@abirsassoعبير
Libyan Chronicles (5)
“I’ve never witnessed such rain in all my life!” that’s what most Libyans will tell you when talking about the amount of rain the country has seen in the last few weeks since Gaddafi was toppled. Libyans consider rain a good omen, in a country where 90% of its land is a dry desert; it’s not surprising that any drop of rain will be cherished and interpreted as a blessing from heavens, especially when many will admit that the evilness of Gaddafi kept rain away from falling on the country. And I must admit that I myself have never witnessed such rain in my life!
During the months of the Libyan revolution many activists inside and outside Libya relied on social media to either organise themselves, exchange information, campaign for causes, or relay news reports on the situation inside the country. Twitter was used by many activists outside Libya, and to a lesser extent inside Libya. I had the opportunity to meet a group of Libyan tweeps that were involved in activities on the ground during the early days of the revolution before the internet was cut by the regime, and during the weeks and months afterwards. Ali, Akram and Saeed, are part of a group of highly skilled internet activists that I knew through the internet, and met physically, some for the first time, at Casa Caffe in Tripoli’s old town.
All three of them were active on Twitter in the early days of the revolution, and continued to work during the hard months in Tripoli. We all agreed that despite the low percentage of internet users in Libya (5.5%), when compared with its neighbours in Tunisia and Egypt (more than 10%) of the population in both, but the type of internet users in Libya, their IT abilities and online skills, made it possible for many users to continue to work and provide crucial information and coordination even when the service was cut by the regime, the quality of internet users in Libya was valuable in the electronic war against a regime that established a small brigade of internet hackers known as ‘The Green Electronic Army” to spread misinformation and trace activists.
The next day I accompanied my mother a community events in our neighbourhood, which was held in my old primary school. I found it amusing to go and visit the place after nearly twenty years, which seemed to me much smaller than I remembered. Social and community events, also known as Bazaars, became a regular feature in Tripoli and many other Libyan towns and cities. These events usually focus on women, children and families of neighbourhoods and communities in the city, where members of the community meet and participate in simple activities like singing, selling homemade crafts, and foods, and traditional costume show for little girls, and aims to collect donations for community charity projects, and promote social cohesion. Since Tripoli’s liberation, dozens of these events have been held either on local level or for the whole city. Some people criticized such events on the ground that they have a sense of celebration and festivity, which they argue is insensitive, while other parts of the country is still in war and many are being killed and injured every day.
Later in the day news reports came in that fighting erupted in the southern neighbourhood of Abu Salim, also known for the notorious Abu Salim prison. While many local observers downplayed the incident, media outlets failed to present an accurate picture of what really happened, combined with an exaggerated reaction by the different military groups dealing the capital’s security, showing their strong presence in every main road to indicate their readiness to prevent any signs of lawlessness or support for Gaddafi and his regime in the city.
Presenting the reality on the ground in Libya wasn’t and still isn’t an easy task, many media outlets still follow exaggerated reports and rumours, the daily consumption of a small community that developed a distrust to local news outlets. While social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, helped in many ways relay news and information from Libya, I still think that we are not seeing the real picture, and I find myself cautious when it comes to using social media as a news source, in the absence of professional media workers on the ground. As long as the internet usage is limited to a small percentage of the population, not all will be presented with their opinions and views on social media tools like Twitter, we are bound to get a distorted picture of reality and in some cases a false one.
I spent my last evening in Tripoli with friends and colleagues at the Press building, meeting enthusiastic journalists who are working on producing new publications, among them re-launching the prominent Libyan children’s magazine (al-Amal) which was first published in 1964 by social and women activist the late Khadija Jahami, there are also plans to produce a magazine for teenagers, and another for women. Idris Mesmari, the head of the Press Authority stressed on the independence of all publications which are funded by the organisation, saying his role is only administrative and that the authority doesn’t interfere in the editorial policy of any publication and journalists have the freedom to discuss any matter, without getting any permission or being censored.
Not far from the Press building large machinery and bulldozers was busy tearing down the high walls of the infamous Bab al-Aziziya compound, while a large JCB was tearing down Gaddafi’s symbolic home inside the compound. Libyans are being liberated once more from a symbol of fear and tyranny, erasing another shred of memory that reminds them of this regime, promising never to go back, hoping that the victim won’t turn into the victimiser.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011
Libyan Chronicles (4)
If you walk along the northern edge of Tripoli old town, close to the ancient roman Marcus Aurelius arch, you are most likely going to meet many of the Libyan artists that have been occupying small studios in the old European consulates that used to be based in this area of town. Radwan Abushwisha was walking under the afternoon sun with his shoulder bag, a bearded middle aged man, with lines of a hard life carved on his face. Radwan is a poet, writer and painter, who lived for many years in Ireland in the 1970’s and 1980’s, is a unique example of the Libyan intelligentsia, that suffered persecution and marginalisation by Gaddafi regime for their stand against tyranny and social conformity, but continued to be admired and respected by most new and old generations of Libyan writers and artists.
Earlier in the day I passed by one of Tripoli’s main cemeteries, Sidi Hamed, in the Gergarish area, near the beach, after reading reports that the main Sufi shrine inside the cemetery has been vandalised and demolished by a group of Salafi extremists, who believe that all Sufi shrines and tombs of Sufi figures to be demolished, claiming that they are against the teachings of Islam and is considered idolatry. It has been reported that factions of the same group managed to vandalise a dozen graves and shrines in east Libya, and Misrata before they were stopped, and now it seems that they are exploiting the lack of strong authority and central security apparatus in the capital to push their fanatic agenda. The building was in ruins, and there were marks on the shrine’s dome suggesting the use of fire arms. Libyan officials and religious leaders condemned such acts.
