Name: Libya’s Amazigh celebrate Yennayer after decades of oppression
Uploaded: 2026-01-19T09:17:05.458Z
Duration: 1 min 36 s
Description: After decades of oppression, the Amazigh people of Libya are finally free to not only practice but celebrate their culture.

After decades of oppression, the Amazigh people of Libya are finally free to not only practice but celebrate their culture.

Tripoli

The Amazigh people of Libya, also known as Berbers, are now able to celebrate Yennayer, their traditional New Year, openly after decades of cultural suppression. Under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, Amazigh language, names, and symbols were banned, and their music was performed only in secret.

The Yennayer celebration, held in Yifren in the Nafusa Mountains, features traditional clothing, feasts, and music, reflecting a renewed sense of identity and pride. Since the 2011 revolution, which saw the Amazigh play a significant role, the community has been able to revive and pass on its cultural heritage to future generations.

Libya’s Amazigh celebrate Yennayer after decades of oppression

For decades, this music was outlawed. They were sung in whispers behind closed doors. But now they're sung in public without fear. Libya's Berber people, the Amazigh, have lived here for centuries. Their culture rooted in land and tradition. This flag, these symbols, and even the language that these songs were written in were once forbidden. Under Muammar Gaddafi, Amazigh identity was suppressed. Amazigh names were banned. Their language, Tamazight, was outlawed. And musicians say they would play in secret. This Amazigh celebration is called Yanayir. And it marks the beginning of the agricultural year, basically a New Year celebration. The feelings we have can't be described. As men, women, and children, this is a day of prosperity for us. We hope that what we plant will be harvested in great bounty for all of Libya, but especially for Amazigh people. It's held here in Yifren, in the Nafusa Mountains, a place where Amazigh culture has survived despite people's hardship. There's a feast, traditional clothing, and a pride that feels new. Because for years, Yanayir couldn't be celebrated. The Amazigh played a crucial role in the revolution that toppled longtime leader Gaddafi in 2011. 15 years later, they're free to practice their traditions with a renewed sense of identity and pride in their culture, one they hope to pass on to future generations. Maud Trena, Al Jazeera, Yifren, Nafusa Mountains, Libya.

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