ...

, and not killed in combat.Hsain Ilahiane
Historical Dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen)
''Rowman & Littlefield'', 27 March 2017 In 1965, Bessaoud fled to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Along with individuals including

Taos Amrouche Marie-Louise-Taos Amrouche (March 1913 – 2 April 1976) was an Algerian writer and singer. In 1947, she became the first Algerian woman to publish a novel. Biography She was born in Tunis, Tunisia, into a family of Kabyle people, Kabyle ...

Mohammed Arkoun Mohammed Arkoun (; 1 February 1928 – 14 September 2010) was an Algerian scholar and thinker. He was considered to have been one of the most influential secular scholars in Islamic studies contributing to contemporary intellectual Islamic refor ...

, Abdelkader Rahmani, Mohand Saïd Hanouz, he cofounded the Academie Berbere in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1966. In 1969, he organized the first Berber music concert, and launched a Berber-focused magazine, ''Imazighène''. That year, the Academie Berbere became ''Agraw Imazighen''. He designed the modern

Berber flag The Berber flag or Amazigh flag is an ethnic flag used as a common symbol of related ethnic groups in North Africa. The flag was created to symbolize culture, but with the rise of Berberism it also began to be used in political contexts. The fl ...

in 1970. In 1978, following diplomatic pressure from Algeria, France asked Mohand Arav to leave the country. He dissolved the Academie Berbere and settled in the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

. In 1997, he returned to Algeria, his last trip to his home country before passing away on 1 January 2002.

Published work

Mohand Arav wrote on the war of independence, its aftermath and the history of the Berbers. He was considered a leading light of Berberism during the 20th and early 21st centuries. *''Happy The Martyrs Who Have Seen Nothing'', 1963 *''The FFS: Hope and Betrayal'', 1966 *''Little people for a great cause, or the history of the Berber Academy 1966-1978'', 2000 *''The provisional identity'' * ''A few pages of our history'', with Saïd Aït Ameur *''Berber names''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bessaoud, Mohand Arav 1924 births 2002 deaths Berberism in Algeria Berber activists Berber writers Kabyle people People from Tizi Ouzou Province Algerian writers Algerian emigrants to France French emigrants to the United Kingdom

Biography

Published work

See also

References