THE EMERGENCE OF NEW FORMS OF LIBYAN PUBLIC EXPRESSION: STREET ART IN TRIPOLI
THE EMERGENCE OF NEW FORMS OF LIBYAN PUBLIC EXPRESSION: STREET ART IN TRIPOLI

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyzes the changes in the linguistic landscape of Libya during the period between the February 2011 uprising and the death of Gaddafi in October 2011 by examining street art in Tripoli. Here, I treat the street art as painted images and words in public contexts are part of the visual linguistic landscape. There are also multilingual ones, for instance, those combining Arabic with Berber or those including English in them, so those are indeed linguistic landscapes. During the Gaddafi regime, such public expressions referred to and often praised Gaddafi; however, during the uprising, both artists and everyday Libyans took to the streets to express their pro- or anti-Gaddafi sentiments, giving rise to a new form of public debate. In this presentation, I will be analyzing the informative and symbolic functions of some images and writings that were painted in the streets as well as public and private buildings in Tripoli, the capital of Libya.

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