Later I made a met poet and activist Ramez Enweseri, who told me how he spent the early days of the revolution in Brega, where he worked as an aviation engineer at Brega oil airport. Ramez spoke about the lack of information in the first days, and how he made the decision with his colleagues to embark on a dangerous journey back to Tripoli along the coastal road, where they were always stopped at checkpoint guarded by Gaddafi forces, which were suspicious of any individuals coming back from the east. He recalled how in few times they thought that they going to die, managing eventually to reach Tripoli safely after three days on the road.
Not far from al-Ghazalla Square, off al-Baladiya Street, you will find a traditional Libyan cafe that occupies a piece of land where the pre-Gaddafi Libyan parliament used to stand, which was demolished by the regime in 1990’s to erase all traces of this historical landmark of Libyan independence era. I met poet and journalist Khaled Darwish at the cafe known now as (The Parliament Cafe), he told me about how he spent the days of Tripoli’s liberation in the Fashlum district last August on top of a building monitoring the movement of remnants of Gaddafi forces. Khaled is planning to publish a book of memoirs he wrote during the weeks and months he spent in Fashlum and Tripoli, which he hopes will help in preserving part of the narrative of the Libyan revolution.
Despite all the ongoing political debate in Libya these days, especially between ‘Islamists’ and ‘Secular Liberals’ which sometimes can reach to absurd levels, I found that many young Libyan activists were not enthusiastic about joining any of newly established political parties and groups, and most are focusing their efforts on either media or civil societies. I attended the inception meeting of a newly established civil society that will focus its work on promoting and supporting democracy and monitoring human rights and the political and election process in Libya in the future. The society which is named (Libyan Observatory to Support Democracy) or (Ain) includes intellectuals, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and academics, many of whom were human right activists during Gaddafi era who were persecuted and imprisoned many times for their activities.
During this meeting I had the chance to meet Ahmed, a freedom fighter, that took part in the first peaceful protests against Gaddafi in Gurgi area of Tripoli, where he was shot in the leg, and had to hide for many weeks before joining freedom fighters in Nafusa mountains, where he took part in the liberation of Yefren, and then joined revolutionary forces on their last push to liberate Zawiya and Tripoli. Ahmed decided after Tripoli’s liberation to focus on working with human rights civil societies, especially investigating the circumstances of the 1996 Abu Salim prison massacre, which his father was one of the victims of this heinous crime.
While driving back home, it was reported that Mutasim Gaddafi was captured by government forces in Sirte, and although the news wasn’t verified, celebratory gunfire was echoing in every direction of Tripoli, many cars were flashing their warning lights, and honking their horns. Many Libyans after long weeks of desperation and dealing with tragic news, became obsessed with hearing ‘good’ news and expressing their delight with firearms and shooting guns in the air, causing lots of damage in property, and injuring people randomly, although many campaigns has been launched to discourage people from using firearms in the city, some incidents of celebratory fire injuries are still being reported across the capital. We still have a long way to go... but we are hopeful.
To be continued...
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011
Libyan Chronicles (3)
Just across the street from the United Nations mission headquarters in Tripoli's Baladiya Street, stands al-Safwa hotel. A decade ago, young and upcoming Libyan writers and intellectuals used to meet up at its small cafe, where it became during the years a centre for Libyan intelligentsia in Tripoli to meet, and discuss and read their latest literary works. I used to visit the place every time I visited Libya, but during the years this group that often visited the cafe stopped coming back, some were sucked into the pressure of the daily hardships of life, others found new places, as public places in the city grew in number, while others, like me, left the country, or left this life altogether.
Parking my car at the same parking lot, on a quiet warm Libyan afternoon, and passing by the empty chairs of al-Safwa hotel cafe, observing the details of the streets of downtown Tripoli, the same smells of dust and car smock, and overflowing sewers, young men standing outside the shops of Magrief street with cups of coffee in one hand and a cigarette between their fingers, the details of the place gave me the delusion of normality, that nothing has changed, as if the place, the buildings, the walls, the streets, weren’t aware of the changes occurring around us.
Tripoli is going back to its normal habits, the graffiti on the walls and the tri-colours of the independence flag, a fresh sea breeze free from the fearsome images of Gaddafi or “Shafshoufa” as he is mockingly known now, are reminders that something dramatic occurred here, but Tripoli seems keen, and impatient, to return back to a normality, as it did before many times for hundreds of years, or as a friend puts it, rather cynically, that the revolution is finished and now we are entering a phase of politics, that many Libyans won’t be interested in taking part in.
Not far away from Martyrs Square, sellers erected market stalls to sell “revolutionary” merchandise, independence flags in different sizes and forms, Tri-colour scarves, hats, bracelets, necklaces, rings, key holders, and many other products, some showed the Amazighi symbols and flag, while other stalls sold cassettes and CDs with revolutionary songs, but the most funny one was selling posters and photoshoped pictures of Gaddafi and his cronies in comical scenes, mocking the man that used to call himself the “the king of kings”.
Walking in the narrow alleyways of the old town, a sense of normality is trying to return to the streets, the famous gold and silver merchants, the traditional economic powerhouse of Tripoli, were all open dealing with gold and exchanging currencies, a stone’s throw from the Libyan Central Bank. The copper engravers and craftsmen were busy carving new revolutionary images in their old dark shops.
Close to (The Clock Tower), a famous landmark in Tripoli, there used to be a traditional Libyan cafe, which was renovated into a more modern touristic coffee and sandwich shop, named (Caffe Casa) where many international journalists and media correspondents sit and enjoy the sun and sea breeze in a city that held them for many weeks hostages at a gilded cage called the Rixos Hotel.
