HIBAPRESS – Abdel Latif Baraka
The Isni N Ourgh Festival, as part of the activities of its 17th edition, scheduled from October 1st to 5th, will honor the researcher, writer, and professor Helen E. Hagen, in recognition of her academic and cultural journey and her contributions to promoting Amazigh culture and heritage internationally.
The new edition is organized in partnership with the Souss Massa region, the Agadir Municipal Council, and the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture. The festival has chosen to celebrate Helen Hagen in view of her path, which combined academic research, fieldwork, teaching, and cultural activism, with a special focus on cultural diversity, heritage protection, and knowledge transfer between communities. Helen Hagen was born in Morocco and grew up between Oujda, Fez, and Rabat, before pursuing her studies in France and the United States, where she obtained two master's degrees in Education and Cultural Anthropology from Stanford University. In 1993, she founded the Tazla Institute for Cultural Diversity, which focused on promoting Amazigh heritage and strengthening its international presence. She has also accumulated extensive research, cultural, and educational output, including books and programs concerned with Amazigh history and culture. She also produced 55 educational and cultural television programs, including a series on "Tamazgha, the Land of the Berbers in Morocco." Her cultural presence extended to the United States, where in 2008 she founded the Los Angeles Amazigh Film Festival, which provided a space for interaction between cinema, art, music, and Amazigh culture, along with other initiatives hosted by American cities including New York and Boston. This tribute comes to celebrate Helen Hagen's journey and her contributions to promoting Amazigh heritage and culture, and to highlight the roles that cultural initiatives can play in building bridges of communication between Morocco and various international cultural spheres.
