Mohand Arav Bessaoud
Mohand Arav Bessaoud (born 24 December 1924 in Taguemount El Djedid, Algeria; died 1 January 2002 in Isle of Wight) was a Kabyle Algerian writer and activist. He was described as the spiritual father of Berberism ("Dda Moh"), and a strong supporter of the Amazigh culture. Biography Mohand Arav was part, as soon as 1963, of the early movement that led to the rise of the National Liberation Front. He had published Happy The Martyrs Who Have Seen Nothing in 1963 in which he documented his war experience against the French. This book earned him the death penalty by the Ahmed Ben Bella administration. More precisely, he wrote explicitly how Ramdane Abbane (one of the historic leaders of the Algerian movement) was murdered by Abdelhafid Boussouf, and not killed in combat. In 1965, Bessaoud fled to France. Along with individuals including Taos Amrouche, Mohammed Arkoun, Abdelkader Rahmani, Mohand Saïd Hanouz, he cofounded the Academie Berbere in Paris in 1966. In 1969, he organized the first Berber music concert, and launched a Berber-focused magazine, Imazighène. That year, the Academie Berbere became Agraw Imazighen. He designed the modern Berber flag in 1970. In 1978, following diplomatic pressure from Algeria, France asked Mohand