The genesis of a revolutionary media (Libya)

[tabatha]

Suleiman al Kabaili sits in an office that has clearly been rearranged to convert it into a makeshift studio. The wall behind the desk has a naked nail that used to hold a framed photo of the Libyan dictator. Suleiman, a radio studio director, dates the genesis of the current crop of media to an event exactly one year before the launch of the 17th of February revolution.

“We were producing a radio programme called “good evening Benghazi” on the local Benghazi state-owned radio station. The programme was dealing with local issues with a critical approach and had discussed the call for investigation of the Abu Slim massacre in which 1,200 are reported to have been killed. The following day we were called by the security and detained.”

The story of the detention by the Libyan regime of journalists working for state run radio, made its way to al Jazeera and Amnesty International. Two days later the four journalists were released but their evening programme was cancelled and every jingle that had the voices of any of the journalists was deleted from the entire radio line up.

For almost a year they sat at home without work.

http://www.dc4mf.org/en/content/genesis-revolutionary-media