The tajmâat, in Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵊⵎⴰⵄⵜ[1] tajmaεt or ⴰⴳⵔⴰⵡ,[2] agraw,[3] is a pan-Berber social and political institution and present in North African society, particularly in the Berber-speaking regions: Kabylia, Aurès, M'zab, Hoggar, Sous, Rif and Middle Atlas.
Tajmâat is an assembly composed solely of men and the term is also used to designate the place where it is held.
The amount of the fines is allocated to collective expenses (village maintenance work, hospitality costs, autumn sacrifice, etc.).
[5] The village chief, amghar or ameqran, is elected by tajmâat, an amin who executes the decisions, and an oukil (amazzal in Morocco) responsible for collecting fines and managing the mosque in Kabylia, the imam who is often a marabout who serves as secretary of tajmâat, makes the calls to prayer and sometimes serves as a teacher.
[5] In 2024, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hailed the "social organization tajmâat" (“ⵜⴰⵏⵎⴻⵜⵜⵉⵜ ⵏ “ⵜⴰⵊⵎⴰⵄⵜ””)[1] as an example of participatory democracy and a successful model for managing local affairs.