Tag: Records of Libya

LIBYA : Museum honouring Libyan artist Ali Gana’s memory finally opens in Tripoli

Bayt Ali Gana (“Ali Gana’s House” in Arabic) finally opened this year, and seeks to offer both retrospection and hope in the country.

A seemingly ordinary villa in the heart of Tripoli holds a lifetime of works by the late Libyan artist Ali Gana, whose family has turned his house into a unique museum.

In the North African country still grappling with divisions and conflict after the fall of long-time dictator Muammar Gadhafi in 2011, “art comes last”, said Hadia Gana, the youngest of the artist’s four children.

A decade in the making and with the help of volunteers, she had transformed the classic-style Tripolitian villa her father had built, before dying in 2006 at age 70, into “the first and only museum of modern art in Libya”, Gana said.

Bayt Ali Gana (“Ali Gana’s House” in Arabic) finally opened this year, and seeks to offer both retrospection and hope in a country constantly threatened by violence and where arts and culture stand largely neglected.

“It is seen as something superfluous,” Gana said, adding that galleries in the war-torn country often focus solely on selling pieces rather than making art more accessible.

Once past a lush garden, visitors reach the museum’s permanent exhibition of paintings, sculptures and sketches by the masterful Ali Gana.

Other rooms include temporary exhibitions, and offer space for seminars and themed workshops.

Set on a wall, an old shipping container houses an artist residency for “curators and museologists” whose skills are scarce in Libya, said Hadia Gana.

Libyan artists had long been subject to censorship and self-censorship under Gadhafi’s four-decade rule, and “we couldn’t express ourselves on politics”, recalled Gana, 50, a ceramic artist.

Art “must not have barriers”, she said, proudly standing in the family-owned space for artistic freedom.

Bayt Ali Gana appears timeless, though the villa bears some signs of the unrest that followed the overthrow and death of Gadhafi.

A road sign riddled with bullets hangs from the gate that separates the museum from the private residence.

Mortar shells turned upside down sit among flowers in the garden, where visitors are offered cold drinks or Italian espressos in a setting that replicates Cafe Said, once owned by Ali Gana’s father in the old medina of Tripoli.

During the unrest that began in 2011, Hadia Gana said she feared “losing everything if a rocket hit the house”.

Then came the idea of creating a museum in the hopes of conserving her father’s precious works and archives.

Sporadic fighting, water or electricity cuts, and forced isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic have piled challenges on the family’s mission, while the Ganas steered clear of state funding or investors to maintain the independence of their nascent institution.

Gradually, the house morphed into a cultural centre celebrating Ali Gana’s calling to “teach and educate through art”, said his daughter.

It “is not a mausoleum”, but a hub of creativity and education, she said.

Gana’s archives also document traditional crafts and trades, some of which have now completely disappeared.

After taking power in a 1969 coup, Gadhafi had imposed a ban on all private enterprise, and “for 40 years, crafts became an outlawed activity”, said the late artist’s oldest son Mehdi, who now lives in the Netherlands.

He said that in his lifetime, Ali Gana took on a mission to “build archives in order to link Libya’s past to a possible future”.

It is “the nature of the family” to preserve and share knowledge, said matriarch Janine Rabiau-Gana, 84.

Hadia Gana lamented that while museums should be educational spaces, “here in Libya, we don’t have that notion yet”.

She said she wanted to avoid “making it a museum where everything is transfixed”.

Instead, “I wanted something lively, almost playful, and above all a place that arouses curiosity in all its beauty.”

source/content: thearabweekly.com (headline edited)

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LIBYA

LIBYA-BRITISH: CNN’s Nada Bashir On How Her Arab Roots Are Helping Her Tell The Stories That Matter

The award-winning international correspondent talks frontline reporting, wearing the hijab on television, and how her personal connection to the Middle East makes her a better storyteller

In Autumn 2019, when Turkey launched its incursion into northern Syria, 23-year-old Nada Bashir packed her camera and flew to northern Iraq to cover the story. At the time she was a freelance producer for CNN in London “pretty fed up of constantly being on the Downing Street shift and covering Brexit. I knew I wanted to be in the Middle East but wasn’t perhaps experienced enough,” she says. “So I decided to just go by myself… I felt very passionate about what was happening and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”

It was a bold decision – both her first solo story and first solo trip to a hostile environment – but the risk paid off. Just five years later, she is an award-winning international correspondent who has reported from the frontlines of the conflict in Yemen and the devastating 2023 earthquake in Turkey.

