Congratulations! Zora Meddahi-Larbi, Middle School French teacher has achieved success in creating a language app. It was built to teach today’s youth the centuries old language, Taqbaylit.  She and her organization, Twizi-USA, worked together since 2019 to develop it. In a prior article written for Today@GA in 2022, Meddahi-Larbi shared said that she worked with people around the world.  They worked tirelessly so that the Berber language and culture could be preserved.

Meddahi-Larbi was born in Lille, France, but her and her husband are both descendants of the Berber (Amazigh) people. Taqbaylit is a Berber language spoken in Algeria. Berbers lived in mostly the Northern portion of Africa centuries ago, in current countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Egypt. Their land was settled and taken over by Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, and Arab rule. With each culture’s arrival, the Berbers lost more and more of their identity and language. 

The completion of this app was collaborated with the non-profit organization “7,000 Languages.” This non-profit seeks to, “Create online language-learning courses in partnership with Indigenous, minority, and refugee communities so they can keep their languages alive.” The app itself translates Taqbaylit/English and Taqbaylit/French. It is an online tool.

“We created this tool because Taqbaylit youth now have little or no knowledge of their ancestors’ language.” This app can be downloaded at “Transparent Language”. Meddahi-Larbi continued, “Our goal is to keep the language alive because it builds a connection to our identity and culture. It’s important for youth to be connected to their heritage. That’s the very purpose of this app.” Congratulations to Zora Meddahi-Larbi and the other participants in Twizi-USA on the successful launch of this language app!