After years of war, Benghazi hosts a "cultural week"

The Libyan city of Benghazi (east) is hosting until Saturday a rare "

" dedicated to theater, music, cinema or painting, a sign of normalization in a country which is trying to turn the page of a decade of chaos.

Read also: In Libya, Benghazi at the time of reconstruction

It is in the premises of the Barah Foundation, an artistic and cultural space located in the heart of Benghazi, Libya's second city and cradle of the revolt that led to the fall of Muammar Gadhafi's regime in 2011, that this week of cultural activities started with an exhibition by Tripolitan artist Elham el-Ferjani.

"

", confides the artist who is inspired by rock paintings of the Libyan desert, from the Amazigh (Berber) culture and from a topicality dominated these last years by violence and deadly fighting.

"

Bringing the artistic world back to life

"

The reunion between artists from all over Libya is a "

", she assures, as the country tries to extricate itself from a decade of instability marked by the existence in recent years of rival powers established in the east and west of the country. “

” are also planned as well as introductory workshops on different plastic arts techniques such as glass painting, photography and sculpture, explains Hazem el-Ferjani, one of the organizers. . The program also includes debates on Libyan cinema, a Malouf concert, an Arab-Andalusian musical genre, or a play performed by a local troupe.

The objective is "

", a city long associated with wars and violence of which it still bears the scars, underlines Hazem el-Ferjani.

Libya plunged into chaos with the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime after an unchallenged rule that lasted 42 years.

For nearly a year now, the Libyans have once again found their way back to dialogue thanks to a UN-sponsored political process that saw the installation, in March, of a transitional government tasked with reuniting the country and prepare for a crucial double legislative and presidential ballot in December.

Read also: Libya: Tripoli and Benghazi reweave the thread of the negotiations