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WHYS in Libya

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Ben Allen | 18:42 UK time, Friday, 4 November 2011

Amongst the chaos of the newly reopened Mitiga airport there were tears and joy. The combination of the Eid holidays and the resumption of international flights have brought many Libyans home for the first time since the fighting.

As I wait for my bags in the arrivals hall a Libyan man wearing a Canadian baseball cap launches himself into the arms of his family. They can't contain their emotions; the men quickly dry their eyes before the crowds notice.

The last time I came to Libya I had to travel two days across the desert to reach Tripoli, the slow queues in the airport were a dream compared to the cramped condition of a small car crammed with our equipment.

Over the next week WHYS will be in Libya to broadcast five live shows on a range of issues from five locations. Tune in at 1100gmt to catch them.

Graffiti on a wall in Libya

Graffiti on a wall in Libya

I've only been here a day but it's clear on the surface many things have changed; most of the armed check points have gone, new shops have opened and the standard of revolution graffiti has become an art form. However, from speaking to the people many of the deeper problems remain.

There's real concern about the number of guns on the streets and people are struggling for money. In August citizens laughed off these worries but now, months on, it's a huge challenge for the new interim government.

During the week we'll try to reflect on what happened during the revolution, talk to Gaddafi supporters about their situation and hear about the concerns of people living here.

If you want to get involved post a question below or on our Facebook page.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    End of a dictatorship in west Africa some leaders kills so many people:

  • Comment number 2.

    Nice show from Tripoli. It really forced me to think deeply about how sexuality in particular is viewed across the world, and to perhaps accept the possible fact that maybe, no matter how hard various progressive-minded people globally might want homosexuality to be accepted everywhere (and I am sure most of the gay-rights movement for example does indeed have such a thing as an ultimate goal; as a civil rights movement, why wouldn't it?), it probably never will be. It made me consider (and by the way, I am not myself homosexual to any degree) that perhaps it is sometimes better to live in areas of the world where a particular lifestyle might be allowed to exist, and to avoid the parts of the world where those lifestyles are shunned or put to death. At the same time though, that kind of fatalistic thinking really depresses me, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I love international travel and the fantasies that I _could_, if I absolutely wanted to, have the potential to go to any location on the face of this earth, and experience that location's environment and people and surroundings fully, without fear or malice. When saying that, I am thinking of the extreme examples of places one is 'not supposed to' go for immediate safety reasons, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, or Afghanistan.

    I suppose I should be thankful that there are no longer any (known) areas of the world where at the first sight of someone with cerebral palsy, that CP person is put to death. That would really be awful. On the other hand, I do know that being white and male somewhat limits my travel options, or might do so, in places where white males are on the whole severely distrusted by the rest of the population. Over the course of my life I will probably choose, journalistically/investigatively, to take the risks to go to those places anyway, and I hope not to get in trouble with local populaces when I do so.

  • Comment number 3.

    Whys the above comments We have understand, that the Press, our MP’s, local councillors and those who run our town halls and local authorities in general, - are all headed by those who have been strategically placed there by the promoters of the Common Purpose crusade, - they are virtually all members of one secret society or another. Many are Freemason’s, and therefore their allegiance lies with the fraternity beyond all else. We also know the majority of Freemasons are not corrupt and involved in dodgy deals in contrary to common belief, - but their silence on the matter is actually working in direct detriment to the society as a whole, - because there are indeed many groups of Freemasons whom have formed breakaway Masonic based fraternities whom have infiltrated our worldwide governments, and why the world is presently in so much turmoil. It is our duty to observe what is happening around us, as look how quickly Nazism took a hold on the German population, thus amalgamating into the Second World War. We need the good guys of Freemasonry to step forward and shop these corrupt gangsters who are presently masquerading on the political stage, because it’s the millions of lower level Freemason’s - whom are supporting the pillars of their superiors, - and why we need these kind of men and women to help push over these pillars over and bring a stop to all the corruption that is presently affecting millions of people all around the globe. - As believe me, it’s all just another classic Greek tragedy, it’s pure theatre, they done it during the 1900’s hence the first world war, then during the 1930’s, resulting to WWII, - and now we, along with Europe are being thrown back to these same kind of conditions, - as another build-up of a reoccurring scenario is presently being played out on the political game tables, - hence WWIII could quite possibly be looming, or at least they like to make it like that way. - Act 1; ...you pretend to be making drastic political changes, that then allows you to slip-in through the back door without single voter being consulted or cared for, - your secret gang of oath taking initiated Freemasons whom have all taking a series of blood-oaths and promises not to reveal the secrets of Freemasonry that he [or she – Eastern Star, and oath is different] will then learn: – “Upon having his throat cut from ear to ear” if he dare did reveal their secrets, - so it is with these high level Freemasons who then go about forcing coalitions of crooks working together in the guise of being able ‘to come together’ – in a ‘we are all in this together’ rhetorical bs, - and that’s all they’ve done it with all the other world coalition governments that are all of a sudden cropping up all over the globe, recently Greece joined the Alpha, Delta, Kappa like club, now Italy, the home of P2, - so let’s see whose next on the hit list!

  • Comment number 4.

    A question: It would be interesting to hear the representative of Kuweit Embassy assessing the situation from the inside in addition to what we know from the outside. Thank you. Marija Liudvika R.

  • Comment number 5.

    It is now 03 Dec 2011 and there are 4 [four] comments awaiting moderation. The first from 05 Nov 2011 and the Last 18 Nov 2011.
    Why so long?

  • Comment number 6.

    This comment is awaiting moderation. Explain.

 

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