Amazigh tradition in the Rif has a very rich stock of resistance poetry. Towards the close of the 19th century the area was rocked by tensions producing total disorder, at the time of Spanish colonial encroachment.
Living in a traditional, strictly egalitarian society, the Rifian has had little use for intrusive, external forces, be they the Makhzen, or a colonial power. His seemingly ’dissident’ way of life was actually regulated by politico-military authority enshrined in an assembly know as the ’council of forty’. As of 1893, these freedom-loving mountaineers found themselves confronted with crushing Spanish military superiority. Unsurprisingly, poems of this period express collective disarray in the face of an enemy totally beyond their ken. From 1902 to 1908, the Rif became embroiled in the Buhmara rebellion, numerous Rifians rallying to his standard. Disenchantment, however, soon set in: the ’Pretender’ alienated himself through collaboration with the Spaniards, even selling them some land, notably Jbal Uksan, subject of a famous poem. Unfortunately, Buhmara’s defeat in 1908 did not mean an end to the Rifians’ tribulations. Spanish expansion in the Rif was now in full swing and there was no let-up in the fighting.
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To promote the Amazigh art and culture in the basque country, AZRAF association in partnership with the provincial council of Bizkaia, take the initiative to celebrate the Amazigh new year 2960 (asuggas amaynu). The success of last year’s event with the pioneer of the Amazigh music Idir left many positive echoes in the Basque country. This year Azraf is going to invite the Rifian prominent band Imetlaa alongside a group from Catalunya named ASANEF, which is a group of Amazigh artists living in catalunya. In addition to these two bands a local band from the basque country is also invited to present the basque culture. 
Timazighin of Nederland Association , for women and Amazigh cultural aspects, are organizing several workshops during the month of June on Saturdays about the poetic Rifian heritage: IZRAN. Anyone interest to participate in this subject, please contact Timazighin at 
Poetry has a highly considerable position in the Amazigh culture and literature. It is the fundmental inductive and refresher of the collective memory of Imazighen in the Rif. Tafsut Association for Culture and Development organized, in coordination with the Amazigh Studies Department, The Forum of the First Spring of Amazigh Poetry in Rif. The two-day literary event afforeded an appealing opportunity for poets, researchers and activists to interact. Guest speakers and attendants devoted enough time to the demonstration of the glory of Amazigh poetry. The forum could acquaint the attendants with Amazigh literary heritage and formulate an appeal to build bridges between all the poets in the Rif regions. The forum pled also to compile the Amazigh corpora and encourage novelist, playwrights, poets and artists to publish their works. 
Once upon a time, European colonialism was one of the means through which colonized people got access to modernity. And Amazigh (Berber) North Africa was no exception despite the long history of interaction between this part of the world and Europe. It was through the experience of French colonialism that North of Africa entered massively the history of the twentieth century much different from what it had been before. The currently pitiful condition of the Amazigh people in North Africa and the Diasporas still manifests the dramatic realities of this people encounter with colonial modernity.