Now 28, Nada is speaking from her home in West London. She flew in yesterday from Cyprus where she was covering aid ships heading to Gaza, and she will likely be dispatched again imminently although she doesn’t know when or where. She’ll pack a book and headphones but otherwise, “it’s all tech gear, medical kit and body armour”.

Unpredictable as this career may be, it is one that she has dreamt of since she was a teenager, watching the Arab Spring unfold: “We were all glued to the TV, seeing what was happening across the Middle East and back home. That was the moment for me when I was like, ‘actually this is what I want to do’.”

Back home is Libya from where Nada’s family originate, although her parents – her father was an aircraft engineer and her mother is a nursery teacher – left before she was born. “My dad was a pro-democracy activist,” she says. “He spent more than 30 years essentially in exile…It was something that we were all aware of, something that we talked about a lot.” It meant that growing up in Brighton, on England’s south coast, “the news was constantly on” but Nada never considered that she might one day be on screen herself. The middle of five siblings, she was “very shy” at school: “I vividly remember being forced to do a presentation, feeling like I was about to faint and going red in the face. I never ever would have pictured myself doing this.”

But after becoming involved in student TV while studying Politics and East European Studies at University College London, securing the internship at CNN and impressing her editors with her story from northern Iraq, an on camera career beckoned. “I spent so much of my childhood consuming news about what was happening at home and a lot of it coming from Western networks. There were a lot of things where you watched it and felt like the story of your people, your region, wasn’t being told fairly, properly or accurately,” she says. “Still there are times when I watch coverage and it’s frustrating because there’s a real lack of understanding around some of the cultural dynamics.

Being Arab isn’t essential to reporting on the Middle East, she says, but it does break down barriers: “Just being able to speak to people in their language, understanding their culture… Having that connection has made me a better storyteller.” The stories she tells are often difficult ones and they stay with her – the elderly Syrian refugee who lost his family in the Turkish earthquake, the 11-year-old Moroccan girl who guided her around a makeshift burial ground after the earthquake there last September, the Palestinian teenager detained without charge in the West Bank. Reporting on the war in Gaza has been particularly poignant: “Talking about the Palestinian cause is something that no Arab person hasn’t done. That is part of our cultural identity in a sense. That history is interlinked with all of the Middle East.”

Within the first week of war breaking out, Nada was in Jordan and Oman covering anti-war protests. Since then she has reported from Lebanon and Egypt but it is her time in the occupied West Bank – her first visit there – that has been most affecting. “That was a part of the story that we felt was being completely overlooked,” she says. “It’s not a new story. Palestinians in the West Bank have been marginalised, treated as second class citizens for decades”. She describes this reporting as “the most challenging” of her career to date, finding her objectivity over such a “polarising” story called into question. “There are so many assumptions about where your personal views might lie because of your cultural or religious background,” she says. “I am a visibly Muslim woman. My name is Arab. It’s very clear where I’m from…But with a story like this, it’s very difficult not to feel like your journalism is being undermined by assumptions of where you might stand.”

Many of those assumptions come from the fact that Nada wears the hijab. When she first started at CNN, she was “apprehensive at first – working for an American network and what that might mean in terms of how I fitted into that. Thankfully it’s never been an issue.” Being on air though, “has been slightly different”. Most difficult was reporting from London on the anti-regime protests in Iran. “For me, it’s a personal choice. You should have the freedom to choose whether you wear it…Covering the story was very important to me but I had a lot of backlash because a lot of people couldn’t understand how I could cover that, as somebody who chooses to wear the hijab, given that many women there were risking their lives and being persecuted for choosing not to.” On the flip side, she has also received “so many” messages from young hijab-wearing women who also aspire to be journalists: “I know that feeling because I felt like whenever I saw somebody wearing a hijab on TV.”

Today she feels like that when she sees the wider Arab diaspora experience represented, like in American comedy-drama, Ramy: “You feel the connection to it… It’s a blend of cultures and that is something that we identify with.” And when so much of her own work focuses on amplifying the voices of those suffering great hardship, she is grateful that there is increasingly space to celebrate the Arab world. “It’s sad because I think growing up, the only thing you’d really hear about the Middle East was war or conflict or political issues,” she says. “And there’s so much more to the region. There’s so much history, so much culture, so many people doing incredible things in different industries. It’s nice to see those aspects being showcased now, in magazines, in TV, in film, in music. To see that actually there’s a different side to the region, which has always been there. It just hasn’t really been given the platform.”

