AFP Forum

EGYPT - MINORITIES - BERBER - SOCIAL
Egyptian school children dressed in traditional outfits, gather during a celebration to mark the inauguration of the fortress of Shali following its restoration, in the Egyptian desert oasis of Siwa, some 600 kms southwest of the capital Cairo, on November 6, 2020. Few adults in Egypt's far western Siwa oasis speak Arabic as their main language, with children playing at the foot of the ancient Shali fortress talking and shouting in Siwi. The UN has classified the easternmost dialect of Tamazight, a language spoken across North Africa as far as Morocco, as "endangered". The Berbers of Siwa are one of the main linguistic minorities in Egypt, the most populous Arabic-speaking country with some 100 million inhabitants and long the flag-bearer of Arab nationalism.
Khaled DESOUKI / AFP