In the evening I visited the headquarters of newly established ‘Authority’ overseeing and supporting newspapers and journalism, after passing by the ruined and charred press building in Jumhouriya Street that was targeted with mortar shells by Gaddafi forces during the battle to liberate Tripoli last August. The new building was also scarred with bullet holes on its facade as it was targeted by fleeing Gaddafi troops during the same battle. I met Idris Mesmari the head of the (Press Authority), a writer and activist that was detained for a decade by Gaddafi regime during the 1980’s, and was the voice of revolt in Benghazi in the first night of the Libyan uprising in February, where he was detained for months in Tripoli before managing to escape.
The Press building houses the new official newspaper Febraiyer (February) a sixteen pages daily tabloid size newspaper, that is funded by the press authority, and run by young enthusiastic Libyan journalists, some used to work under extremely difficult conditions in Gaddafi regime newspapers, and now are enjoying the atmosphere of freedom that has been gained in Libya.
The Press Authority is said to help and support new publication by only granting them a permission to be exempted from paying any printing costs for at least the first three issues, then any new publication must pay printing costs for the next issues if it was looking to stay in circulation. Nader, a journalist working with (Febraiyer), and used to work with many pre-revolution publications, spoke about how Gaddafi secret police wrote damning reports about many journalists, including himself, when they didn’t show loyalty to the regime during the last several months, and some were even arrested and tortured, and now he is glad that a new Libyan press is emerging after decades of censorship and persecution. The task isn’t easy, he told me, the newspaper is facing technical difficulties, lack of printing paper, and old unmaintained offset printers, but all the journalists are full of hope that they will overcome these difficulties.
Driving back home at dusk, I passed by the ruins of Bab al-Aziziya, Gaddafi infamous compound, many cars were leaving the compound that has been turned into a public place for families and ordinary people to visit, market stalls of sellers occupied parts of the place to sell their revolutionary merchandise and some people spoke of the sheep market will be placed inside, prior to Eid al-Ad’ha next month.
From the east a brighter moon was rising in another night in Tripoli without fear.
To be continued...
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011
Libyan Chronicles (2)
Waking up in the old room, adjusting to the new reality of the place, recalling the details of the house that used to be and still is home, after long and eventful weeks and months, I realised that I am back in Libya.
I didn't have a plan for this visit, besides spending good time with the family and listening to them narrating their account of the past months, their hopes and fears, I decided to let my plans loose, and to reflect on the dramatic change the country is going through.
I found a stack of new Libyan newspapers; my brother got me before I arrived, so I sat down and browsed them all. There were 18 newspapers, a small portion of over a hundred publications that are circulating in free Libya since the revolution in February. In general they all seemed to focus on revolutionary propaganda, and raising awareness on issues like security and protecting public services and encouraging the common good. Some of the newspapers are published by The (Authority of Supporting Press), which replaced the state run (General Press Corporation), which used to own and run all Gaddafi regime newspapers. The new authority will offer funding and logistical support for some newspapers but claims it won't interfere in the way these newspapers are run, so far it’s too early to evaluate most newspapers, and I can assume that most of them will dissolve due to lack of resources and only a dozen or more will manage to survive and progress.
In the evening I was invited to attend a political party - under establishment - meeting, this was an opportunity to experience part of the political debate that is forming and brewing in Libya. Many Libyan political and intellectual figures are preparing themselves to take part in the new political process in Libya through forming political parties that are all under establishment until a new party and election bill is approved, which is expected in the next several months.
I listened to middle aged men and some young activists debating details of the party’s constitution and manifesto, and the upcoming press conference they plan to have in few days to declare the establishment of their political party and invite people to become members. It was weird and surreal to listen to Libyans talking and debating party politics after decades of incrimination of any party activities in Libya, when the word 'Party' became synonymous to treason and persecution.
Driving around Tripoli isn't an easy task, the infrastructure; roads, traffic signs and lights are in a very poor condition, combined with a significant amount of rainfall during the previous days made driving hazardous, but after a few hours you regain an ‘innate’ Libyan sense of driving in the city.
I went to visit my Grandmother, an 80 years old lady that lived most of her life in her house in Azzawiya Street, near the main Tripoli Central Hospital that I used to work for as a junior surgeon. I always enjoy chatting with Grandmother, as she reminds me of the days we spent as kids at her house, when the family was small and intimate. She told me about the hard days during the early days of the revolution and her fears when NATO planes began bombing Gaddafi intelligence headquarters not far away from her house. She kept saying that all this bombing reminded her of her impoverished childhood and how she witnessed the bombing campaign of the allies on Tripoli during WWII against Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany that occupied the city.
After leaving Grandma’s house, I decided to head to Martyrs Square and experience some of the joy and jubilation we saw on Television. The square was almost deserted, few cars were parked in the middle, while wind blew posters and banners of martyrs hanging on the Red Castle, few cars passed by raising the independence flag, and some young men with military fatigues fired unenthusiastically few shots in the air, as a celebration for the Libyan national football team reaching the finals of the African Cup of Nations. I didn’t stay long, and decided to return during the day to take some shots with my camera when some real celebration is planned, although it seems that people passed the point of celebration and are now sinking into the reality of daily life.
Driving back home through Hay al-Andalous and Gergarish, stopping at two or three checkpoint on the way, observing many cars brandishing stickers and banners of Libyan revolutionary symbols, and witnessing the usual daily fights of young men, I contemplated how much change did we achieve during this revolution?