What Nada truly hopes is that when things improve in the Middle East, she will be there to report on it: “I can only hope that at some point there will be a positive change and I will get to cover that as well.” For now though, she has her bags packed, ready to head wherever the story takes her next: “It’s extraordinary; it’s a privilege and I wouldn’t change it for the world”.

Images Supplied / From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s May 2024 Issue

source/content: harpersbazaararabia.com (headline edited)

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UNITED KINGDOM / LIBYA

DUBAI, U.A.E / BAHRAIN / LIBYA: Sheikh Mansoor honours Winners of 27th Dubai International Quran Award 2024

Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum named Islamic Personality of the Year.

Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, has honoured Her Highness Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with the Islamic Personality of The Year award.

The award was coferred at the closing ceremony of the 27th edition of The Dubai International Quran Award in recognition of her efforts and contributions in supporting Islamic, humanitarian, charitable and social causes.

The award was received on behalf of her by Sheikh Saeed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during a the ceremony held at The Cultural and Scientific Association in Dubai.

Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed also honoured members of the award jury alongside 10 awardees.

Mohammed Al Ammri from Bahrain took top honours during the awards ceremony, followed by Naji bin Sliman from Libya, while Sheikh Tijan Ambi from Gambia took third place.

source/content: gulfnews.com (headline edited)

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The grand ceremony of the 27th edition of The Dubai International Quran Award in Dubai.Image Credit: DMO/X

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / BAHRAIN / LIBYA

LIBYAN Desert’s Yellow Glass: how we discovered the origin of these rare and mysterious shards

The Great Sand Sea Desert stretches over an area of 72,000km² linking Egypt and Libya. If you find yourself in a particular part of the desert in south-east Libya and south-western parts of Egypt, you’ll spot pieces of yellow glass scattered across the sandy landscape.

It was first described in a scientific paper in 1933 and is known as Libyan desert glass . Mineral collectors value it for its beauty, its relative rarity – and its mystery. A pendant found in Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb contains a piece of the glass . Natural glasses are found elsewhere in the world; examples include moldavites from the Ries crater in Europe and tektites from the Ivory Coast. But none are as rich in silica as Libyan desert glass, nor are they found in such large lumps and quantities.

The origin of the glass has been the subject of debate among scientists for almost a century. Some suggested it might be from volcanoes on the moon. Others propose it’s the product of lightning strikes (“fulgurites” – glass that forms from fusion of sand and soil where they are hit by lightning). Other theories suggest it’s the result of sedimentary or hydrothermal processes; caused by a massive explosion of a meteor in the air; or that it came from a nearby meteorite crater .

Now, thanks to advanced microscopy technology, we believe we have the answer. Along with colleagues from universities and science centres in Germany, Egypt and Morocco, I have identified Libyan desert glass as originating from the impact of a meteorite on the Earth’s surface.

Space collisions are a primary process in the solar system, as planets and their natural satellites accreted via the asteroids and planet embryos (also called planetesimals) colliding with each other. These impacts helped our planet to assemble, too.

Under the microscope

In 1996 scientists determined that the glass was close to 29 million years old. A later study suggested the source material was composed of quartz grains, coated with mixed clay minerals and iron and titanium oxides.

This latter finding raised more questions, since the proposed age is older than the matching source material in the relevant area of the Great Sand Sea desert. To put it simply: those source materials didn’t exist in that location 29 million years ago.

For our recent study, a co-author obtained two pieces of the glass from a local who had collected them in the Al Jaouf region in south-eastern Libya.

We studied the samples with a state-of-the-art transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique, which allows us to see tiny particles of material – 20,000 times smaller than the thickness of a paper sheet. Using this super-high magnification technique, we found small minerals in this glass: different types of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂).

Minerals are composed of chemical elements, atoms of which form regular three-dimensional packaging. Imagine putting eggs or soda bottles on the shelf of a supermarket: layers on top of layers to ensure the most efficient storage. Similarly, atoms assemble into a crystal lattice that is unique for each mineral. Minerals that have the same chemical composition but different atomic structure (different ways of atom packaging into the crystal lattice) are called polymorphs.

One polymorph of ZrO₂ that we observed in Libyan desert glass is called cubic zirconia – the kind seen in some jewellery as a synthetic replacement for diamonds. This mineral can only form at a high temperature between 2,250°C and 2,700°C.

Another polymorph of ZrO₂ that we observed was a very rare one called ortho-II or OII. It forms at very high pressure – about 130,000 atmospheres, a unit of pressure.

