The High Council for the Amazigh of Libya announced that Monday, January 13, 2025, coinciding with the start of the Amazigh New Year 2975, will be an official public holiday across all Amazigh-speaking cities and regions in Libya.
In a statement obtained by Hespress, the council cited prior local government decisions from 2012 designating the Amazigh New Year as a public holiday. It also referred to its own Resolution No. 3 of 2013, which formally recognized the celebration as an official day off.
“The first day of the new Amazigh year 2975, falling on Monday, January 13, 2025, is declared an official holiday in all Amazigh-speaking cities and areas,” the statement affirmed.
The council extended its congratulations to all Libyans on this occasion, expressing hope that the Amazigh New Year would bring peace and prosperity to all citizens.
Libya’s Amazigh community faced systemic discrimination under the rule of the late President Muammar Gaddafi. The regime’s strict Arabization policies banned the use of the Amazigh language in schools and public institutions. Amazigh activists were subjected to harassment and legal persecution, effectively sidelining their cultural and linguistic rights.
However, the fall of Gaddafi’s regime in 2011 marked a turning point, with the Amazigh identity and cultural heritage re-emerging prominently in Libya’s social and political discourse.
The declaration of the Amazigh New Year as a public holiday is seen as a significant step toward recognizing and celebrating Libya’s diverse cultural heritage.
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