Libya’s post-colonial narrative is a complicated one that has led Libya to become a relatively prosperous African country with a better standard of living than it had before; yet, Libya remains rife with political chaos following the assassination of its 42-year dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, by rebel groups. In its history, Libya became an Italian colony in 1912, but was declared as an independent state in 1951 by the United Nations. On December 24, 1951, King Mohammed Idris al-Senussi was chosen by a national assembly to become the first and only monarch of the newly independent United Kingdom of Libya. Then, after a military coup on September 1, 1969, Gaddafi overthrew King Idris’ regime and came into power. Since then, Libya has developed into a relatively wealthy African nation and is faring better than it had been during its colonial years. However, political unrest and violence is widespread throughout Libya today. Libya's post-colonial narrative is a two-sided one: its relatively prosperous state was shaped by a combination of interconnected internal and external pressures, including the limitations of its natural environment, the reforms of its post-colonial rulers, as well as its interactions with other countries; meanwhile, its current social-political chaos developed from internal dissatisfaction with Gaddafi’s dictatorial regime and a wide range of conflicting political opinions among Libyan citizens.
The physical limitations of Libya’s environment have long been an internal obstacle in the way of Libya’s development. As stated by David Lamb in The Africans:
Some of Africa’s problems—especially those caused by forces other than man—are so enormous, so constant, that a people of lesser spirit long since would have succumb...
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...on of both internal and external pressures: Libya’s relative prosperity came about due to the Libyans’ effective solutions to coping with their harsh natural environment, the successful reforms of its rulers, and the lucrative, as well as essential, trade that Libya had with other nations. Meanwhile, Libya’s social-political chaos can be attributed to political unrest within the country, the dissatisfaction of some Libyans with Gaddafi, and the problems that arose following his death. Libya’s post-colonial narrative is significant because it is still a developing country, and events that occur in Libya may indirectly affect many in today’s interconnected world. The stability of Libyan exports, especially oil, can have a great impact on oil prices throughout the world, and thus, the continuation of Libya’s two-sided post-colonial narrative is one to pay attention to.
Mazrui, Ali A. "The Re-Invention of Africa: Edward Said, V. Y. Mudimbe, and Beyond." Research in African Literatures 36, no. 3 (Autumn 2005): 68-82.
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Although, the Civil war brought about change for Africans, along with this change it brought heart ache, despair and restriction of worship to the African...
John F. Kennedy once said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable (Good Reads, 2014).” This wise quote sums up the Libyan conflict perfectly. The people of Libya peacefully protested against the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who violently retaliated and this led to what the world now refers to as the Libyan conflict. This conflict was one of the many that were apart of the chain of uprisings that spread across the Middle East by civilians trying to gain freedom from their governments. These uprisings were known as the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring started in Tunisia when a man set himself on fire in front of a government building in protest to the actions of a policewoman toward him . Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and other nations such as Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Oman all had uprisings and protests related to the Arab Spring. The Libyan conflict started in February of 2011 as a result of the brutal rule of Gaddafi toward his people. The violence that the Gaddafi government was committing toward the Libyan people made the world turn against the government. Due to the fact that the rebels were out-gunned and unorganized, the support of the UN Security Council greatly helped them. After eight months of fighting and approximately 25,000 lives lost, Gaddafi was captured and killed and Libya was officially liberated from the absolute dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi.
An unstable economy in some Arab countries resulted in a failure to maintain order and democracy. Brownlee, Masoud and Reynolds (2013) claim that the lack of oil resources and currency wealth proved to be impediments i...
In sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of languages, cultures, and geographical regions helped influence our African society. The ways in which we produce our artwork, spiritual ideals, and ritual performances are organic and raw. From the tropical regions of Congo and Ghana, to the arid regions of Mali; I pass through the global gateway into a domain where the Western world lost its roots and artistic imagination and grandeur. Africa appeals most to me for its ability to create a realm where the living, dead, and artistic ideals come into a single unit of tranquil philosophy.
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Africa’s struggle to maintain their sovereignty amidst the encroaching Europeans is as much a psychological battle as it is an economic and political one. The spillover effects the system of racial superiority had on the African continent fractured ...
...’s depictions of both traditional and modern beliefs in varying degrees illustrate the importance of both in contemporary Nigerian culture, as well as the greater Africa as a whole, and how both are intertwined and cannot exist without the other. In effect, she skillfully subverts stereotypes or single perceptions of Africa as backward and traditional, proving instead, the multifaceted culture of Africa. She further illustrates that neither traditional African nor western culture is necessarily detrimental. It is the stark contrast of the fundamental cultures that inevitably leads to clashes and disagreements. In the end, what holds African countries such as Nigeria together is their shared pride. Modern, western influences can bring positive changes to society, but new cultures cannot completely eradicate the foundational cultures to which a society is founded on.
... People of Libya can be proud of themselves, and the European countries, including the USA, are doing everything, they can in order to help Libya rehabilitate their country. And I believe, that the people, who overcame such horrible times, will definitely be able to lead their country to prosperity. Works Cited Ehsan,Sara(2013), Libya uprising, The Pakistan Observer, retrieved from: http://pakobserver.net Kreiba, Hussain Abdulrazzaq (2012), Opinion: Realising the Real Cause of the Libyan Uprising, retrieved from: http://www.tripolipost.com Topol, Sarah (2011), This is How You Start a War: Libya's Frantic Fight for the Future,GQ Newsmakers, retrieved from: http://www.gq.com/reports/reports
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There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.
Libya is located in Northern Africa along the Mediterranean Sea which provides a northern coastal border. On the east Libya borders Egypt and Sudan and on the west Libya borders Tunisia and Algeria. To the south Libya has Chad and Niger as neighboring countries. One may ask what type of relations that Libya has with these bordering countries. Libya occupies a very interesting position. Libya has a long history of great trade relations with these other countries. Trade between these countries has depended on two types of routes which are the “western” route and the “commercial” route. The commercial route is used every season and leads to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.