Moroccan Anti-Atlas Amazigh Children’s Play and Toy Heritage in a Developmental and Intercultural Perspective
Jean-Pierre Rossie
Volume 22, Number 1 (2022) 22 (1): 55-69
Keywords Amazigh, child, development, intercultural, play, toys
Abstract
The author wants to promote the recognition of Amazigh Anti-Atlas children’s culture and other North African and Saharan children in the countries where they live. As part of the heritage of humanity, children’s cultures have great developmental and pedagogical potential for intercultural and pedagogical activities locally and in a Western and non-Western context.
As a sociocultural anthropologist and after fieldwork in 1975 in the Tunisian Sahara, I concentrated on children’s play, games, and toys in the Sahara and North Africa. From 1992 until 2000, this research took place in central Morocco among Arabic-speaking and Amazigh-speaking families. Since 2002, I have been among Amazigh (Berber) children living in the Western part of the Anti-Atlas Mountains.
The goals of the author’s research and writing are to record, archive, analyze, and distribute written and visual information on Saharan and North African children’s toy and play heritages and documenting their evolution. This article and the author’s research are intended to promote awareness for, interest in, and the use of children’s culture, especially their play, games, and toys in this region and worldwide. The author’s research recognizes children’s rights and the vital role of children as active participants in the society they grow up. Finally, this article seeks to stimulate the integration of North African and Saharan children’s cultures into humanity’s tangible and intangible heritage.
Jean-Pierre Rossie
Published June 1, 2022
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
ATFALE. (1992). Le jeu dans l'institution préscolaire. Guide d'activités pour le préscolaire. Rabat: Alliance de Travail dans la Formation et l'Action pour l'Enfance, Faculté des Sciences de l'Éducation, Université Mohamed V. https://www.facebook.com/Atfale-231671280235636
Bouzoubaâ, K. (1998). An Innovation in Morocco's Koranic Pre-schools. Working Papers in Early Childhood Development, No. 23. The Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation.
Charte nationale d'éducation et de formation. (1999). Morocco. https://www.mcinet.gov.ma/sites/default/files/documentation%20iscae%20rabat%202018.pdf
GEF Global Education et Formation. (2014). Diagnostic et Évaluation de l'État Actuel du Préscolaire: Synthèse. Rabat: Cabinet de conseil en éducation et formation.
Heugh, K. (2017). Lessons from Africa prove the incredible value of mother tongue learning. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-africa-prove-the-incredible-value-of-mother-tongue-learning-73307
Loi n° 05-00 Relative au Statut de l'Enseignement Préscolaire. (2000). Morocco. http://www.unesco.org/education/edurights/media/docs/b6e70d437edc203732f7da102046e617ba23bdb3.pdf
Rossie, J.-P. (1984/2003). Games and Toys: Anthropological Research on Their Practical Contribution to Child Development. Notes for UNICEF Education Programming. Paris: UNESCO. Re-edited in 2003.
Rossie, J.-P. (2003/2013). Rural Moroccan Children's Play and Toys in Multicultural and Multilingual Environments. Paper presented at the Symposium "Studying Children's Play, Development and Education in Bicultural Contexts," University of Illinois at Chicago, April 18, 2002. SITREC, Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology.
Rossie, J.-P. (2005/2013). Toys, Play, Culture and Society: An Anthropological Approach with Reference to North Africa and the Sahara. SITREC, Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology.
Rossie, J.-P. (2005). Saharan and North African Toy and Play Cultures: Children's Dolls and Doll Play. SITREC, Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology.
Rossie, J.-P. (2008). Saharan and North African Toy and Play Cultures: Domestic Life in Play, Games and Toys. SITREC, Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology.
Rossie, J.-P. (2011). La cultura lúdica de los niños amazigh marroquíes y las cuestiones del desarrollo (transl. Stela Maris Ferrarese). In Ferrarese Capettini, Stela Maris. El Sembrador 3. Neuquén, Argentina.
Rossie, J.-P. (2013). Saharan and North African Toy and Play Cultures: Technical Activities in Play, Games and Toys. Braga: Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies, Catholic University of Portugal.
Rossie, J.-P. (2015-2016). Saharan - North-African - Amazigh Children's Toy Catalogs. Braga: Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies, Catholic University of Portugal.
Rossie, J.-P. (2016). Using North African children's play culture for pedagogical and sociocultural applications. Play & Folklore, 66. Melbourne: Museum Victoria.
Rossie, J.-P. (2019). Amazigh Children's Toys and Play Cultures. Fourth World Journal, 18(1).
https://doi.org/10.63428/4h09b794
Rossie, J.-P., Jariaa, K., Daoumani, B., & Fassoulas, A. (2021). Saharan and North African Toy and Play Cultures: Make-believe Play Among Children of the Moroccan Anti-Atlas. Braga: Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies, Catholic University of Portugal. (2 volumes)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Submissions
