Hisham Matar on the capture & killling of Gaddafi
Some thoughts on the capture of Gaddafi by the excllent Libyan-American-British author and poet, Hisham Matar. He knows well the impact of Gaddafi on the lives of Libyans. When Matar was young, his own father, a dissident, was kidnapped while living "safely" in exile in Egypt.
He was taken to the most notorious of Libyan prisons, Abu Salim, and, other than a couple of smuggled letters years ago, was never heard from again.
First, Matar reads a poem by Khaled Mattawa, expressing forcefully the emotions Libyans feel, especially those who have family "disappeared" or impisoned.
Listen: http://soundcloud.com/rebeccakesby1/khaled-mattawa-poem-after-42
But then, Matar's own thoughts on the capture & killing of Gaddafi (these were tweeted today, the official day of Libyan liberation):
Extraordinary sacrifices made by ordinary Libyans were for a different reality, where even criminals are treated justly & humanely.
If we are to authentically replace the Libyan dictatorship, we must not surrender to the base desire for retribution.We are not only defined by what we oppose but by what we build in this world.Our actions express our character.And it is in the details of action where one finds the character of a movement, the character of a nation.The moment of capturing Qaddafi was charged, I know, but we must be vigilant. Revenge is as hollow as a grave, and just as dark.
