Through marshy lands-Need for reason and Moral Imagination
Tripoli is free. Shafshoofa Maleshi-Long haired person (some say full of lice) –Sorry, many small children sing out on the streets,referring to the long-haired deposed dictator. In these ‘marshy lands’ of unquestioned tradition and unreflected response and chaos , reason has its reach-compromised neither by the importance of instinctive psychology nor by the presence of cultural diversity in the world. It has an especially important role to play in the cultivation of moral imagination.
Boat to Lampadusa
The Choir at Dahra’s San Francisco Church
The workers from the Sub-saharan Africa are in danger of being targeted as mercenaries. They are from the countries where neither capitalist democracy nor Marxist socialism have a foothold. There are no resources to be marketed, no working class that could serve as a revolutionary avant-garde, just starving people. French post colonial post structuralist philosophers became their advocates. With the global proliferation of poverty and inequality, both the democratic mission of the West and opposition to it, with all their religious and political underpinnings, are becoming radicalized and compromised. The boats carrying them to Lampadusa are sometimes successful, at others tragedy takes over.
8 pm
Zoo animals are short of food, water and care
As I recall these six months, memories go back to some who did not make it. On the third night of the NATO bombing one colleague, long term resident of Tripoli, originally from India, Dr.Sen passed away. We had made it a point to ring each other up daily at around 8 pm to know about the situation. The stress was too much for him. I do not get calls at 8 pm any more. His memory lives on..
“His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead”
James Joyce-The Dead
A visit to Bab-Al-Aziziya
Victory march-Brother fighters
“Curiosity did not kill this cat”. Thousands visited this once-feared compound of the old-regime, many of them armed. However, one has to take care as not everyone is celebrating Eid with the same sentiment here. This is a society which has been broken at many levels.
Thousands of armed men from Jebel Nafusa, Misurata,Benghazi
Joined their brothers in Tripoli.
A society in need of healing
“My family is in Tunisia, my brother is in cemetery.” This sad refrain by a colleague summarized the predicament of thousands of Libyans.
“We have run out of drinking water and are using the water condensed from the air-conditioner for drinking” one veteran told with a heavy voice.
Even then, with all it’s hardships, uncertainties, challenges, people are happy as-Tripoli is free.
Ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria-Depicted in a Mosaic in Eastern Libya
A united free Libya with Tripoli as it’s capital was their aim.
Bab-Al-Aziziya
Many latent energies come alive after these decades of struggle
POST SCRIPT
These are the links to articles-thoughts-interviews on Arab Spring in Libya
Did militarism overshadow other aspects of the movement?
Will the women pay a heavier price of this than the children?
I stayed in Libya throughout the period of the Civil War , witnessed firsthand the buildup to the revolt and the Failed February Uprising of Tripoli (see articles http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/lett-f22.shtml)
and the Successful August Uprising of Tripoli and the storming of Bab-Aziziya compound of Gaddafi.
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/02/27/evacuations-in-tripoli-touch-and-go/
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/09/02/shafshoofa-maleshi-tripoli-is-free/
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/09/18/how-i-reached-here-musings-in-a-libyan-camp/
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/10/05/unpacking-and-packing-my-library/
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/12/15/reunions-and-musings/
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/12/23/year-end-diary/
https://prashantbhatt.com/2012/01/27/reflections-on-our-republic-day/
https://prashantbhatt.com/2012/02/19/one-year-on-what-is-the-chang
Prashant Bhatt's notes 
At last after Feb 2011, the internet is free on Sept 02, 2011
Yes, Free at last, but full of future challenges
Are things cool out there or hot.
Cooling rapidly
I am glad to see all these things.Pray to God that everything goes well and everybody is happy.It is disturbing to see animals without food and water.Even they are sacrificing
The zoo was one of my favorite spots in Tripoli..Many house reading Walden there.
Yes it is disturbing to see the shape of events.
It is also very close to Aboslim area and Rixos Hotel where there was intense fighting
hello sir
sirji kya tripoli free huwa
Yes
Mind, Heart & Soul stirring
A moment for which many of the “Dissident-generation”
worked for decades
Sir,
Very nice to hear libya becomes normal
Normalcy will take time, but things are improving
Read your article with interest. Nice piece. Long live Libya !
Waiting for you
Dear dada,
This is heart rendering,yet in some way I am sure a relief to many locals there.How have you been through these turmoils and rough time? Kudos to you cause I know of many who came back.God bless.
These are the times when a society is rising after many decades of oppression
Many narratives, suppressed memories came alive.
Mainly we stayed indoors -to be honest- it is the guys who fought it out on the streets
when things were really hot, who are the real heroes.Some survived, some did not.
Over 50000 people have been killed in past six months.
You have shown an exemplary courage by staying back there.
Hats of to you Prashant.
Thanks Viru Bhai. Things are improving rapidly here
Glad to have your news! Lydia
Thanks..hope to see you soon
Great to hear from you. Mubaraka. I hope life in Tripoli is coming back to normal. Wish you good luck.
Yes,things improving-Now they have started disarming the armed men, and bakeries are getting active-Had Bread after a fortnight yesterday..
Hi! Nice to read and see some photos of free Libya! I cant imagine how is the “face” of new Tripoli now. And needs long time hard work for further improvment! Hope see you soon! Regards to all friends!
Hi! Tripoli is having a very friendly face.There are challenges ahead, but there is a lot of hope,enthusiasm and happiness in the air.
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