It is obvious that we gone through a dramatic event, and in some cases a traumatic one, but it’s still yet to be seen how this event will affect the behaviour and mentality of Libyans, and whether we will get over revolutionary rhetoric and symbols of patriotism towards a sober rational reflection on this dramatic change we went through, but for the time being it was liberating to drive around Tripoli without the image of big brother dominating the streets and minds of Libyans.
To be continued...
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2011
Libyan Chronicles (1)
The way to Libya started in Tunisia, as it all began during this year of revolutions. I took the plane from Tunis to Djerba around six o’clock in the evening. The Tunisair express plane was full of Libyan families, with children mostly wearing t-shirts brandishing the images and symbols of the Libyan revolution. A lone young man with crutches hopping on the plane stairs, his left arm bandaged, which I assumed was one of the injured and wounded young Libyans crushed in this bloody war for liberation.
Arriving at Djerba in the after seven in the evening, I took a car to the Tunisian Libyan border. Ali the driver is a Tunisian who hires his car for Libyans taking this journey. We passed empty streets and sleeping town and villages that still reflect the rural life of Tunisia outside the hustle and bustle of the capital Tunis. We stopped at nearly four check points by Tunisian police and Army before we reached the border town of Ben Gardan, which is only 30km from the border crossing into Libya.
Many used this road for different reasons in the last several months, and recently the Tunisian government became on high alert as many Libyan and African refugees poured into their country, and smugglers used the area to achieve a quick score, dealing with basic goods, gasoline, currency and recently humans and arms, which kept the Tunisian military on alert in this remote area of the country.
After less than two hours Ali the driver dropped me near the Tunisian side of the border crossing. Carrying my bags and crossing the border at night I was an odd presence between the lines of cars and trucks crowding the narrow lanes leading into Libya. I walked the 800 meters of no man’s land to the Libyan check point where I saw the free Libyan flag and the Amazighi flag with its distinctive Zay (free man) symbol, a declaration that the Amazigh people from Nafusa Mountain and the coastal town of Zawara are controlling the area. Graffiti slogans were covering walls of buildings, cursing Gaddafi and affirming the rights of Libyans to freedom and democracy, and calls for Amazighi language to be declared an official language.
After getting my entry stamp from the Libyan officer who was stamping all passports automatically on any page without checking the identity of the passport holder, I continued to walk until reaching the last checkpoint. Many Libyans in their cars offered to give me a ride, and another guy driving a battered pickup truck with the word 'Zintan' spray painted on the side of the car offered to help me in broken English confused me with a foreigner, before he realised I'm Libyan when I thanked him for offering to help.
My brother and a cousin were waiting for me near the last check point, I was thankful that he made the difficult journey to the border at night. The road was lined with Libyan car full of families returning from months of war.
The way to Zawara through the towns of Zultin, Regdalain and Ijmail was closed as reports of sporadic skirmishes and clashes at that area erupted on Tuesday night; the traffic was diverted by the revolutionaries towards the Abu Kammash road closer to the sea.
All the way until passing the city of Zawiya, we were stopped at more than a dozen checkpoints by revolutionaries either from towns we passed or other revolutionary brigades. Most of them asked the same questions, "where are you from (means which city in Libya)? where are you coming from? And is the car owned by the driver?" and once we were asked about our surname, I wondered then what will happen if my family name was "Gaddafi".
The road to the family home on the west outskirts of Tripoli, took us nearly three hours, but I wasn't bothered, I was observing attentively the new signs of the rebirth of a new Libya that is still confused and chaotic, but hopeful and optimistic about its future.
To be continued...
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
Prison Tales (By: Omar Abulqasem al-Kikli)
By: Omar Abulqasem al-Kikli
Omar al-Kikli is a prominent Libyan short story writer, from a generation of Libyan writer that suffered greatly under Gaddafi regime. He was one of a new generation of Libyan writers in the early in 1970’s that came onto the literary scene full of hope and new styles and ideas, only to be imprisoned for a decade, accused of plotting to topple the Gaddafi regime.
These are a sample of a collection of short stories named (Sejneyat), written to commemorate two decades of his release from prison in 1988; they are a testament of the years he spent with fellow Libyan writers and intellectuals in different Gaddafi prisons.
The stories follow the journey of a political prisoner from the first day of his imprisonment, during which he is adapting to this new reality, learning to survive in a place that is intended to crush you physically and mentally. Al-Kikli satirises the ordeal of imprisonment in simple direct style that doesn’t shy from presenting the harsh realities of the prison, but never fails to leave a trace of a smile, alas painful one, whenever reading these tales.
Strip Off
After I was pushed into the cell, the iron door slammed on my face and I felt as if its heavy echoing movement has crushed part of my soul. I tried to overcome my bewilderment and adapt myself to my new status and place.
I examined the dark depressing walls that were squeezing the tight space, trying to find traces of those who occupied this place before me.
There were some traces and writings carved or written with different ways and materials on the walls.
A name and a date, was usually, written at the end of the carvings.
A prisoner has written at the end of one of these carvings, that he wrote this after fourteen days has passed since he first arrived to this cell
I felt an enormous dread.
And said to myself, can that be possible?! Is it possible for a human being to live in this place all this period! Impossible! I can't do this; if I don't die I will kill myself.
I stripped off two complete years in that cell.
The Technocrat
There was a prison guard who used to give food to us and take the sick prisoner to the jail doctor whenever he is not busy with his torturing duties.
It was astonishing how some of his victims remembered him with gratitude and reverence!
