Libya:A view into the blogging scene

The Libyan blogosphere is rich and diverse, but quietly apolitical. I'm constantly surprised at how it has sprouted during the last three years. It may have less bloggers than other countries, but the fact that some people are actually blogging is a miracle per se.

Libyans blog from inside Libya and from all the countries they currently live in as expats or citizens. You can usually figure out who is living abroad from the others.

This weekly round-up will aim to bring the Libyan bloggers from all over the world onto your screen. OK – not so ambitious, but just the most interesting/relevant stories. Remember as I said above, most Libyan bloggers do not write about politics or ‘sensitive’ issues yet. We shall see how that evolves especially in light of this good news.

Khadijateri, author of the blog with the same name is an American married to a Libyan. She recently brought to our attention the devastating of the number of car accidents in Libya. Khadijateri believes this is ‘because the roads are not being properly maintained’. I don't think people hear enough about how dangerous driving is in Libya.

On a similar vein, Lebeeya of Lebeeya Says, posted about the effect of the rain on the Omani roads. This started a conversation in the comment section about the Libyan infrastructure which needs revisiting due to climate change and the inability to cope if it rained for more than one day. The photo of a Mercedes stuck in a flood is priceless.

On another note the Libyan blogs have been buzzing with personal projects. Bloggers challenged each other to produce a video about Libya using ‘windows movie maker’, or other video editing software. It all started on Beacon's blog Tripoli Nights with his ‘You Tube’ compilation Ya bladi Hubik Mawali shortly followed by A.Adam of Flying Birds and Hanu of D-Log. Hanu made a touching ‘slide show with pictures of Libyans from 1924 to 1930′.

Smokeyspice of The Third Space, highlights the sudden interest in Libyan authors as she believes that ‘there are treasures of stories among Libyans that are waiting for the right time or the right question’. I am not surprised after the success of Hisham Matar's novel. Speaking of Libyan writers, the very talented Soad of My Enchanting Sereeb got one of her short stories ( in English) published. We are waiting for her to return from her travels and link or scan it for us.

Trabilisia of Tripoli Ghibli was able to locate a short biography of her grandfather, a famous Libyan physician back in the 1920s. It is worth reading as his story shows a glimpse of what it was like to live in the Ottoman empire of which Libya was a part until the early 20th Century.

To wrap things up, Libyan bloggers are experimenting with communication and expressing themselves to a wider audience. Topics are too many to cover, but I hope this taster has whetted your appetite for more.

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