Signature of addendum to contract to launch Amazigh channel

[Idir]

Signature of addendum to contract to launch Amazigh channel
Rabat, 12 Dec. 2008 (MAP) - An addendum to the contract to launch an Amazigh television was signed here Friday between the government and National TV (SNRT).

    This project, which has required a budget of $ 59.7 mln, spread over four months, aims to promote the Amazigh culture, a main component of the Moroccan society.

     The addendum was signed by Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman, Khalid Naciri, Minister of Finances, Salaheddine Mezouar, and SNRT Director General, Fayçal Laraichi in the presence of the Chairman of the Royal Institute of the Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), Ahmed Boukouss .

     The signing of this addendum provides for setting up a juridical framework as well as the necessary measures to launch this project, Naciri said.

      The signing of this document, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, gives concrete expression to Morocco's will to promote the cultural and linguistic rights of a major component of the national identity, Naciri underlined.

       For his part, Mezouar said the creation of an Amazigh Channel, which will be launched 9 months from now, clearly shows the radical change witnessed in the Moroccan society, noting that the success of an Amazigh channel means the success of pluralism that characterizes the Moroccan identity.

      The new Channel is expected to inform the current and coming generations about the Moroccan history, he said, adding that it will serve as a cross cultural tool in the Moroccan society.

       Boukouss deemed the creation of an Amazigh tv channel a historical event, as it constitutes an essential phase in the process to reinforce the right for information.

      Boukouss also expressed readiness to offer IRCAM’s expertise in the field of the Amazigh language and culture to guarantee  quality service.

http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box5/signature_of_addendu/view