The reason for that they said, was because he used to perform the torture with a technocratic conscience! As he performed his job without inflicting any kind of sentimental harm to the victim (the raw material of his job, from his point of view), however performing his job, with sincerity and dedication and in silence, until the material is pliable and ripe, and is ready to be handed over to another authority to enter the next stage of the process.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
Libyan Literature: The Impact of Revolution
Many Libyan writers were in the forefront of the Libyan revolution in February 2011. The revolution opened the door wide for endless possibilities in new creative writing.
Modern Libyan literature often reflected the political and social changes of Libya throughout its modern history. Libya suffered years of wars, famines and poverty. A small number of Libyan elites were able to get educated in Turkey or Egypt, while most of the population were illiterate or acquired limited literacy through traditional Quranic schools spread all over the country.
After the defeat of Italy and Germany in North Africa in WWII by the Allies in 1943, many educated Libyans living in exile returned back to the country and began a long process of rebuilding Libya. With the help of the international community, Libya managed to declare independence in 1951. During the process many newspapers and magazines featured literary works by a small number of Libyan writers who in their writings reflected aspects of a country remerging from the smoke of war, like the late short story writer Wahbi al-Bouri who is considered the pioneer of modern Libyan short story.
Golden Age and Gaddafi
During the late 1950’s a generation of Libyan writers, who witnessed war and poverty in their childhood, and then the dramatic political and social changes in Libya, began refining their artistic style. They were influenced by the Arab literary powerhouse of their age, Egypt, but in the same time they addressed the main issues facing the Libyan society, mainly, social inequality, women rights and nationalism. Kamel al-Maghour, Khalifa Tekbali, Ahmed Fagih, Yousef al-Sharef, Mohamed Shaltami, Ali al-Rageay and later Ibrahim al-Kouni were major writers of their generation.
This generation of Libyan writers dominated the literary scene of the 1960’s. The period is considered the golden age of Libyan literature. Many new emerging writers began to publish their books. With the advance of education and literacy, the country experienced a gush of creativity in the arts, literature and journalism.
Right after the Gaddafi regime came into power in 1970’s, a generation of upcoming and politically motivated young writers began a new wave of Libyan literature. It was characterised by experimentalism, breaking the norms and traditions of Libyan classical literature, influenced not only by classical Arab literature, but also by international literature in translation. Omar al-Kikili, Mohamed Fagih Saleh, Giuma Bukleb, Idris Ben-Tayeb and Ahmed al-Faitouri were among a group of writers that emerged in this period and adopted the wave of new creativity.
The daring and often confrontational character of this generation of Libyan writers caused them to clash with main elements of the Gaddafi regime, that established control and domination over all aspects of life in Libya. Eventually the writers found themselves persecuted and imprisoned for a whole decade, which caused a major scar in the modern Libyan literature.
Recovery
It wasn’t before the mid 1990’s that Libyan literature breathed a fresh air and managed to produce new kind of literature. This literature still dominates the current scene in Libya. The impact of political persecution and lack of freedom of speech in Libya made many Libyan writers, both from the old and new generations, change their style and find ways to escape censorship and above all break the isolation and marginalisation imposed on them.
The political tensions during the 1990’s in Libya, the economic sanctions and air embargo imposed on the country, coupled with the rise of unemployment and economic stagnation, reflected on the young generation of Libyans. They comprised more than 60 percent of the society. All these factors influenced directly the new generation of Libyan writers.
Writers like Muftah al-Ammari, Salem al-Okali, Abdulsalam al-Ajaili and Ahmed Yousef Agila reflected themes of daily struggle to secure livelihood, the urge to break taboos and old traditions of society, a new thirst to open up to other cultures, and to rediscover and redefine the Libyan identity, combined with more experimentalism, all became features of this new wave of Libyan literature.
Breaking the Isolation
The introduction of the internet in Libya in late 1998 had a major impact on new Libyan literature. The internet opened a new horizon, a wide window towards a vast number of audiences, and also the possibility of reading and learning about other cultures and to reintroduce the Libyan identity that believes in diversity and inclusiveness.
The internet was a crucial tool for majority of new Libyan writers in developing their skills and styles, as it made it easy for them to connect with the international literary scene. Especially in other Arab countries, where Libyan writers were absent expect for a handful of names from the earlier generation. The internet also made it possible for young writers to publish works outside Libya and escape the tight grip of state censorship and control.
With the advance of the internet, new tools and applications became readily available for many new writers to publish their works without having to fear being persecuted. Discussion forums, electronic newspapers and magazines, personal websites, blogs and recently social media, all contributed in getting Libyan literature known outside the reach of a regime that has been trying to control all aspects of society.
Features
The main features of the new Libyan literature that became apparent in the last decade, is the emergence of fiction, short stories and novels, and prose as major forms of Libyan literature. As in all Arab countries, poetry is considered the main form of Arab literature in general, but many new writers began producing new works in fiction, especially novels. This is an indication that Libyan writers were looking for a form of literature that can describe the daily aspects of ordinary Libyans in their struggle to be recognised as respected citizens.
The other major feature was new styles to avoid censorship and breaking the societal and religious taboo. In a country which many would like to describe as conservative, many works of fiction and poetry began challenging the norms and traditions which were partly blamed for the current political and social stagnation, combined with the emergence of a new wave of Islamism and religiosity, a form of escapism from confronting the real problems of the country, dictatorship, corruption and inequality.
