Haut commissariat à l'amazighité
Algerian government department
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The Haut commissariat à l'amazighité (HCA; English: High Commission for Amazighity; Arabic: المحافظة السامية للأمازيغية; Tamazight: ⴰⵙⵇⴰⵎⵓ ⵓⵏⵏⵉⴳ ⵏ ⵜⵉⵎⵓⵣⵖⴰ) is an Algerian state institution attached to the Presidency of the Republic. Established in 1995, it is responsible for promoting Amazigh language and culture and for supporting the incorporation of Tamazight into education and public communication.[1][2]
History
It is an academic institute of the Algerian state responsible for the study and promotion of the Amazigh language in Algeria. It was created by presidential decree on May 27, 1995, under the mandate of the President Liamine Zeroual. It is the first official institute in the Maghreb dedicated to Berber culture and language. It has been directly attached to the presidency of the Republic since its creation in 1995.[3]
It is headquartered in Algiers.
In the 1990s, Berber identity movements continued to advocate for greater political participation and the recognition of Tamazight, the standardized version of the Berber dialects, which had been codified in the meantime, as an official language in Algeria. During the 1994-1995 academic year, a period known as the "white year" or "blank year," a widespread school boycott took place, particularly among Berber families in Kabylia. This movement ultimately persuaded President Liamine Zeroual to establish the High Commission for Amazighity (HCA) in 1995. The HCA was tasked with promoting Tamazight and incorporating its use into the school systems of certain regions, as well as in communication platforms.[4][3] The following year, in 1996, Algeria's new Constitution acknowledged "Islam, Arabicness, and Amazighness" as fundamental elements of the nation's identity in its preamble. However, Tamazight was not recognized as an official language, remaining excluded from government use and official contexts. This changed in 2002, following the Black Spring, when Tamazight was declared a national language. In 2016, it gained the status of an official language of Algeria. Shortly after, on December 27, 2017, the Algerian Academy of Amazigh Language was established to support its development and promotion.
Its missions are diverse and range from the study of the central component of Algerian society: the Berber (or Amazigh) identity, to the promotion of the teaching of the Berber language (Tamazight) in schools. It is also a publisher of books on Berber culture in general.
The 1995 founding decree charged the HCA with developing policies and programs for the promotion of Amazighity, coordinating the introduction of Tamazight into education and communication, monitoring implementation and conducting research within its field of competence.[2]
In 2023, the Haut commissariat à l'amazighité recommended the generalization of mandatory Amazigh education to all Algerian schools.[5][6]
In 2025, the HCA completed a study of reading in Tamazight based on a sample of 5,445 participants. The study examined reading proficiency, demographic patterns and factors affecting access to Amazigh-language publications, and was intended to inform future language-promotion policies.[7]
For the 2026–2027 academic year, the HCA announced the launch at University of Algiers 3 of an integrated bachelor's-master's program in communication taught in the Amazigh language.[8]
Leadership
Mohand Idir Aït Amrane was appointed the HCA's first High Commissioner in 1995 and served until his death in October 2004.[9] Following his death, the post of High Commissioner remained vacant for at least the following year.[9]
Youcef Merrahi subsequently served as secretary general of the HCA. Si El Hachemi Assad was serving as secretary general by 2016 and continues to hold that position in 2026.[10][11]