LIBYA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

 

On New Year’s Eve, I finally showed my kids the movie Back to the Future. And as we were watching it, I realized it was Libyans who were supposedly the ones firing on Doc Brown at the scene at the mall where he was showing the capabilities of the car/time machine to Marty. Of course, it would be Libyans. Why not? This movie was set in 1985, and I suddenly realized that up until a few years ago, Libya I knew was actually Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya. In fact, my mom was barely out of high school and my dad was a senior when he took over. Practically all of our general views on the country are that of oppression. Looking back to five years ago, I don’t think I realized what an impactful event it was when he was killed. 

The Italians renamed this land Libya in 1934, reviving the old Greek name for the area. The ancient Greeks actually used the term Libya to refer to all of Northwest Africa (minus Egypt). Before Italy usurped the land, it actually consisted of three territories. 

Libya is a country in North Africa, surrounded by Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. It also has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Sea of all the North African countries. It is directly across the Mediterranean from Italy, Greece, and Malta. Most of the major cities in Libya are located along the coast, mostly because the Libyan Desert covers the rest of the country. There are some places that haven’t seen rainfall for 5-10 years, even though one location hasn’t had a recorded rainfall since 1998. Some record high temperatures have also been recorded in the desert, but the areas along the coast tend to be milder. 

The Berbers were the first peoples to live in this area before the Greeks spread their kingdom across North Africa and into where Libya is now. They founded the city of Cyrene, a major city at the time, lending its name to the region called Cyrenaica. It was later handed over to the Romans and converted to a Christian state. As the Roman Empire fell to ruin, it was swept in as part of the Byzantine Empire before the Muslims took it as theirs. For the next several centuries, Libya was ruled by several different Caliphates from the Middle East, and of course the Ottoman Empire moved in during the early 1500s. They took control of Tripolitania (the region that includes Tripoli), and they eventually took over Cyrenaica as well. War broke out between the United States and Tripolitania in a series of wars known as the First and Second Barbary Wars. (This is referenced in the “Marine’s Hymn” of the US Marine Corps: “From the Halls of Montezuma/To the shores of Tripoli…”) This was the first land battle the US fought on foreign soil. As the Italians and the Turkish fought in 1911, the Italians took these Libyan regions and turned them into their own colonies. In 1934, they finally decided both regions (Italian Tripolitania and Italian Cyrenaica) along with a region south of Tripolitania called Fezzan were to be renamed as Libya, based on the original Greek term. The Italians didn’t treat the Bedouins well at all, to say the least: some estimates say that nearly half of the Bedouin population were killed, many through disease and starving in camps. Libya finally declared its independence in 1951 and was headed by King Idris I. However, in 1969, Muammar Gaddafi led a band of militants in a coup and took over the office. His position was more or less a non-official, symbolic position. He published his famous book, The Greek Book, in 1975, essentially outlining his political philosophy and guidelines. Libya was involved in several conflicts during the 1970s, but they also discovered oil during that time as well. This created a stronger economy, which led to a higher quality of life for many Libyans. A full-scale revolt in 2011 would leave the country combing through the wreckage of its civil war. Violence spread to several cities and lasted for many months until the final days when rebels captured and killed Muammar Gaddafi. A year later, Islamist militants launched an attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi (the Republican’s favorite word), killing four including the US Ambassador to Libya. They continue to struggle with the presence of ISIL taking up arms in Libya. Today, the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council are working together to create some stability for the country. 

Tripoli is the largest city in Libya, and it serves as its capital. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, the Port of Tripoli is one of the country’s major ports. The city was actually founded by the Phoenicians, who sometimes called it Tripoli of the West so as not to confuse it with the Tripoli of their homeland, Lebanon. Tripoli acts as center for banking and finance as well as its media and communications hub. Many businesses and corporations are located here, and the city is also home to many colleges and universities. With a modern infrastructure, people in Tripoli enjoy sports, the arts, shopping, restaurants, and a variety of other sights. Throughout the city, people can see evidence of the Ottoman influence as well as Italian architectural styles; modern buildings standing next to ancient ones.

The vast majority of Libya’s economy depends on its oil reserves and its exports. Libya’s economy is ranked as one of the highest in Africa. Although they have a stronger economy, they also deal with weak political stability and unemployment. Libya has experienced a surge in immigrant workers in the past decade, even though the numbers have decreased during the war. Even before the Civil War, infrastructure was lacking due to negligence, but it is now slowly being rebuilt.  

Islam is the dominant religion in Libya with the majority belonging to Sunni Islam. There are smaller numbers of other Muslim denominations that are found there as well. After the fall of Gaddafi’s regime, the super conservative sects of Islam infiltrated the holes left in the instable government. There are also small numbers of Christian denominations found in Libya, the largest being the Coptic Orthodox Church. Libya was also home to large numbers of Jews, until the Italians came over. Many of the Jews died in concentration camps the Italians set up. By the time Libya gained its independence, most had emigrated by that point. 