Such pressure and temperature conditions provided us with the proof for the meteorite impact origin of the glass. That’s because such conditions can only be obtained in the Earth’s crust by a meteorite impact or the explosion of an atomic bomb.

More mysteries to solve

If our finding is correct (and we believe it is), the parental crater – where the meteorite hit the Earth’s surface – should be somewhere nearby. The nearest known meteorite craters, named GP and Oasis, are 2km and 18km in diameter respectively, and quite far away from where the glass we tested was found. They are too far and too small to be considered the parental craters for such massive amounts of impact glass, all concentrated in one spot.

So, while we’ve solved part of the mystery, more questions remain. Where is the parental crater? How big is it – and where is it? Could it have been eroded, deformed or covered by sand? More investigations will be required, likely in the form of remote sensing studies coupled with geophysics.

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source/content : theconversation.com (headline edited)

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The pieces of Libyan desert glass that formed the basis of the study. Author provided

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LIBYA

LIBYAN-AMERICAN: Hisham Matar’s powerful Memoir ‘The Return’ Chronicles a haunting journey

“The Return” is a meditation on human condition, an exploration of the bonds of family.

In his poignant and deeply affecting memoir, “The Return,” Hisham Matar invites readers on a journey into the heart of his native Libya, a journey marked by love, loss, and the relentless pursuit of truth.

As the acclaimed author of “In the Country of Men,” Matar brings his exquisite storytelling prowess to bear on the exploration of his own family’s harrowing ordeal amid the turbulent political landscape of their homeland.

The narrative begins with a pivotal moment in Matar’s life, when at the tender age of nineteen, his world was shattered by the abduction of his father, a courageous man. The elder Matar’s disappearance cast a long shadow over the family, leaving them grappling with uncertainty and anguish.

Yet, amid the darkness, Matar clung to a flicker of hope, a stubborn belief that his father may yet be found. It is this unwavering hope that propels him forward, driving him to embark on a decades-long quest for answers.

Against the backdrop of upheaval and societal transformation, Matar chronicles his return to Libya, a homeland he once fled as a child. With his mother and wife by his side, he confronts the ghosts of his past and navigates the complexities of a country in flux.

Through evocative prose and piercing insight, Matar captures the essence of a nation on the cusp of profound change, grappling with the weight of its history and the promise of its future.

“The Return” transcends the confines of a mere memoir; it is a meditation on the human condition, an exploration of the enduring bonds of family and the resilience of the human spirit.

Nature of love and loss

Matar’s storytelling takes the readers to the heart of Libya, immersing them in its sights, sounds, and emotions. With each turn of the page, we are drawn deeper into the labyrinth of Matar’s inner world, as he grapples with questions of identity, belonging, and the nature of love and loss.

At its core, “The Return” is a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the darkest corners of our collective experience, offering solace, catharsis, and ultimately, redemption.

Matar paints a poignant portrait of the human spirit’s capacity to endure and find solace in the face of uncertainty. Beyond mere memoir, “The Return” stands as a testament to the strength of hope, offering inspiration to all who confront life’s tribulations.

source/content: gulfnews.com /ahmad nazir (headline edited)

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pix: wikipedia.com

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AMERICAN / LIBYAN

LIBYA: 42nd Sharjah International Book Fair names Arab author Ibrahim Al-Koni as ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’

Libyan novelist has written 81 books which have been translated into 40 languages.

The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has named Ibrahim Al-Koni, Libyan writer and novelist, as the ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’ for the 42nd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). The fair, which will open on November 1, will run till November 12. 

The authority said the honour is in recognition of his profound impact on both the Arab and global cultural and literary spheres and his invaluable contributions. Al-Koni’s exceptional efforts have enriched the literary world and has been instrumental in spotlighting Arab authors on the global stage, with his literary works being translated into over 40 languages, finding a place in the curricula of universities worldwide, including those in Europe, America, Japan, and beyond.

The choice of Al-Koni for this accolade aligns with SBA’s mission to celebrate distinguished individuals in the realms of thought, literature, history and the arts. These notable figures have not only enhanced the cultural heritage but have also created impactful works that have left a lasting imprint on both the Arab and global stages across a spectrum of literary and intellectual domains, the SBA said.

Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of SBA, said, “The authority believes that honouring cultural and literary figures is an important step in building the cultural identity of any civilisation and nation. Thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the emirate has become a platform for honouring Arabs whose thought and literary contributions have become a cornerstone of literature and knowledge. This includes the Libyan writer and novelist Ibrahim Al-Koni, whose recognition today asserts the strength of literature, culture, and knowledge in presenting the Arab identity to the world’s cultures.

