Project: Old Libya in Pictures

 I was in town earlier and saw a really nice-looking book about the city I live in.

It consists essentially of a compilation of photographs taken between the 1850s and 1960s, each followed by a short description. Beginning as a hobby, it has now become a significant piece of historical research taken from local archives and photographs volunteered by locals. It contains chapters on local landmarks and historical places, views of the environment and famous figures, but some of the most precious are photographs of everyday life showing leisure and sport activities, festivals, farming, work and education. It gives a very interesting look into the traditional ways of living which have now mostly been lost.

 

It contains hundreds of beautiful photographs, but I'm not putting any more online - those two were just to get the idea across.

Anyway, I was reminded of the countless vintage photos of Tripoli I've seen posted on Twitter and Facebook since liberation, and I thought it would be very exciting to channel some post-revolutionary energy into working on a similar project. By contacting older citizens as well as local and foreign archives a similar book could be put together on Libya over the last hundred years, showcasing our Arab and Amazigh cultures, traditional ways of life, landscapes and landmarks.

As a hard-copy book it would be a beautiful gift, showing our history and not only reflecting nostalgia for the past, but reminding people of their responsibility to help Libya great again. It could be sold around Libya, and all profits would go towards funding some of the projects run by our amazing and hard-working local NGOs.

The old Libyan photos are everywhere, and I've collected hundreds on my computer, but it's important to get them from primary sources and have permission to publish them. So if you or any family members have photos that you would like to contribute to the project, or if you would like to help, please contact me! ahmedgat1@hotmail.com

The Revolution is Safe

My favourite quote from The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fannon. So relevant that it could have been written yesterday.

I'm not buying any of the fear-mongering about Libya. Sure we have problems, but it's not as bad as it appears; it never is. We've already passed the darkest days, regardless of whether the "hard part" is yet to come. Calm down.

And if you are one of the people proclaiming Jibril-esque portents of doom, go and do something constructive please.

Pride

Bikku Bitti is the tallest mountain in Libya, right on the chad border. “It was first climbed in December, 2005 by a British team led by Ginge Fullen”. I know that doesn't include the local tebou who have lived there for centuries, but oh the shame. It was a very interesting and impressive expedition, but it's sad that the race which produced the likes of Ibn Battuta can no longer claim knowledge of what's within its own borders. Wouldn't it be great to start seeing this kind of thing done more often by Libyans, and on a  more general sale by the whole arab world?

There’s been a massive boom in journalism of all sorts in Libya since 17^th February. As well as the myriad new television stations there are many facebook news pages run by citizen journalists. But my biggest hope is for the non-news media. The torrent of creativity now released has also seen many videos made by individuals, collectives and fledgling NGOs. Here are my favourites so far:

Some Time in Tripoli from live2Tripoli on Vimeo.

حملة تنظيف ميدان الشهداء | طرابلس from 212 Group on Vimeo.

I really hope some of them turn to documentaries. I’ve never really seen a great (non-dubbed) Arabic nature documentary, just politics and occasionally religion. Perhaps we will see the emergence of an Arabic David Attenborough (or several) in the future. 

Any budding would-be documentary-makers, take your chance now and be the first. Look at all of the unexplored places I pointed out in my last couple of posts. There’s not exactly fierce competition for time on our airwaves these days, and the niche is open for someone to explore the forgotten corners of the Arabic world. There is also an entire world of culture that most people were oblivious to before this year, and we have a heritage most western historians would die for.

If you're interested, strive for it! Try making your own shows about places you visit, learn to edit videos and then put them on Youtube or Vimeo to get exposure. Get researching your trips and in a couple of years maybe you'll be able to approach a TV network or even university (when they are up and running) to fund your trips.

Btw I'd recommend Tropic of Cancer (from the BBC) to anyone who wants to see an awesome nature documentary filmed partly in the arab world. My favourite section was Oman.

 P.S. Here's one of the archaeologists working to preserve our heritage

Places to see in Libya (2)

Part 2: Natural Section

- Nafusa Mountains – This is very general, but I could write dozens of posts on the different things in the Nafusa mountains. Anyone who hasn’t been hiding under a rock for the last 8 months will have seen some of the breathtaking plains and mountain scenery in this region.

 (Credit: James Wheeler)

There are also several extremely beautiful little-known oases in the area. I’ve heard of at least 2: Ein el zarga and Ein el rumiya, which my dad stumbled across this summer and couldn’t stop talking about for days. He won't give me the photos though, so instead here's Yefren, a town in the mountain range, and a seasonal waterfall near to it :) 

(Source here)