Arabic is listed as the official language; Libyan Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic are the two of the most spoken varieties in Libya. There are many Berber languages still spoken in Libya as well: Suknah, Ghadamis, Nafusi, Awjilah, and Tamasheq. English and Italian are understood and used in the larger cities, especially in commerce. 

And as I was doing my research on Libya, I read through some information more than once that made me stop and think: yes, life under Gaddafi may not have been the best on many grounds, but socio-economically, there was a lot of good decisions made regarding the money made from oil. Citizens could get loans at zero interest. The country practically has no foreign debt. Students got an allowance from the government to study anywhere in the world. They were also paid for the profession they were going into as they were studying it. Married couples get a free apartment or house when they start out, and cars are sold at the factory cost. The list goes on. I read about similar measures Kuwait took with its oil money being put back to its people. So, I think there’s a lot of learn here. At least a lot to learn that’s not quite mentioned in the mainstream media.

Up next: art and lit

GABON: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

I know close to nothing about this country. This is, of course, with the minor exception of where it’s located.  And I admit that with utter embarrassment. But that’s because unless something earth-shatteringly huge happens, the US mainstream media doesn’t talk about it. But in my research – which is still giving me slight troubles when it comes to finding a bread recipe – I’ve found a lot of really cool things about Gabon.

The name Gabon comes from the Portuguese word gabão, which means “cloak.” It was named because of the shape of an estuary of the Komo River near Libreville.

This West African country is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The island country of São Tomé e Principe lies about 188 miles to the east. It’s also one of the few countries that the equator passes through.

Gabon is 85% covered by rainforests. It also has coastal plains, mountains, and savannas, allowing for a considerable variety of flora and fauna. Gabon also has many karst regions (a karst is a type of landscape where there is a lot of limestone, dolomite, and/or gypsum that slowly has deteriorated over time, leaving it exposed). These karst regions created cave systems, many of which haven’t been explored yet. Gabon’s climate is partly the reason it is also home to 777 species of birds and 80% of Africa’s gorilla population.

The French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (the namesake of the city of Brazzaville) was the first European to explore what is now known as Gabon. Before this, the earliest people here were the Pygmies, followed by the Bantu as they moved through this area.  De Brazza founded the town Franceville, and later ran the place as its governor when France officially occupied the area around 1885. It wasn’t until 1910 when it became one of the five territories of what was called French Equatorial Africa (along with Chad, what is now Central African Republic, what is now the Republic of the Congo, and what is now part of Cameroon). All of these areas gained their independence in 1960, electing their first president the following year: Léon M’ba. He essentially shut down the media and made demonstrations and freedom of expression illegal. He died six years later, and his vice president Omar Bongo Ondimba succeeding him. He changed the political scene in Gabon, initiating critical changes in Gabon that led them to an array of reforms. He eventually was elected for six straight terms until his death in 2009 from a cardiac arrest. His son Ali Bongo Ondimba took his place a few months later.

The capital and largest city in Gabon, Libreville, lies on the northwestern coast of the country. The name, which is French for “Freetown,” was in reference to a Brazilian slave ship that was captured by the French Navy in 1849, and the slaves were subsequently freed. With a population of a little less than 800,000 people (about the size of Charlotte, North Carolina, US), it is home to the Omar Bongo University, many parks, museums, shopping, and entertainment. Libreville wasn’t declared the capital of Gabon until 1993.

Almost 70% of Gabon’s economy is based on oil. This makes Gabon one of the countries with the highest GDP in Africa. However, there is such income inequality, that much of this oil money hardly trickles down to the actual people; about a third of the people live in poverty. The top 20% of the people own 90% of the wealth. Before the discovery of oil, Gabon was known for is logging industry, as well as their manganese mining (mostly for uses in stainless steel and other alloy applications – the US nickel coin contains manganese). Libreville is home to many shipbuilding industries, as well as the exportation of raw materials (mostly wood, rubber, and cocoa).

The majority of Gabonese people claim to be Christian, both Roman Catholic and Protestant. Other religions include Islam, animism, atheism, and Bwiti (a spiritual practice by the Babongo, Mitsogo, and Fang peoples; it uses elements of animism and ancestor worship, and worshipers often chew on a type of tree bark that give them “visions” as part of ceremonies and rites). Like other African countries, many people will practice their indigenous believes alongside either Christianity or Islam.

