u/rebeu_distinguee

Hey everyone,
I wanted to put this out there to see if anyone else feels the same way, or if I'm completely alone in this.
On one hand, I have an immense amount of pride in my roots, my ethnicity, and our history as Riffian Amazighs. Our culture, resilience, and identity mean a lot to me.
However, on a personal level, I often really struggle to connect with our people day-to-day. I find myself deeply frustrated by prevailing social beliefs, traditional religious dogmas, and the heavy Arab-Middle Eastern cultural influence that has largely overshadowed or erased our indigenous Amazigh identity and way of thinking. Because of the general lack of open-minded discourse and intellectual stimulation in many of our circles, I find it hard to form deep friendships or date within our community. Instead, I naturally gravitate toward people from other regions or entirely different countries who share a more critical and open wavelength.
Does anyone else experience this duality? How do you balance being deeply proud of your heritage while feeling alienated by the current cultural and religious mentality of the community?

I wanted to put this out there to see if anyone else feels the same way, or if I'm completely alone in this.
On one hand, I have an immense amount of pride in my roots, my ethnicity, and our history as Riffian Amazighs. Our culture, resilience, and identity mean a lot to me.
However, on a personal level, I often really struggle to connect with our people day-to-day. I find myself deeply frustrated by prevailing social beliefs, traditional religious dogmas, and the heavy Arab-Middle Eastern cultural influence that has largely overshadowed or erased our indigenous Amazigh identity and way of thinking. Because of the general lack of open-minded discourse and intellectual stimulation in many of our circles, I find it hard to form deep friendships or date within our community. Instead, I naturally gravitate toward people from other regions or entirely different countries who share a more critical and open wavelength.
Does anyone else experience this duality? How do you balance being deeply proud of your heritage while feeling alienated by the current cultural and religious mentality of the community?