Ahmed Ziani

(Morocco, 1954 ) was born in the North Moroccan Reef. He emigrated to the Netherlands in 1979 to become one of the most well-known poets of the Moroccan community here and in Belgium. Ziani is a pioneer in the stuggle for recognition of Berber language and culture. In 1983 he published In steen zal ik schrijven, (In Stone I Shall Write), the first book of poetry to appear in Tamazight (with a Dutch translation). In 1997 it was followed by Jubelzang voor de bruidegom (Song of Joy for the Bridegroom). Migration and identity are important themes in his poems. Also he intertwines in his poetry the nature and the popular culture from his youth with the influences he underwent in the Netherlands. Ziani moved to Morocco in 2003, living in Nador. Soon the anthology Forgetting to Die will appear.