Connect with us

Culture

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Culture

South Africa announces inaugural Creative Arts Awards

Published

on

The South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, has announced the inaugural South African Creative Arts Awards which is scheduled to hold between March and April next year.

Making the announcement on Tuesday at a news conference, Kodwa said the awards would be bestowed on South Africans and literary creatives in various sub-domains who exhibited outstanding artistic and technical outstanding achievement.

“It will be the most desired recognition in the South African creative industry,” said Kodwa.

“The awards will be exclusively for creatives from across cultural domains who push boundaries of their creative abilities and show devotion to excellence,” the minister added.

The announcement of the Creative Arts Awards is coming a few weeks after the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs withdrew support for hosting the South African Music Industry Council (SAMIC) Awards, also known as SAMAS.

Continue Reading

Culture

20th Marrakech International Film Festival kicks off in Morocco

Published

on

The 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival successfully kicked off at the weekend at the Palais des Congrès in the Ochre City, Morocco, with a plethora of distinguished figures from the world of cinema, art, culture, and media.

The weeklong festival which kicked off under the watchful eyes of King Mohammed VI, and will run till December 2, began with the customary procession of festival attendees, including Moroccan and international film greats who graced the red carpet with colourful klieglights, with American actress Jessica Chastain serving as the president of the jury.

Among the awarded are Danish actor, Mads Mikkelsen who was honored with a career achievement award for his remarkable contributions to films like “Another Round,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and “Casino Royale,” where he portrayed a memorable James Bond villain.

In an interview with journalists after receiving his award, Mikkelsen expressed gratitude to the organisers.

Marrakesh welcomed Scandinavian filmmakers ten years ago by paying tribute to them. So we have a shared history, and they have helped us to make a name for ourselves. We are very grateful to them,” he said.

Mélita Toscan du Plantier, Director of the Marrakech International Film Festival, highlighted this year’s packed programme with strong films and great directors, noting that the festival would feature a predominantly female jury, with six women and three men.

British actress, Tilda Swinton also emphasized the importance of film festivals, saying:

“Film festivals celebrate the opportunity in cinema to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and to reach a kind of agreement about the human experience. So film festivals are always valid.”

The opening film, Richard Linklater’s action-comedy, “Hit Man,” set a lively tone for the festival, while over 70 films, including Michel Franco’s “Memory” starring Jessica Chastain, and Matteo Garrone’s Italian immigration drama “Io Capitano,” are expected to be showcased at the event.

Moroccan Prince, Moulay Rachid, who is leading the foundation responsible for the festival, while delivering his welcome speech, emphasized that it served as an invitation for discovery, empathy, and sharing.

He added that despite challenges like Israel’s war with Hamas and a recent earthquake in Morocco, the organizers aimed to showcase cinema from Morocco, the Middle East, and Africa.

“The Marrakech International Film Festival stands as a bastion of peace, bringing people together for discovery, empathy, and sharing,” he said.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Metro45 mins ago

Nigeria set to begin passport automation 

Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that the automation of the country’s passport application is in its final...

Metro1 hour ago

Nigeria: Former election commission boss calls for total unbundling of electoral body, political party reforms

The immediate past Chairman of Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has called for...

Musings From Abroad2 hours ago

Uganda turns to China for $150 million loan after World Bank halts funding

East African country, Uganda will now seek to borrow $150 million from China’s Export-Import Bank (Exim), following lending restrictions by...

Video17 hours ago

Video: Aviation Minister, Keyamo faults ‘suspicious’ deals with Ethiopian Airlines over Nigeria Air project

In this video, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, lamented “suspicious deals” the Nigerian government, under former...

Politics17 hours ago

Kenya: Senior ICC prosecutor drops probe into 2007 post-election violence

A senior official of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Nazhat Shameen Khan has announced an end to all further investigations...

Tech17 hours ago

US collaborates with AfDB to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation

The United States Commercial Service has announced a strategic collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to drive a massive...

Culture17 hours ago

South Africa announces inaugural Creative Arts Awards

The South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, has announced the inaugural South African Creative Arts Awards...

Sports18 hours ago

Namibia qualifies for 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup

Namibia has qualified for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup which will hold in United States and the West Indies,...

Politics21 hours ago

Sierra Leonean govt finally labels weekend attack ‘failed coup’

The Sierra Leonean government has finally labelled attacks on several locations in the capital, Freetown, on Sunday as failed attempt...

Metro23 hours ago

South Korea sets date to re-open Zambian embassy

The South Korean government has announced its decision to re-open its embassy in Zambia after it had closed down operations....

Trending