Benghazi (Libya) (AFP)
The Libyan city of Benghazi (east) is hosting until Saturday a rare "cultural week" dedicated to theater, music, cinema or painting, a sign of normalization in a country which is trying to turn the page of a decade of chaos.
It is in the premises of the Barah Foundation, an artistic and cultural space located in the heart of Benghazi - the second largest city in Libya and the cradle of the revolt that led to the fall of the Muammar Gaddafi regime in 2011 - that this week of he cultural activities started with an exhibition by Tripolitan artist Elham el-Ferjani.
"It is an honor to exhibit (my works, editor's note) for the first time in Benghazi", confides the artist who is inspired by rock paintings of the Libyan desert, Amazigh (Berber) culture and a news dominated in recent years by violence and deadly fighting.
The reunion between artists from all over Libya is a "source of joy", she assures, as the country tries to extricate itself from a decade of instability marked by the existence in recent years of rival powers established in the east and west of the country.
"Several round tables and conferences" are also planned as well as introductory workshops on different plastic arts techniques such as glass painting, photography and sculpture, explains Hazem el-Ferjani, one of the organizers. .
The program also includes debates on Libyan cinema, a concert by Malouf - an Arab-Andalusian musical genre - or a play performed by a local troupe.
The objective is "to revive the artistic and cultural milieu in Benghazi", a city long associated with wars and violence of which it still bears the scars, underlines Hazem el-Ferjani.
Libya plunged into chaos with the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime after an unchallenged rule that lasted 42 years.
For nearly a year now, the Libyans have once again found the path to dialogue thanks to a UN-sponsored political process that saw the installation, in March, of a transitional government tasked with reuniting the country and prepare for a crucial double legislative and presidential ballot in December.
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