The Libya You Don't Know

The Arab Spring is on the march, and no dictators, one-party states, or crumbling Empires can stop it. Still, one of the hurdles facing the Arab Spring is the persistence of neo-Orientalist stereotypes about the Arab world in the mainstream English-speaking media. All too often, the region is depicted as a landscape of oil, deserts, and political tyranny. To counter these stereotypes, here's a small sampling of the amazing cultural richness of just one Arab country, the country of Libya.

Sight. Here's a piece called "Tree of Women" by Misurata-based Libyan artist Mohammad Bin Lamin:

Bin Lamin's works are riveting, haunted by postcolonial ghosts and yet scintillating with energy. More of his work can be seen here and here (his homepage is here). Early in the Libyan revolution, Qaddafi thugs ravaged Misurata, killing and abducting thousands of people. The revolutionaries defeated them and drove them out of the city, but Bin Lamin was one of those abducted. His current whereabouts are unknown. 

Sound. In 2010 and 2011, exiled Libyan musician Ibn Thabit created some of the finest rap music of the Arabic region, including this track, which may go down in history as the unofficial anthem of the revolution (his homepage is here, and his Youtube videos are here). Recently, Ibn Thabit made the courageous decision to join the frontlines of the revolution -- read his latest account of the revolution in the Nafusa mountains.

Diversity.The Libyan revolution is not just about formal political liberation, it's also about the liberation of the long-suppressed cultural diversity of Libyan society. Some of the staunchest defenders of the revolution are the Amazigh (also known in English as Berber) inhabitants of the Nafusa mountains, whose language and culture were ruthlessly suppressed by the dictatorship. A Libyan resident of the mountains created this video, counterpointing the soaring music and words of Algerian artist Idir (a member of the Algerian branch of the Amazigh) to images of the mountains and its revolution. Note that the language is not Arabic but Amazigh, and English subtitles are included in the video. 

Food. Last but surely not least, Libya has its own world-class culinary traditions. You can check out some of them at the Libyan Food Blog, with authentic Libyan and regional recipes. We've tried some of them, and can certify they're delicious.