Libya’s Unfinished Revolution: Human Rights, Culture, and Lives Beyond the Headlines

When people hear "Libya," the first images that come to mind are often NATO, Gaddafi, war, and militias. We rarely think of food, songs, or languages disappearing, yet they are where some of the most profound human rights battles are fought. Focusing solely on conflict obscures a quieter, and deeply revealing, struggle over belonging, identity, and justice. This talk invites the audience to look beyond the headlines and explore the lived experiences of the Indigenous Amazigh people, one of Libya’s oldest communities, who have endured marginalisation, cultural erasure, and political exclusion both long before and since the 2011 revolution.

Despite forming a significant portion of the population, Amazigh communities have faced the official denial of their language in public life, barriers to cultural expression, and systemic under-representation in governance. These outcomes are rooted in a legacy of old state policies and ongoing debates about what it means to be Libyan.

This talk goes beyond familiar narratives of conflict to examine how human rights are experienced in everyday life: how collective identity intersects with law and power, how social movements for recognition persist under repression, and what it means to assert one’s humanity when the state refuses to acknowledge it. Drawing on personal experience as a human rights defender and activist, the talk reflects on the Amazigh struggle, from cultural rights and language politics, to demands for political representation and constitutional inclusion, and invites audiences to consider how human rights endure, evolve, and are fought for in contemporary Libya and beyond.