Barcelona, Spain - To celebrate the International Day of Peace, we invited Fauzi Fates to speak about "Libya: Present and Future" on September 17. Fauzi Fates is of Libyan origin, a phylologist at the University of Tripoli, and a representative of The House of Libya in Catalunya (he has been living in Spain for 11 years). The event was characterized by much respect and attention from all participants; we had guests from different nationalities and different points of view on the situation of this nation. He spoke about his experiences from before the revolution to the present situation, which he saw recently during a visit to relatives in August.
{besps}/images/stories2/europe/2011/spain/3965{/besps}He said that over the past 42 years they have lived under the heavy hand of the dictatorial government of Gaddafi, and that technology - the Internet - played an important role in awakening the Libyan people. It was impossible to hide facts like changes in the history texts about Libya. From 1969, the reality has been hidden, with interpretations based on personal interest. The reality of life before the Gaddafi government had been erased, changing the memory of history. People lived with the fear of reprisals, and those who demonstrated in protest of the regime disappeared.
Now there is a change among the population. People have come together to achieve their freedom, and they feel that they can really be owners of their country. Young people have begun to compose and play rap music, something unthinkable in the past. Libya is being reborn. There is much work ahead and also much confidence and desire to build a nation that can follow the path of peace.