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Residents of Gharyan, site of Libya’s underground homes call for tourism revival

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Residents of the historical Libyan town, Gharyan are hoping tourism can help restore their heritage and reposition the town as a tourism powerhouse in the North African country.

There are a number of unique underground houses in Libya, one of which is Gharyan’s which was hewn into the mountainside centuries ago but has been abandoned for some time.

“My great-great-great-great-great-grandfather dug this yard 355 years ago,” said Al-Arbi Belhaj, who owns one of the oldest houses in the mixed Berber-Arab town south of Tripoli. His ancestor would have used a “tajouk” pickaxe to chip away at the ground before loading the rubble into a woven date-palm “gouffa” basket to carry it away, he said.

Dug deep into the arid Nafusa mountains at around 700 meters (2,300 feet) above sea level, the home would have been protected against the scorching summers that bring temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). It would have also stayed warm throughout the often snowy winters.

The climate in Gharyan is of hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh), with blazing summers and cool winters; its winters being one of the coldest in Libya. Due to its winter months being relatively 5º degrees colder than Tripoli, the locality sees a cooler variation of said climate, though its higher elevation also means that the town gets a dozen millimeters more precipitation than Libya’s capital city.

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Actress Yvonne Nelson lambasts Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, labels his regime ‘8 years of lies’

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Ghanaian actress and filmmaker, Yvonne Nelson, has lambasted President Nana Akufo-Addo over a viral video from the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Tema General Hospital where a nurse is seen lamenting the deplorable condition of the health facility.

In the video which has brought in a lot of criticism for the government of the day, the nurse is heard saying babies are at the risk of losing their lives due to a power cut at the facility and the general insensitivity of government to the health sector.

The video which was made at the hospital, captured some mothers fanning their new born babies with cloth because of the heat in the wards after the electricity went out.

Before the latest video, there was public outrage over a blackout at the same hospital with many Ghanaian citizens taking to social media to voice out their anger and frustration at the power blackouts across the country.

Their anger was further intensified when it was reported that a newborn baby had died due to the erratic power supply situation at the facility, according to a news report by an Accra-based television station, GHOne TV.

“Erratic power cut on Tuesday evening plunged the neonatal unit of Tema General Hospital into chaos, resulting in the heartbreaking loss of a newborn,” the channel reported on Wednesday as well.

“The neonatal unit, where infants requiring intensive care are housed, relies heavily on electricity to sustain life-saving equipment such as oxygen support and emergency care devices.

“The generator intended to provide backup power for the unit is prone to shutting down when overloaded,” the report said.

While reacting to the video, Nelson took to her verified X account to express her displeasure at the Akufo-Addo government, describing it as “eight years of lies.”

The bitter actress said she was lost for words to describe the situation, and ended up calling the country’s leaders “wicked and heartless”.

“I don’t even know what to type. Our Leaders are WICKED”.

The veteran actress also used the opportunity to call out President Akufo-Addo and questioned how he sleeps at night, considering the poor infrastructure in the country.

“@NAkufoAddo how do you sleep at night? 8 years of lies. #DUMSORMUSTSTOP,” she wrote.

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Moroccans celebrate ‘special towncrier’ who works only during Ramadan

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Moroccans have continued to celebrate a “special towncrier” otherwise known as “Nafar”, who works only during the Ramadan period.

The Nafar, Naoufal Boukhriss, whose seasonal job lasts for one month and ends once Eid al-Fitr is declared, signalling the end of the holy month, is seen as a rare occupation as he “walks the paths and alleys in the early hours of the morning, starting at three am,” alerting faithful to the morning prayers and the Suhoor which is the meal to be taken before commencement of the day’s fasting.

According to Boukhriss who operates in the ancient Moroccan city of Rabat, the “Nafar plays a certain tune with a long trumpet-like instrument to wake people up for the suhoor meal before Muslims start their day of fasting during Ramadan.”

Nafar is the Moroccan way of calling someone who does this job, but the name of this profession differs from country to country. It shares the same name as the instrument in Moroccan Arabic,” he said.

“This craft, once a widespread Ramadan tradition in the past, has become rare today, as it has gradually disappeared with the emergence of technology and new urban areas.

“This (Nafar) is currently only found in the old city. As for the upscale neighborhoods, most of them do not accept the presence of the Nafar, because they say that they have a phone and an alarm clock that they use,” Boukhriss explained.

Local media reports that as a symbol of tradition, Boukhriss usually wears a special set of traditional clothes before he goes on his rounds in the old city.

“He dons a long shirt or ‘Jallaba’, a headpiece or ‘Tarbouch’, leather slippers ‘Belgha’ and white socks.

“While walking through the alleys, Boukhriss plays a special tune that notifies people of the time of suhoor, which is different from the ones they perform inside the mosque.

“Boukhriss considers this work as a reward from God. In return, residents thank him with food, sugar, or a share of money.”

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