The university that anchors intellectual life in Tizi Ouzou was renamed in 1988 in honour of Mouloud Mammeri, the novelist, anthropologist, and linguist who devoted his life to recording and defending Kabyle culture. Walking the campus today, you'll find Amazigh script alongside Arabic and French — a visible marker of how much has changed since Mammeri was banned from giving a lecture here in 1980, an act that triggered the Berber Spring uprising.
The campus is open to visitors and the atmosphere is lively and welcoming. The university library holds a collection of works on Amazigh linguistics and Kabyle literature. Even if you don't enter any buildings, a walk around gives a feel for the city's educated, engaged population and the central role this institution plays in the cultural life of the whole region.