“This recognition introduces the younger Arab generations to a prominent figure who has a significant and influential presence in the Arab and global cultural scene. Al-Koni’s portfolio includes more than 80 books in the fields of novels, literary studies, criticism, linguistics, history, and politics, serving as a source of inspiration and pride for Arabs. They are a testament to his strength and ability to compete in the realms of knowledge and culture, earning high recognition as one of the most prominent influencers in the Arab cultural landscape and one of the most widely recognised Arab authors in the world.”

81 books in 40 languages

Al-Koni was born in Ghadames, Libya, in 1948. He is among the most prominent contemporary Arab novelists and has been a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature on several occasions. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in literary and critical sciences in 1977 from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. He has worked in various journalistic and diplomatic roles around the world, with his most recent being a diplomatic advisor at the Libyan Embassy in Switzerland. Al-Koni is proficient in eight languages, including Tamasheq, Arabic, Russian, English, Polish, German, Spanish, and Latin.

The prolific Libyan writer has authored 81 books in various fields, and has been translated into more than 40 languages. He was selected by the French Lire Magazine as one of the top 50 contemporary world novelists, and received wide acclaim from cultural, critical, academic, and official circles around the globe.

Al-Koni has received numerous regional and international awards, including the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity in 2008.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Ibrahim Al-Koni, Libyan writer and novelist, who has been named as the ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’ for the 42nd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair. Image Credit: Supplied

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LIBYA

QURAN CONTEST in SAUDI ARABIA : Islamic Affairs Ministry Announces Winners of the ’43rd King Abdulaziz International Competition of Holy Quran 2023′. First Prize Winners in 4 Categories from Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Senegal

The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, Sheikh Dr Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh has approved the results and names of the winners in the 43rd edition of King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an.


The competition, held at the Grand Mosque, witnessed the participation of 166 contestants representing 117 countries, competing in all five categories of the competition, with the total prize amount for this edition reaching SAR4,000,000.


In the first category, Ayoub bin Abdulaziz Al-Wahibi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia secured first place and received a prize of SAR500,000. Saad bin Saadi Sleim from Algeria came in second place, earning SAR450,000, while Abu Al-Hasan Hassan Najm from Chad achieved the third position, receiving a prize of SAR400,000.


In the second category, Ammar bin Salem Al-Shahri from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia claimed the first position and was awarded a prize of SAR300,000. Mohammed bin Adnan Al-Omari from Bahrain secured second place, receiving a prize of SAR275,000. The third position went to Abdulaziz bin Malik Atli from Syria, who received a prize of SAR250,000.


In the third category, the winners include Mohammed bin Ibrahim Mohammed from Somalia, who clinched first place and received a prize of SAR200,000. Second place went to Shuaib bin Mohammed Hassan from Sweden, who was awarded SAR190,000 while Faisal Ahmed from Bangladesh secured the third position, earning SAR180,000 Saudi Riyals, and Mohammed Mufid Al-Azza from Indonesia claimed the fourth spot and received SAR170,000. Siraj Al-Din Muammar Kandi from Libya rounded off the top five, receiving a prize of SAR160,000.


Regarding the fourth category, the winners are as follows: Mohammed Ghai from Senegal secured the top position, earning a prize of SAR150,000. Hatem Abdulhamid Falah from Libya claimed the second spot, receiving an award of SAR140,000 and Yassin Abdulrahman from Uganda achieved the third position, with a prize of SAR130,000. Mashfiqur Rahman from Bangladesh attained the fourth position and was granted SAR120,000 while rounding off the top five, Abdulkader Yousef Mohammed from Somalia received a prize of SAR110,000.


As for the fifth category, Elias Abdou from the country of Larionion secured the first position, earning a prize of SAR65,000 while the second place went to Ibrahim Shahbandari from India who was awarded SAR60,000. Marwan bin Shalal from the Netherlands achieved the third position, receiving SAR55,000 and Mustafa Sinnanovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina attained the fourth position and received SAR50,000. Lastly, Hassib Amrullah from North Macedonia took fifth place, earning a prize of SAR45,000.

