Tripoli. Libya 29th Septmeber 2012
Young and old turned out for Tripoli’s protest for national security.
Anonymous.
Tripoli Protests to ask for rule of law, unified army, police and national security. Many had urged people not to come out, from officials of the GNC to the Grand Mufti, and although the crowds were smaller than expected, they made up for it in sound! It was a high spirited protest and we found this ‘anonymous’ taking a coffee after all the shouting and singing was over. Benghazi we still have a lot of catching up to do, but this was a positive step in your direction. 29th September 2012.
Stills from short film I edited ” The Salesmen” , made in collaboration with film makers from Benghazi. People from Benghazi have such spirit, a real pleasure to work with.
RIP Chris Stevens.
Protest to condemn the violent actions of recent weeks and to show the world that these acts are not representative of Libyans or Islam.
Just to remind ourselves that these people queued from 7am in the morning to place their vote in the first ever elections after 42 years of repression.
They voted and their choice was strikingly obvious nationwide. They voted for moderates, stating that they wanted the focus to be on education, health care, rule of law and justice, not on religion. One woman claimed ” we are all Muslim, we do not need to be told how to be a good muslim. “ The Muslim Brotherhood amongst other parties that had a religious focus did not get the result they had hoped for and Libya was the exception from neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt.
Libya must remain focussed on that choice and not allow lawless groups to creap in the back door. Libya is currently in a security and power vacuum with the GNC having only sat on the 8th of August and the new government not being chosen until the 8th of September. During this period we have seen a rise in extremist groups and militia taking advantage of the current weakness in the political field. Groups using religion as a tool, some being linked to the wahabi movement in Saudi Arabia, are causing much destruction and many are fearing to speak out.
We must keep in the forefront of our minds not only what we queued for at 7am on the 7th of July 2012, but what we lost lives for during over 7months of war: freedom of choice. Let this not become a paranoid state ruled by fear and vigilantism. We must act now if we are to safeguard our revolution.
Uthman Pasha Mosque in Libya’s historic Medina in February before the desecration of Sufi mosques in Libya by extremist groups.
Protest against lawless behaviour in Tripoli and destruction of Shrines and mosques.
More to come when I get to the computer.
Destruction of the Sufi mosque Al Sha3b in Tripoli, destroyed to excavate the tombs inside. The police presence and security were apparently sent to protect the mosque, instead the SSC protected the bulldozers and made sure no media was allowed access. Two Libyan journalists were arrested.
Sources have said that the GNC has called in the Following for questioning:
- Prime Minister
- Minister of Interior
- Minister of Defense
- Head of the armed forces
- Head of intelligence
The authorities knew this was going to happen, so why not call the people in before hand. This wild west mentality of doing whatever you like must be stopped. Whether people agree with Sufism or not is not the point, when it comes to Libya’s history there must be a dialogue first before tearing down our heritage. What next? Demolish Leptis Magna?
Libya Hurra does not mean this. Today is a very sad day.
Swimming in Tripoli by moonlight (and floodlight) at midnight. Hijab optional.
On the road from Chad.
Migrants who left Libya during the war try to re-enter Libya in search of jobs and a better life. A long trip afloat crowded lorries that will bear witness to many illnesses and loss of life.
In Gaddafi’s The Green book and in the national curriculum for education Gaddafi spoke of a world without borders. A nice idea. However the realities of Pan Africa were far from practical.
With fighting still present on the borders between Chad and Libya, and with tensions still present between Libyans and those from Chad, Niger and Sudan, ‘The Libyan Migration Corridor’ is now being heavily patrolled and many lorries are being sent back.
We witnessed five trucks close to Quatrun being escorted back to Chad for not having the right documentation.
Since the sub-Saharan and Asian workforce left during the war, construction sights have ground to a halt, hotels have ceased to re open and the refuse industry, which is barely functioning has a lack of employees, its inefficiency contributing to the looming environmental crisis.
There is a high unemployment rate in Libya, but it seems Libyans don’t want to step in and get their hands dirty with this sort of manual work. If this is the case we need to work harder at welcoming back migrant workers. A hard task when they aestically can not differentiate between those who fought for Gaddafi as mercenaries and took the lives of their loved ones, and those that are simply seeking work and happen to be from the same countries.
To add to the complexity, many of the documents that the migrant workers own, provided by Gaddaffi under the regime, and are no longer deemed valid.
With such a small population, ”Libya for Libyans” is not really practical, we need to work with other countries to develop all industries, not just oil. But to do this the governing body must establish migration laws that will help develop the countries economy, not suffocate it.
Sousa. Libya. Ramadan 2012.
The ancient Greek city of Cyrene on the slopes of the Green Mountains in Libya
A friend contemplates Libya’s future in that long 30minutes before breaking the fast. At a time when Libya is heading towards this ideal of democracy, invented by the Greeks, the ancient history of Libya seems more relevant than ever.
Demos=The people.
Cracy= Kratos= Strength/ Rule
Does the ideal of democracy really exist anywhere? Is it achievable in Libya?
If these ancient columns could speak, what would be their retort?
Shahat. Libya. Ramadan2012
Ballot papers arriving from Sirte and Tripoli centre to be counted at HNEC headquarters.
