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Sipping Tripoli in Puglia

By in English, Tripoli Tags: , , ,

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We reached the town just after three in the afternoon, and as all the towns and villages in this southern region of Italy it was eerily quite and its streets deserted, people here take their afternoon siestas seriously, most shops and public places were closed. We parked the car not far from a small square close to a park where we saw a group of elderly men and women sitting on the benches chatting. The historical centre was a fortified part of the town that had bastions and high walls and where you can enter the town centre through particular gates […]

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Ashur Etwebi: A House In The Wind (Poem)

By in Ashur Etwebi, English, poetry, translation Tags: , ,

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A fragile afternoon A vast sea Empty trees A butterfly and a grave I am here The villagers are here Tales in strange languages are here Broken tongues are here I wish I knew that I lied down on a pillow of absence I wish I knew that the cricket frightened the little larva I wish I knew that the words are adrift and the coffee is light I wish I knew that the eyes are veiled and the bell is cursed The poor boats raised the faces of the refugees as its sails Only the fearful are capable of […]

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Libya: a postponed hope

By in English, Gaddafi, Libya, Revolution Tags: , ,

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After three years of the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya is facing new challenges in its struggle to build a nation with state institutions based on the rule of law and the principles of democracy. Since the fall of the dictatorship, Libya has been through many troubling and chaotic times, but the current crisis that began since the June 2014 elections seems to be the most challenging, which could lead to more crises in the country’s transition process. The current Libyan crisis was the result of many factors, notwithstanding the legacy of despotism that the new state institutions inherited […]

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Short Story: Techno

By in English, literature, short story Tags: , ,

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It was the first day of summer, the sun was high in the sky when he decided to walk to the near by bakery to get some bread and pastries. The street was empty, quietness dominated the the neighbourhood where he lived since his birth four decades ago. A stray cat was rummaging through the bin bags, thrown at the corner of the alley, it was devouring a piece of bone when it looked up at him then returned back to its meal. He can still remember when there was no pavement or tarmac in this part of the city, […]

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Chewing Gum: Absurdity in its Beautiful Form

By in books, English, Libya, literature, novel, review, translation Tags: , , , ,

Chewing Gum: Absurdity in its Beautiful Form

Chewing Gum By: Mansour Bushnaf Translated: Mona Zaki Publisher: DARF Publishers 2014 Pages: 125 This is a book that I first read in Arabic, when it was published by a small independent publisher in Cairo in 2007, the novel which wasn’t allowed to be distributed by Libyan authorities inside the country, was handed over from one reader to another and became famous for its satirical criticism of the Qaddafi regime. Now in its new resurrected form in English, “Chewing Gum” has proven to be one of the best novels in modern times to describe in a satirical, cynical style the […]

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Coeur d'or

By in English, poetry Tags: ,

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  For L. …once more A small window on the roof. Darkness penetrates. A lingering presence spreads some shadow and crimson light on her blossoming face. The heart moans with every beat, It overcomes her sighs and punctures a wound… A fissuring wound in the chest. Her hand caresses my ribs, counting their wishes, And listens in the silence to the echo of the beat. I whisper a word… Two words in a tongue I borrowed from childhood but still sounds alien in my old dream. “Golden heart” jumps, Survives another death in her lips. The light fades in the […]

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Ahmed Yousef Aqila: Whisper (Short Story)

By in Aqila, English, short story, translation Tags: , , ,

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By: Ahmed Yousef Aqila 1 In the classroom, he glances the teacher and his stick. He whispers without looking at me “give me a ruler, my ruler is broken” 2 In the army, he glances the officer that is parading us in the courtyard. He whispers without looking at me “my shoes are not shiny as they ought to be. Will he notice that?” 3 Before reaching the revolutionaries’ checkpoint, he whispers in my ear “will the new revolutionaries stay for forty years under the pretext of revolutionary legitimacy like the General did? Or will the Islamists grab power under the […]

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A Question

By in Bukleb, English, prose, translation Tags: , , ,

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By: Giuma Bukleb Roads tearing earth's body East and West North and South. Long, short, twisted, plane, extremely steep, Ascending, wide, foggy, tarmacked, sandy, muddy, Flat, bending. Roads that fool you and others you fool. Roads you love And roads you hate. Roads you dream of and others nightmarish. Beautiful roads lined with greenery and trees, and others Regenerate tedium and boredom. Dangerous roads and others Relaxing. Roads that know no meaning to comfort and others don't Know the meaning of congestion. Roads… Roads… Why Do all roads Lead Only Into exile?!

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a cup brimful with sour days..

By in English, poetry Tags: ,

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In the middle of a long path I regurgitate some leftovers from the night before Pretend I am handsome in my self-deprecation And nurse a cup brimful with sour days He has the habit to smack his head protestingly Recites his epic lamentation, “They are” “We are” “Those people” “Our problem is…” “They, Them” “We, I” “They should” And if only. On the last turn, I get a glimpse of home, Staring back with indifference, Smiling disapprovingly of the way I combed my hair  They never fail you, those moments Telling you how they: “Told you so!” “What to expect!” […]

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