The other main feature that characterised new Libyan literature, was the heavy use of metaphors and the use of famous Libyan historical events. It was a way to rediscover the Libyan identity that suffered greatly under the Pan-Arab nationalism policy imposed by the Gaddafi regime. This in turn made new Libyan writers avoid adopting any ideological thoughts in their writings, especially nationalistic ideas, focusing mainly on presenting their personal intimate, and in some cases autobiographical, experience of the kind of life they were living in Libya. Abdallah al-Ghazal, Mohamed al-Asfar, Kahled Darwish, Ramez Enwesri, Saleh Gaderboh, Abduldaim Ukwas, Wejdan Ali, and Wafa al-Buissa were among these writers.
Many new Libyan writers published their creative works through state owned publishing houses or funds, or worked for state owned newspapers and magazines. But still they managed to publish other works, which were expected to be censored or banned, outside the country, especially in Egypt and Lebanon or through literary websites operating outside Libya. This phenomenon made many new writers produce two kinds of creative works: one self-censored and tamed for local publication and another daring and boundless for a wider audience outside the country.
Even with these ways to avoid censorship, Libyan writers continued to have their works banned and confiscated from the bookshops. Some of them had to leave the country to avoid persecution in the form of being banned to write in local newspapers, detention, or in some cases torture and death. In 2005 the Libyan writer and journalist Daif Al Ghazal was found dead in Benghazi with signs of torture after he wrote a series of articles in a Libyan website outside Libya criticising the government and Gaddafi’s notorious revolutionary committees.
Revolution
Libyan writers were inspired by the wave of Arab revolutions that engulfed the region. The Tunisian revolution was influential in shaping a new atmosphere of hope to change the current situation, especially in a country that has close ties socially and culturally to Libya.
The issues of human rights, the rule of law, freedom of speech and democracy became the main focus of new literary works in the first weeks of this year. The Egyptian revolution paved the way for other Arab countries to demand the fall of regimes and reform. Libya was most in need for this long awaited change.
Many Libyan writers from different generations and across the country were in the forefront of the Libyan revolution when it exploded in 15-17th of February 2011. At least a dozen of them were detained and tortured by the Gaddafi regime because of their involvement in demonstrations and their reporting about the situation in Libya to the media. Some were detained because of their activities on the social media, like Twitter and Facebook, and others had to escape the grip of the regime as they refused the regime’s pressure to denounce the revolution and support Gaddafi and his brutal campaign on peaceful protesters and civilians.
Idris Musmari, Mohamed Suhaim, Atef Atrash, Moahmed Ben Lamin, Elhabeb Alamin, and Rabee Shrair: These are just a few of the writers and journalists that were targeted and detained by the regime for the their activities and writings supporting the popular uprising against the Gaddafi regime in Libya.
Freedom to Write
The Libyan revolution opened the door wide for endless possibilities and opportunities in creative writing, arts and the journalism. As state media and censorship became nearly obsolete in free Libya, many new publications sprang up. Pamphlets, newspapers and magazines began circulating in different forms and different languages.
It is estimated that of July 2011 more than 120 publications of different sizes, forms and languages circulate in free Libya. These give a wider opportunity for new Libyan literature and creative writing to flourish. The literature is expected to grow extensively when the conflict is resolved and with the anticipated liberation of the capital Tripoli.
Since the beginning of the revolution several months ago, a considerable amount of new Libyan literature has been published in local publications and other Arab publications across the region. There was also a gush of new creative writings published online.
Most of these works were either literary works with heavy revolutionary sentiments, especially revolutionary poetry. Some fiction literary works appeared to examine the period of oppression in Libya under the Gaddafi regime, and others drew on the suffering of Libyan people in refugee camps and in hospitals, like the works of Mohamed Mesrati, Azza al-Maghour, and Najwa Ben-Shatwan.
Many new Libyan writers found the new reality of freedoms daring and in some cases shocking, especially after decades of self censorship and thought control by the regime. Most adapt to the new reality and fight to prevent the emergence of social and political censorship. In the same time they expose Gaddafi regime’s atrocities and redefine the Libyan identity, celebrating its rich diverse history and stressing on social tolerance and cultural Libyan diversity. This diversity has been oppressed for decades, especially the recognition of other Libyan ethnicities like in the case of the Amazigh, Berber ethnicity with its language and culture.
Beyond Revolution
The Amazigh, Berber culture suffered a lot under the Gaddafi rule. Its heritage and language were banned, and activists detained and tortured. After liberating the Nafusa Mountain Region in west Libya from Gaddafi rule, many efforts has focused on reintroducing the Amazigh language to the wider Libyan culture. Many works of forgotten Amazigh literature are being translated into Arabic and English.
It is expected that more Libyan writers from Amazigh background will find a place to publish their works in the different Amazigh publications already in circulation in Nafusa and all over Libya.
During the last several years many Libyan writers produced literary works that focused on the impact of the Gaddafi oppressive regime on the Libyan society. Some works were so daring that the writers never published them. Others had to leave the country to publish independently or through other Libyan and Arab publications outside Libya.
Many of these written works of literature, some of which are memoirs and autobiographies of known Libyan writers, reveal the reality of living under the Gaddafi regime. They are now beginning to be published in free Libya. Other unpublished works are also expected to be printed in books in the next few months inside Libya. A few new projects attempt to translate and publish some of these works in the near future.
After decades of oppression it is expected that new Libyan writers will find their way into literature and creative writing. They will enjoy more freedoms than before. The path towards building a tolerant diverse democratic society in Libya will be hard and marred with obstacles that will need all the efforts of Libyan writers and intellectuals to overcome.
Many years might pass before we witness the true and long lasting impact of the Libyan and Arab revolution on all forms of creativity, from literature to the arts. The stakes were never higher than now. Many writers are adamant that whatever outcome of these historical events in the region, we will witness a dramatic change in all aspects of society and a fresh new wave of literature.
