thepoliticalnotebook:

Libyan artists turns the remnants of war into art. Ali Al-Wakwak, a longtime artist in Benghazi, has collected the chunks of iron, burned out jeeps and rusted weaponry from the Libyan revolution and turned it into sculpture. Above are his pieces The Ant, meant to represent the Libyan people (“Gaddafi told us we were insects, OK then, we might be ants, but we are huge ants!”), Faces of War, which is still incomplete and made from old helmets, and The Dinosaur, meant to symbolize the now extinct Gaddhafi.

Photos by Karim Mostafa.

[Mashallah News]

(via thepoliticalnotebook)

nationalpost:

At least 69 die in Syrian clashes as global pressure mounts
At least 69 people were killed in southern Syria on Monday, most of them in clashes between army deserters and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, activists said on Tuesday.

The violence came as Syria faces growing international isolation following the Arab League’s decision to suspend its membership in response to Assad’s crackdown on eight months of protests calling for his overthrow.

Hundreds of people have been killed so far this month, making it one of the bloodiest periods of the Syrian protests, inspired by uprisings which have overthrown leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Libyan engineer Mustafa Shaab bin Ragheb  • Discussing the current situation with the Libyan government, six months into the war. Yes, friends, today is the six-month anniversary of NATO getting involved in Libya’s civil war, which remains controversial for some but has led to the crumbling of Gaddafi’s regime. There are many issues to deal with from here — including a splintering rebel movement — but “we finally got rid of that bloody monkey” certainly seems like a good result of a lengthy civil war. source (via • follow)

timelightbox:

Kate Brooks

Following the attacks on 9/11, Kate Brooks, at the age of 23, moved to Pakistan and began documenting the region—photographing wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon; daily life in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen; and the historic revolutions in Egypt and Libya. Her ten-year odyssey is chronicled in the new book, In the Light of Darkness: A Photographer’s Journey After 9/11. See more here.

shortformblog:

brooklynmutt:

Human slaughterhouse discovered in Tripoli - Telegraph

Holy hell. Reminder: Don’t forget about Libya, guys.

(via shortformblog)

NATO Col. Roland Lavoie • Emphasizing that the situation in Tripoli is far from over. You know, just in case you had any questions about it. A key sign of this was the reappearance of Saif al-Islam, a symbolic flash point that suggested to many that this wasn’t going to be an overnight change. Regarding the explanation on his sudden reappearance, rebel spokesperson Dia Alhutmany explained off earlier reports that he helped circulate about al-Islam’s reappearance: ”Anyway, whether he is arrested or still free, the regime is no longer (ruling) the country, and very soon he and his father will be captured.” Either way, the fighting is still on. Much more to do. source (via • follow)

theafricatheynevershowyou:

Demonstrators tears a poster depicting Moamer Kadhafi at the Libya consulate in Athens on August 22, 2011. Libyans ransacked their country’s consulate in Athens on Monday after rebels overran Tripoli, defacing the building and tearing down images of embattled strongman Moamer Kadhafi.

Libyan government tanks and snipers put up scattered, last-ditch resistance in Tripoli after rebels swept into the heart of the capital, cheered on by crowds hailing the end of Gaddafi’s 42 years in power.

pantslessprogressive:

“Screaming and chanting his name, the 500 women and girls vowed their undying love for one man. Not a pop star or Hollywood actor, but Libya’s Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

‘Kill all the people in Libya first, then come for Muammar Gaddafi,’ said 14-year-old Fatima Hassan. ‘I will kill myself if Muammar Gaddafi is killed. I know our people will kill themselves if he dies.’

The event in Tripoli on Sunday was billed as a graduation ceremony for women who had been given weapons training in defence of the regime. Around 50 international journalists, invited and escorted by government minders, arrived to find them clapping, singing, ululating, punching the air and waving green flags in a tented hall set up with chandeliers and two colossal flatscreen TVs.

There were elderly women and little girls in the hall, and every age in between. Some held aloft pictures of a luminous Gaddafi, one framed in green Christmas tinsel. A woman waved a green flag and wore a sparkly green cape, green scarf and green bandana with badges showing Gaddafi’s face. Next to her was a woman wearing a watch that displayed his image.

Reporters pondered whether the event had been stage managed entirely for their benefit. The Gaddafi groupies painted the first dozen rows green, but behind them were hundreds of empty seats. Outside was a rattle of gunfire as some enthusiastic graduates fired their new weapons into the air with little regard for where the ammunition might land.” - David Smith (in Tripoli)

Libya unveils its latest weapon against Nato: women at arms

[Photo: Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images]

(via pantslessprogressive)

pantslessprogressive:

From a great piece by Rory Mulholland over at The Guardian, The Libyan artists driving Gaddafi to the wall:

“We have a dream,” is the slogan – written in English – on giant billboards that have started to appear across the city. Benghazi’s seafront is where that dream is most evident. The red, green and black flag of the uprising is everywhere, alongside French, British and US flags, a sign of gratitude for the Nato air strikes keeping Gaddafi’s forces at bay. Frenzied anti-Gaddafi rallies are held on most days in the seafront square, with tribal leaders, politicians or rebel fighters making fiery speeches, sparking wild applause and much celebratory gunfire.

The revolution has lifted the lid on a repressed society and the people of Benghazi are making up for the lost years. They have quickly set up newspapers, radio stations and rap bands to say things that just a few months earlier would have got them locked up or worse. But the Gaddafi caricatures are the most striking manifestation of the new-found freedom of expression.

If you need a reminder as to why art is exceptionally powerful and beautiful in the face of devastation, this article is for you. [Artist above unknown; please let me know if you know the source.]

(via pantslessprogressive)