by Hamid larbi, translated by hsen larbiTo the satisfaction of dreamers of a fulfilled Kabylia, Mr. Karim Akouche shone once again through the eloquence of his words. This time it occurred in Green Lane, PA, located 40 miles from Philadelphia. Indeed, to mark the memorable dates of Amazigh Spring and Black Spring, Tiwizi-USA has gathered the Kabyle community in north-eastern USA on the afternoon of Sunday, April 19, in this small town hidden in the Pennsylvania woods. It was a very freidnly and emotional meeting that drew many Kabyls from the surrounding area, including New Jersey, Delaware, New York and all the way from Maryland and Virginia. About an hour before the official launch of this day of commemoration, the writer and activist of many just causes, Mr. Akouche, arrived with Mr. Mourad Itim, coordinator of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK) in North America. The assistance, which began to come together at the same time took advantage of this unique opportunity to get to know or reconnect with the guests. It was also an opportunity to get a hand on the literary and theatrical publications of the ambitious young author who is already attracting a lot of attention on the literary scene nd social media, particularly in Canada and serveral other countries. After a brief introduction and overview of the vision and ideals of the young organization Tiwizi, its President, Mr Hsen Larbi, was invited to make a presentation on the circumstances of the events of the Black Spring of 2001. His work has been remarkable given the details of his investigation, sparking a lot of emotion in the audience. With a very pertinent analysis of the attitude and policy of the Algerian government in Kabylia, his presentation was both grave and captivating. The enormous data collection work on almost all victims of this tragedy was synthesized in a nominative list illustrated by moving photographs that provide a sense of the barbaric violence that must have endured these innocent beings whose only crime was their thirst for freedom and dignity. The thousands of survivors of this tragedy bear shocking physical and mental scars for the remainder of their tormented life. At the end of the presentation, which outlined in very expressive terms the strong emotions of Black Spring, a minute of silence was observed in memory of all the victims. Mr Itim then took the floor to bring to the audience the latest activities within MAK and GPK (Kabylia’s Provisional Government) including the recent election of the Kabyl flag, the grandiose mobilization of Kabyl youth around the MAK and the measures to establish the MAK’s North America Coordination. After a 20-minute coffee break and to stay in the same mood, the remainder of the program picked up with the first title of Ferhat Mehenni’s new album Tilelli i Teqbaylit (Freedom for Kabylia). A melancholic melody, the song was a message of a leader who calls Kabylia to take charge of its own destiny and work to gain freedom. When the music began to fade and we expected a silence, Karim came out of nowhere raising his voice and delivering his poems in a theatrical way. Amid the audience, he would run in the aisles, his voice resonating in the air with words that one felt they could only come from the deepest reaches of his being. A dramatic facial expression, an undulating tone, sometimes low, sometimes shouting, to accompany a storm of words that the audience received almost like slaps in face. From time to time, monotony returned to inform us of his weariness, following yet another defeat of the Kabyl people in his story line. The sight of leaflets he dropped on the ground one by one, after delivering their content, allowed everyone to come back to reality for a period of a few seconds. The content of his text, which he entitled In Search of the Lost identity, is a mosaic of historical facts, a stream of poetic images, a message that carried hope and the realization of failure all at once. "I’ll lend my voice O voiceless people Whenever you catch a cold It is I who coughs Whenever you fall I feel sick Every time you’re hurt I hurt at my homeland" Torn between the need and desire to exist and to give up on everything because if the Kabyles do nothing, all will be lost. "O people who ignore yourself Why do you ignore your homeland You who have the gift of ubiquity You were all the others But never yourself " Through this poetic fresco, sometimes a tragic one, our poet took the audience by the hand to show his people’s strengths and weaknesses, his mistakes and his prowess. This poignant tale ended with another song by Ferhat Mehenni now with a lighter tones. Karim could not help but come back with a second reading in Taqvaylit all the while blaming himself for not writing more in his mother tongue. The second reading was a surprise because ultimately his speech was as eloquent in Taqvailit than it was in French. A real treat to see how beautiful our language is. "The concept of freedom is better defined in Taqvailit than in French. The French say "Be like a fish in water". My mother said,"Illik am aman deg aman." The fish can not live without water. Additionally, when there are two bodies in presence, there is always a power struggle, whereas in the Kabyl definition, there is only one body: Water. It is the clearest freedom, the most complete. In this example, Taqvailit conveys the message better than French.” Before the Q/A session started, members of the audience asked Karim to read a third text which recently made the buzz on the Internet: Africa must find its North. A powerful text, with strong and beautifully carved words, in which he denounced the thorough denial of identity suffered by North Africa, which is an integral part of Africa that local oppressive governments want to annex the Middle East. North Africa, which is being defined by two constants: Arabic and Islam. Why this injustice? Why must people suffer under another with impunity? “When I was born I was labeled as an “Arab” At my death, I will be buried as a “moslem” My birth certificate is a death certificate I don’t exist, neither in life nor death.” The long afternoon gathering concluded with a philosophical debate about identity, the role of the artist in particular the writer, with a focus on the Kabyl specificity. There was a unanimous agreement that liberating ideas must be sowed among the Kabyls. After the program ended, Mr. Akouche continued to kindly autograph books to all those who have expressed the desire for an autographed copy. Tiwizi, through its President Hsen Larbi, warmly thanked both guests and those who ensured for them a warm reception, especially Amor Nouri Mourad Harouz. Both Tiwizi and its guests promised to meet again and work for future activities. This article was first published in the French language on the Kabyl news website tamurt.info
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