* The essay is originally published in Minerva 3-11
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2011
رسالة من لندن.. مع جمعة بوكليب (الحلقة الثامنة والثلاثون)
في هذه الحلقة الخاصة من (رسالة من لندن): ندخل إلى قلب السجين السياسي وهو يقضى عشر سنوات وراء القضبان، وكيف يتطور السجن بمعناه المادي والمعنوي في عقل ووجدان الضحية من خلال نص طويل بعنوان (العد البطئ من واحد إلى عشرة) .
لتحميل الحلقة اضغط هنــــــــــــــــــــــــــــا
للاشتراك في البرنامج
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011
We've been liberated from our fear
Over the past six months, I have found myself avoiding the headlines and the sketchy bits of news coming from inside Libya. Because, with the hope brought by the popular uprising, came the terrifying prospect of losing our revolution. As Mohammed Nabbous, the young citizen journalist who brought the world the first images from Benghazi in February, said: "I am not afraid to die, I am afraid to lose the battle."
As one of a generation that grew up under Gaddafi's repressive and brutal dictatorship, I know what it feels like when the basic goal of your existence becomes survival. Libyans like me who opposed his regime (whether subtly or overtly) had to develop a dual personality. Learning how to talk and write publicly in code became a vital skill to avoid persecution, not only of yourself but your family and friends.
When opposition forces began their operation to liberate Tripoli a few days ago, one of the first things I noticed, speaking to my family in the capital, was that for the first time they were publicly denouncing Gaddafi, his sons and his regime. Doing that had in itself become an act of liberation; a defiance of the pervasive, self-replicating and sometimes hysterical fear that anyone who has lived under the ever-watchful eyes of the "Brother Leader" has experienced daily.
But it wasn't only personal fear that began to dissipate inside us during the last six months. We began also actively reclaiming a nation that had been hijacked for more than four decades. The military fight has been accompanied by a liberation of the meaning of what exactly it is to be Libyan, with all the historical and cultural weight which that bears.
In just six months, a generation of young Libyans has begun to learn what it might mean to enjoy a life not ruled by the oppressive terror of falling foul of the rulers. Once they tasted this forbidden fruit, there was no going back.
It is this human or psychological shift that has perhaps not yet been fully grasped by the external world. The names and faces of ordinary Libyans who mobilised have been overshadowed by the political debate, especially over the rights and wrongs of international intervention, as the ghosts of past or ongoing conflicts in the region haunted us all.
I can't deny that many who suffered in silence during 40 years of the Gaddafi regime have felt let down, not only by the foreign powers who helped sustain his rule. The Western media, too, let us down, always showing more interest in reporting the eccentricities and clownish behaviour of Gaddafi than in how ordinary Libyans were suffering – not just persecution if they dared dissent but, in an oil-rich economy, from a lack of the most basic services in health and education and a completely dilapidated infrastructure.
It was the scenes of thousands of young people taking to the streets, demanding the fall of the regime, that reignited hope, and empowered others to take part in the popular movement. Many highly skilled Libyans living abroad, or others who have been silenced for years inside the country, have helped to fuel a parallel revolution in our journalism, civil society and humanitarian aid effort. From my own experience as a surgeon and writer, I believe that the astounding solidarity and creativity this revolution has unleashed is what will give Libyans the confidence in themselves that they need to rebuild the nation.
There is a long, difficult road ahead, with immense obstacles, not least the divisions and differences in Libyan society. Reconciliation, tolerance and implementing the rule of law, as well as the human cost of this conflict, are the biggest challenges as we move to a stable, unified, democratic and just Libya.
Mohammed Nabbous was killed in Benghazi only a few hours before the UN mandate to protect civilians was implemented. Now, more than ever, his memory offers us a vivid reminder that the fear of losing the battle has to be stronger than the fear of death or tyranny.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
ربيع الزاوية (قصة: عزة كامل المقهور)
يتماوج صوته المميز كالعلم عبر اثير إذاعة الزاوية المحلية التي كانت تصدح حتى طرابلس. حنطي البشرة، يسترسل شعره الأسود الفاحم على كتفيه، غالبا ما يرتدي بنطالا من الجينز مع فانيلا أو قميص، فيبدو كثوار امريكا اللاتينية أو الباسك.
يقطع المشوار إلى طرابلس في نصف ساعة، كان دائم الذهاب اليها، يكتب شعره في الزاوية وغالبا ما يلقيه في طرابلس ثم يعود كالفراش.
من أوائل الأصوات التي صدحت بالحرية ونادت بها عبر المحطات التلفزية، وكان أول صوت يطالب "برحيله" مباشرة عبر محطات التلفزيون مخاطبا اياه " إرحل" !
لم يتخف أو يتخذ هوية زائفه، بل كان يتحدث بإسمه كاملا "ربيع شرير" من مدينة الزاوية.
حل الربيع قبل أوانه في الزاوية، تفتقت براعمه، واخضرت اعواده الطرية، ونما العشب في حديقة الميدان المهملة ولم تشهد الزاوية ربيعا كهذا، خرج السكان من بيوتهم رجالا ونساءً حاملين اطفالهم على أعناقهم... خرجوا فتية وفتيات نحو الميدان الذي يتوسط المدينة. يتجمعون كل مساء، يوقدون النيران في الساحة، يجلسون في حلقات، ينظمون الشعر ويلقونه، يصدحون " ياشباب الزاوية نبوا ليلة ضاوية". يهتفون بحناجرهم حتى الصباح "بالروح بالدم نفديك يابنغازي"، بينما يتلقفون بشفاههم الجافة من حرارة الهتاف قطرات المطر المتساقطة ولا يبرحون الميدان. نصبوا هناك الخيام، وصفوا الكراسي البلاستيكية البيضاء، واشعلوا الكوانين ليتدفئوا بلهيبها ويكركرون على جمراتها الشاي الأحمر. نصبوا مكبرات الصوت، وأقاموا معارض الكاريكاتير والتشكيل. فلا يبرح الشباب الميدان إلا بعد الفجر.