–SPA

source/content: spa.gov.sa (headline edited)

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pix: ehajportal.com

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ALGERIA / BAHRAIN / CHAD / LIBYA / SAUDI ARABIA / SOMALIA / SYRIA

LIBYA: 03rd ‘Libya Couscous Day 2023’ Succeeds in Breaking World Record for the Largest Dish

The organisers and sponsors of the Third Libyan Couscous Day 2023 reported that the event succeeded in breaking the world record for the largest couscous dish. They reported that a dish was prepared weighting over 2,500 kgs.

The event was held on Friday in the historic city of Sabrata and is organised by the Libyan Intangible Heritage and Cultural Organization (NGO). It aims to inform the world that couscous is a national Libyan dish and is part of its heritage – along with Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

The event was sponsored by a leading Libyan couscous manufacturer.

source/content: libyaherald.com (headline edited)

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pix: Libyan Industrial Union

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LIBYA

ARABS ABROAD: The Libyan Pharmacologist Mohamed Irhuma and the Tunisian Scientist Mohamed Kheireddine Aroua

A Libyan pharmacologist treating HIV patients in South Africa and a Tunisian scientist purifying water in Malaysia.

This is the story of two world-renowned scientists who left their homelands of Libya and Tunisia and went on to achieve great success in South Africa and Malaysia.

Libyan pharmacologist Mohamed Irhuma studied in South Africa but faced a range of challenges when his home country went through its 2011 revolution. He’s achieved success in South African HIV AIDS pharmacology, including award-winning work on drug treatments.

Tunisian chemical engineer Mohamed Kheireddine Aroua is a world expert in material separation, inventing a life-changing water purification machine which benefits remote villages.

Both stories illustrate some of the complexities of being an Arab abroad, and the journeys of two remarkable scientists.

source/content: aljazeera.com (headline edited)

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LIBYA / TUNISIA

Libyan Author Mohamed Alnaas Wins 2022 Arabic Booker Prize

Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table by Libyan debut novelist Mohamed Alnaas was announced as the winner of the 2022 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF).

The novel, published by Rashm, was named as this year’s winner by Chair of Judges Shukri Mabkhout during a ceremony in Abu Dhabi that was also streamed online.

In addition to being awarded USD $50,000, funding will be provided for the English translation of Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table, and Mohamed Alnaas can expect to see an increase in book sales and international recognition.

Shukri Mabkhout, Chair of the 2022 Judges, said: “The winning novel is written in the form of confessions of personal experience. Its plethora of details is deftly unified by a gripping narrative, which offers a deep and meticulous critique of prevailing conceptions of masculinity and femininity and the division of work between men and women, and the effect of these on both a psychological and social level.”

He added that the novel, falls into the category of novels which question cultural norms about gender; however, it is embedded in its local Arab context, and steers away from trivial projections or an ideological treatment of the issues, which would be contrary to the relativism of fiction and its ability to present multiple points of view.   

Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table is a unique story based in Libya. In the closed society of his village, Milad strives to live up to the definition of ideal masculinity, as his society views it. However, after all his best efforts, he fails to be ‘a man’, and after meeting his sweetheart and wife-to-be, Zeinab, decides to forget about this definition and be himself. Living at home, he performs the tasks which his society reserves for women, while Zeinab works and supports the family. Milad is unaware of how he is mocked in the village until his nephew breaks it to him. Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table questions static ideas of gender and champions the individual in the face of destructive ideas adopted by the majority. 

Mohamed Alnaas, is a short story writer and journalist from Libya, born in 1991. He obtained a BA in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tripoli in 2014, and his short story collection Blue Blood was published in 2020. Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table (2021) is his first novel and he wrote it in just six months during lockdown and whilst Tripoli was under bombardment. He says writing the book was his “refuge from insanity” amidst the news of Covid and war.

At 34, Alnaas is the second youngest writer to win the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and the first Libyan. Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table was published with support from the Libyan Arete Foundation.

Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table was chosen by the judges as the best work of fiction published in Arabic between 1st July 2020 and 30th June 2021. It was chosen from a shortlist of six novels by authors from Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman and, for the first time, the UAE. The shortlisted finalists — Khalid Al-Nassrallah, Tareq Imam, Reem al-Kamali, Bushra Khalfan and Mohsine Loukili — will each receive USD $10,000.

The panel of five judges was chaired by Tunisian novelist, academic and previous IPAF winner (The Italian, 2015) Shukri Mabkhout. Joining him on the judging panel were Libyan doctor, poet and translator Ashur Etwebi, Lebanese writer and PEN International board member Iman Humaydan, Kuwaiti poet and critic Saadiah Mufarreh and Bulgarian academic and translator Baian Rayhanova.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg

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pix: arabicfiction.org

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LIBYA