A brief read about Berbers
am not a berber, but i found this articles interesting and thought of sharing them:
The Berbers (also called Imazighen, "free men", singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. There are between 14 and 25 million speakers of Berber languages in North Africa (see population estimation), principally concentrated in Morocco and Algeria but with smaller communities as far east as Egypt and as far south as Burkina Faso.
Total population c. 22 million
Regions with significant populations
Morocco:12,000,000
Algeria: 7,500,000
Tunisia: 200,000
Libya: 250,000+
Mauritania: 80,000
Egypt: 10,000
France: 1,000,000
Spain: 50,000
Netherlands: 200,000
Belgium: 150,000
Israel: 50,000
Language : Berber (Tamazight)
Religion :Islam, Judaism, Christianity, atheism, Others
Related ethnic groups: Afro-Asiatic Semitic
Famous Berbers :
In ancient times
- Shoshenq I, (Egyptian Pharaoh of Libyan origin)
- Masinissa, King of Numidia, North Africa, present day Algeria and Tunisia
- Jugurtha, King of Numidia
- Juba II, King of Numidia
- Terence, (full name Publius Terentius Afer), Roman writer
- Apuleius, Roman writer ("half-Numidian, half-Gaetulian")
- Tacfarinas, who fought the Romans in the Aures Mountains
- Saint Augustine of Hippo, (from Tagaste, was Berber)
- Saint Monica of Hippo, Saint Augustine's mother
- Arius, (who proposed the doctrine of Arianism)
- Donatus Magnus, (leader of the Donatist schism)
- Macrinus
In medieval times- Dihya or al-Kahina
- Aksil or Kusayla
- Salih ibn Tarif of the Berghouata
- Tariq ibn Ziyad, one of the leaders of the Moorish conquest of Iberia in 711.
- Ibn Tumart, founder of the Almohad dynasty
- Yusuf ibn Tashfin, founder of the Almoravid dynasty
- Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1377), Moroccan traveller and explorer
- al-Ajurrumi (famous grammarian of Arabic)
- Fodhil al-Warthilani, traveler and religious scholar of the 1700s
- Abu Yaqub Yusuf I, who had the Giralda in Seville built.
- Abu Yaqub Yusuf II, who had the Torre del Oro in Seville built.
- Ziri ibn Manad founder of the Zirid dynasty
- Sidi Mahrez Tunisian saint
- Ibn Al Djazzar famous doctor of Kairouan, 980.
- Muhammad Awzal (ca. 1680-1749), prolific Sous Berber poet (see also Ocean of Tears)
- Muhammad al-Jazuli, author of the Dala'il al-Khairat, Sufi
In modern times
Politicians- Saïd Sadi, secularist politician.
- Hocine Aït Ahmed, Algerian revolutionary fighter and secularist politician.
- Sidi Said, Leader of the Algerian syndicat of workers : UGTA.
- Khalida Toumi, Algerian feminist and secularist, currently spokesman of the Algerian government.
- Ahmed Ouyahia, Prime Minister of Algeria
- Belaïd Abrika, one of the spokesmen of the Arouch.
- Ferhat Mehenni, politician and singer who militates for the autonomy of Kabylie.
- Nordine Ait Hamouda, secularist politician and son of Colonel Amirouche.
Artists- Takfarinas - Kabyle singer
- Ait Menguellet - Kabyle singer
- Khalid Izri - Singer from Rif
- Lounes Matoub, Berberist and secularist singer assassinated in 1998.
- Idir - Kabyle singer
- Igout Abdelhadi-Izenzarn Amazigh singer/musical group from Souss (south of Morocco).
- Fatima Tabaamrant- a singer and Amazigh activist in the Souss
- Haj Mohamed Demsiri- a singer from the Souss.
- Sliman Azem - singer
- Si Mohand, Kabyle folk poet.
- Souad Massi, a young, female Kabyle singer who performs mainly in French and Maghrebin Arabic.
- Aît Ouarab Mohamed Idir Halo (Al Anka), Chaabi singer in Both Kabyle and Algerian Arabic.
- Karim Ziad - singer
- El Hachemi Guerouabi, Chaabi Singer from Mostaghanem, North of algéria
Writers- Mouloud Feraoun, writer assassinated by the OAS.
- Tahar Djaout, writer and journalist assassinated by the GIA in 1993.
- Salem Chaker, Berberist, linguist, cultural and political activist, writer, and director of Berber at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris
- Mouloud Mammeri, writer, anthropologist and linguist. His interest and work about Tamazight is behind the popular galvanization towards the Amazigh (Berber) culture and language.
Sport- Mohamed Chafiq, Moroccan writer and the dean of the IRCAM.
- Zinedine Zidane (1972 - ), French football superstar.
- Rabah Madjer, Algerian football superstar, Winner of the European Champion's League in 1987 with Porto FC
- Mustapha Hadji (1972-), Morrocan soccer player nominated best African player of the year 1998
Famous people who may have had some Berber ancestors
Nearly all North Africans - and many Andalusi Moors - fall and fell into this category, but do not in general identify themselves as Berber. For lists of them, look under the respective countries.
Read more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berber_people
PS: this article is dedicated to all the emazighen especially Nawal aka nwella_amazigh,,,ur culture is my culture 
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