تحلق من فوق رؤوسهم طائرات الهليكوبتر المحملة بالمرتزقة كالغربان تحجب عنهم أشعة الشمس وتغلف آذانهم بهديرها للحظات ، تلفظ حمولتها على مقربة منهم، يرفعون رؤوسهم، يتبعونها بنظراتهم، ولا يأبهون لها.
لم يكن ذاك الميدان يحمل إسما، يحده جامع، وعمارتان عاليتان، وحديقه مقفرة إلا من بعض اشجار الزينة تسقط حبيباتها الصلبة على أجزاء ارضها المبلطه فتدهسها الأقدام، وبركة رخامية جف ماؤها منذ زمن.
شعروا بالأرض تهتز من تحت أقدامهم، وسمعوا هدير الجنازير وهي تقترب شيئا فشيئاَ، ولكنهم لم يبرحوا أماكنهم في الميدان، حتى طوقتهم..... إنضم بعض أفراد القوات المسلحة إليهم وأعلنوا أنهم معهم حماة الديار. وسكن كل شئ من حولهم إلا هم... يتظاهرون حتى الفجر وهم يغنون.
تنسموا الحرية التي تغلغلت في رئاتهم حتى لم يبق في شعيراتها الرقيقة المتفرعه سوى الأكسجين النقي.
حتى كان ذلك اليوم الذي رفعوا فيه العلم بنجمته وهلاله على طول العمارة الشاهقة المطلة على الميدان. لم يستفزهم شيء كما استفزهم ذاك القماش الملون بالأخضر والأحمر والأسود.. أمروهم بإنزاله، فلم يأبهوا بهم، انذروهم وأغروهم بالأموال، فرفضوا.. واستمروا في التغني بحب الوطن وحب الزاوية... يستظلون بــ"بو نجمة وهلال" يرفرف فوق رؤوسهم.
استفزهم العلم... فأطلقوا الصواريخ على أهل الزاوية الذين قرروا دفن شهدائهم في حديقة الميدان، وهكذا سمي الميدان بــ "ميدان الشهداء".
كان العلم يرفرف بينما "ربيع" يخاطب العالم من ميدان الشهداء ، يراسلهم بصوته الهادئ ولسانه العربي، يزودهم بتغطية يومية عما يجري في الزاوية، ويردد إن عليه "الرحيل".
حتى كانت تلك اللحظة بعيد الفجر... حين خفت الحركة في الميدان، زمجرت الدبابات المصفحه وسيارات الدفع الرباعي المثبت عليها الرشاشات واقتحمته. اشتبكوا مع اهل الزاوية الذين لم يبرحوا الميدان، وحاول بعضهم صدهم بأسلحة خفيفة، لكن الدبابات قصفت العمارات المحيطة بالميدان والجامع الذي تحول جزء منه إلى مستشفى ميداني، واطاحوا بمئذنته، دخلوا المستشفى واختطفوا المصابين وجثث الشهداء وقتلوا الأطباء.
استباحوا الزاوية، وعاثوا فيها فسادا، كانوا كالعقبان، ينقضون على مقابر الشهداء بالميدان ينبشونها بأظافرهم ومناقيرهم، ثم يحفرون الحفر ويخفونهم فيها. أما الأحياء من أهل الزاوية فقد أنقض عليهم الضباع كما ينقضون على الأشبال، وكان من بينهم "ربيع".
ظهر "ربيع" بعد أيام على شاشة التلفاز منتفخ الوجه والعين لايعي ما يقول.... كان كالزاوية الحزينة التي حاولوا تغيير ملامحها فغطوا ميدانها بالعشب اللامع وعلقوا الخرق الخضراء على مبانيها وجلبوا اليها الصحافيين الذين سرقت أنظارهم المأذنة المحطمة والمباني المهدمه.
حل ربيع الزاوية قبل أوانه، لكن هاجمته زوابع القبلي، فقضمت برياحها براعمه وأزهاره، وامتصت بوهج حرارتها رحيقه، فسقطت طريحة الأرض. ضرب المتفرجون اياديهم كفاً بكفٍ وتحسروا على ذلك الربيع، ولم يكن أحد لينتظر أية ثمار من هذا الموسم.
مضت الأيام ثقيلة مضنية واستبد الحزن بالزاوية وتبعثر اشبالها في الفيافي، فأضحت مدينة أشباح... احدودب ظهرها و أصفر وجهها، اختُطف شبابها وبناتها ورموا بهم في السجون المكتظة والحاويات الحديدية... نفثوا في الزاوية حقد المهزوم ومثلوا بها حتى تكون عبرة لما يجاورها من المدن... كانت تأن أنينا خافتا ولا تنادي أحدا، حتى عاد اليها أشبالها وفكوا عنها اصفادها، فتحررت، وعلت راية النجمة والهلال في ميدان الشهداء ترفرف من جديد..
لم يعد "ربيع" إلى دياره بعد، مازال مقيدا، وقد لا يعلم بأن الزاوية تحررت وأنها تهتف تناديه ورفاقه... "ياشباب الزاوية .... نبو ليلة ضاوية".
17. 8. 2011
