English version follows

Tafaska tis-snat n Usaru Amaziɣ n Los Angeles ad tili as n wis-10 seg Yennayer (amasiḥi) 2009. Tezga-d deg tmeɣra n imaziɣen irkelli: tameɣra n Yennayer. Tafaska agi issudes-itt-id Tazzla Institute for Cultural Diversity (www.tazzla.org) s tallalt n Tiddukla Tadelsant Tamaziɣt deg Marikan.

Di laɛnaya nnwen rezfet ɣer wesmel n tfaska www.laaff.org akken a d-tawin tilɣutin ilaqen. Nessaram aṭas n imaslaḍen nneɣ d imeɣriyen n wesmel-a ad izmiren ad ddun ɣer tfaska agi ad ɛemmṛen ṛṛeḥba dinna, ad –walin kra n wudmwen n yedles amaziɣ ur ẓrin ara yakan.

The second annual Los Angeles Film Festival will take place on January 10th 2009. It coincides with the celebration of the Amazigh New Year or the Yennayer celebration. This festival is organized by the Tazzla Institute for Cultural Diversity (www.tazzla.org) and co-sponsored by the Amazigh Cultural Association in America.

Please visit the festival's website www.laaff.org for more information. We encourage our members and readers to attend the festival to discover the many facets of Amazigh culture that are going to be shown to you on the big screen. It is a one of a kind opportunity in the US. We wish the festival a great success.

 The end of summer 2008 marked the end of the Kabyl Folktale Theater Project directed by Taous Claire Khazem and sponsored by ACAA.The Kabyl Folktale Theater Project was created to celebrate the rich oral tradition of Kabylia by combining theatrical performance with Kabyl folktales (timucuha). Young Kabyl women from the region of Bgayet created a theatre rooted in Kabyl folktales.

The project lasted approximately three months but Taous arrived in the Kabyl capital Tizi-Ouzou in mid-May 2008 to visit family and friends and plan her project. During her first week she already started asking her relatives for folktales. 

Challenges

Arrived in Bgayet, Taous met numerous challenges. One of these challenges is lodging. In Bgayet, rent is very high during the summer months. In fact it is as high as in any major American city. Through ACAA and friends, Taous managed to find a place where to stay. The other major challenge is finding the right candidates for this project. An ad was posted at the City Universitaire with the help of Beza Bencheikh. Taous planned to audition young candidates from highschool but it was not easy as by the time she got there all highschools were closed for the summer vacation. Finally Taous settled with seven candidates who previously worked with Bgayet Regional Theatre Director Omar Fetmouche on another show. The seven recruits will go through the full training and take part in the final performance. For Taous it was not an easy task but she was prepared.

Training and Folktale Selection

It’s the beginning of July and for about a week actresses and director hit the road and scoured the surrounding villages to collect as many folktales as possible. They talked to relatives and friends with knowledge of old Kabyl tales. Director Khazem and her students selected three folktales each telling about the life of a different woman. The tales were all about the courage, the life struggles and the role of women in Amazigh society. The young actresses would end up learning a life lesson while experiencing the joy of theater as well as through the stories themselves.

Ø  The first tale was about the seven sisters and the ogress. The youngest of the sisters would be the one to read through the ogress’s monstrous plans and save the day.

Ø  The second tale was about a girl who was buried alive by her family. She had eaten a snake egg that hatched in her belly. Saved by a stranger, she came back to haunt her mean step-mother and redeem her father.

Ø  A man swore to marry the girl whose hair he found at a fountain. The girl’s name was Drima and she unfortunately was his own sister. 

During the same month, the aspiring actresses explored different styles of play, improvisation and creating scenes and characters. Then came the time to write the dialogues, learn and rehearse them. To challenge the actresses, Director Khazem brought in an audience several times in order to prepare them for the final performance.

Performances  

The actors performed four times: twice at the Bgayet Theatre Regionale, once at the Maison de la Culture of Ait-Smail, and another time at the Maison de la Culture of Bgayet.

Conclusion

This project was the first of its kind for ACAA. ACAA is very grateful to Taous for putting it together and working very hard to see it through. ACAA is very grateful to many other people, members and non-members, who contributed financially or otherwise to this project. Special thanks to Bgayet regional theatre director Omar Fetmouche, Mohand Ameziane Bencheikh, Amor Nouri, MAK Sweden, Nora Cheddad, Nordine Saidi, the Adel Family, Lyazid Abdi, and Samira and Ghania Challali. Last but not least let’s us thank our seven participants who sacrificed their summer vacation and worked hard and performed beautifully.

Many lessons have been learned from this project both for Taous and for ACAA. According to Taous, more effort and time should be devoted to recruiting. Certainly, more housing does require a larger budget in cities like Bgayet where rent skyrockets during the summer months. Another area that may need additional attention in the future is a stipend for actors to increase motivation and help during recruiting. 

Overall the project was a success. The goals set for the project were achieved despite the many challenges. Taous and her actresses created a new style of theater in Kabylia that is rooted in the Amazigh tradition and values.

More Info (Coming soon... Please visit the projects section)

1)    Kabyl tales used in this project

2)    Photos

3)    Clip from the show

4) Taous Khazem's project blog

5)    Algerian newspaper clips about the project

The Amazigh Cultural Association in America Celebrates the Amazigh New Year, Yennayer 2959/2009

Saturday, January 17th
6:00pm – 11:00pm

at

YWCA
7, Temple Street
Cambridge, MA 02139

The program includes: Dinner (traditional Couscous), Amazigh Live Music & more cultural programming.

Admission plus Dinner: $15 ($5 for children under 12)

Please help the organizers by purchasing your tickets in advance at:
The Moroccan Caravan Store
285 Washington St, Somerville, MA 02143

Or online at www.moroccancaravan.com under specials

For more info, please call Addi at 617-314-7002
Or email: azruhammar@gmail.com

Timlilit n useggas 2008 - ACAA 2008 Annual Meeting
Saturday, December 13th, 2008
Days Inn Bridgewater, NJ
1260 US Hwy 22 East
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
Hotel Tel: (908) 526-9500
For directions, please use mapquest or google maps.

Tagburt / Agenda

·         10:00-10:30 - Coffee
·         10:30-10:45 - Welcome
·         10:45-12:00 - Report by the executive team
  o    Financial Report by Rabah Seffal, Treasurer
  o    The state of ACAA current and future by Hsen Larbi,   President
·         12:00-1:00 – Break for Lunch
·         1:00-1:30 – Question/Answer
·         1:30–3:30 - Open forum / Discussion
·         3:30-4:00 – Elections

To our members:

The annual meeting is an opportunity to meet you fellow ACAA members and discuss issues related to our organization and the causes it defends. We also cast our ballots that day for the upcoming elections. Those who cannot attend can vote by proxy (via regular mail). Please note, this is a members only event. If you would like to bring a guest, please send us your request ahead of time.