"You cross the equator" -- check out this girl's blog. It's pretty cool: http://bindertales.travellerspoint.com/

Gabon has nearly forty different ethnic groups, and there are as many different Bantu languages spoken. The most widely spoken of these languages include Fang, Mbere, and Sira (or Eshira). Gabon uses the colonial language French as the official language and lingua franca. French is used in government and official documents and as the language of instruction in schools. English is one of the most popular foreign languages studied in schools.

One interesting thing I read about Gabon is that women are encouraged to have children before marriage. Once a woman is married and has kids, those kids then belong to the man. So, if they were to separate, she will lose those children that were born after they were married, but she will get to keep the children born prior to marriage. It’s an interesting take on the marriage and kids debate. I’m not quite sure what to think about it yet. I’m finding this to be an interesting country. Like those uncharted caves, I’m hoping to delve into Gabon and discover something new.

Up next: holidays and celebrations

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

You’ve probably overlooked it on a map.  It’s the smallest country in Africa, tucked in between the countries of Gabon and Cameroon.  However, the capital is not on the mainland. It’s on an island—Bioko Island—which is closer to the Cameroon port city of Douala.  It seemed strange that the capital was so far removed from the rest of the country, but then I suppose it might be a strategic location.  It’s certainly a lot harder to take over your capital if you have to take a boat to get there.  Of course if you go straight east from the mainland, you do come across an island, but it doesn’t belong to Equatorial Guinea: it’s the island of Principe, as in the country of São Tomé and Principe. 

The mainland area is called Río Muni, named after the Muni River.  It has several national parks and “ecoregions” spread across the mainland area and its several islands. These areas contain lowland forests and highlands.  There’s a definite rainy and dry season, although the amounts vary depending on whether you live inland or on one of the islands.  One island, Annobón, sees rain or mist every single day.  I guess it’s the Seattle of Equatorial Guinea. 

The land was originally inhabited by pygmies, and after the Great Bantu Migration, the Fang became the largest group to move into the area. The Bubi people (yes, I momentarily turned fourteen, too) were thought to be native to the island of Bioko.  The Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover Bioko Island and originally called it Fernando Pó, after its discoverer.  Portugal gave the rights over to Spain who controlled the area from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  During the first part of the 1800s, the British set up a base on Bioko Island for the slave trade, but then moved it to Sierra Leone after 16 years, and it was left in control of the Creole elite.  Various people from Cuba, Philippines, Spain, other Portuguese islands started settling onto the island.   In 1926, both Bioko Island and Río Muni were united as Spanish Guinea.  Cacao and coffee plantations were the largest economic drivers, as well as a logging industry, and the workforce was made up of immigrant workers from nearby countries.  In 1959, these areas became a province, rather than a colony.  They finally became the independent country of Equatorial Guinea in 1968.  The first president, Francisco Macías Nguema declared himself president for life and created a one-party government. During the mid-1970s, the administration was accused of mass killings. It’s estimated that of the 300,000 people in the country at that time, about 80,000 of them were killed.  Nguema’s nephew Teodoro Obiang took over as president in a bloody coup in 1979 and is still the current president.  There are plans to create a planned city in the middle of Río Muni in order to move the capital there and will be called Oyala. 

The current capital of Malabo lies on the northern end of the island of Bioko.  It’s actually only the second-largest city in Equatorial Guinea; the city of Bata on the mainland is larger.  In 1996, large oil reserves were discovered which has significantly changed its economy, making Equatorial Guinea the third-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The city of Malabo has seen an increase in population, but it seems that very little of the money generated from the oil industry is felt by the majority of the population.  About half of the people still don’t even have access to clean water. 

The vast majority of the people identify themselves as Christian.  And of those people, the majority is Roman Catholic with a small percentage as Protestant.  About five percent of the people follow other major religions such as Islam or Bahá’í as well as indigenous religious beliefs. 

Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa that lists Spanish as an official language (more specifically, Equatoguinean Spanish).  Spanish is used in anything official, either from the government/administration or education. French is also considered an official language, probably based on their location among and commerce with many French-speaking countries.  Because of the country’s history and ties to other Portuguese-speaking countries, the Portuguese language was added as a third official language several years ago.  Most of the indigenous languages are in the Bantu family as well as some Portuguese creoles are spoken.  English and German are common foreign languages that are studied in school. 

What’s odd about this country is its name.  Despite having the word “equatorial” in its name, the equator does not go through the country.  The entire country is north of the equator except for the island of Annobón, which lies south of the island of São Tomé.  Equatorial Guinea, a somewhat obscure country, has also been the setting of several novels. I haven’t read any of them, but I might try to find some. (I know, like I need more books. It’s kind of daunting how many I’ve amassed.)  I’m kind of excited to explore this country that I had very little pre-knowledge prior to this, except that they speak Spanish.  So, here goes nothing.

Up next:  holidays and celebrations