Earth Science News
SHAKE AND BLOW
Libya's Derna hosts theatre festival year after flash flood
Reuters Events SMR and Advanced Reactor 2025
Libya's Derna hosts theatre festival year after flash flood
by AFP Staff Writers
Derna, Libya (AFP) Nov 21, 2024

A year after a flash flood ripped through Derna and killed thousands of people, the coastal Libyan city is hosting a theatre festival with a message of hope.

The city in the war-torn country's east is still reeling from the flooding that destroyed historic buildings, including Libya's oldest theatre where the festival was held in previous years.

Nizar al-Aned, artistic director of the Derna Festival, said organisers had "insisted that the festival take place, even if the theatre is still under construction" to rebuild it.

Now, back after a pause due to the September 2023 floods, the festival's sixth edition is being held this week under the slogan: "Derna is back, Derna is hope".

With five theatre troupes from Libya, and one each from neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia, the event has drawn artists, comedians and visitors from across the Arab world.

Tunisian comedian Abir Smiti said it was her first time at the event.

"To me, Derna is a discovery," she told AFP.

"When you just arrive, you can feel the pain, but at the same time there's joy. You can feel how everyone has hope."

Once home to about 120,000 inhabitants, the wall of water that swept through Derna last year killed nearly 4,000 people, left thousands missing and displaced more than 40,000 others, according to the United Nations.

It was the result of extreme rainfall from hurricane-strength Storm Daniel, which had caused two dams to burst inland from the city that lies some 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) east of the capital Tripoli.

Libya is still grappling with the aftermath of the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The chaos that ensued saw the rise of jihadist movements, with Derna coming under the control of Al-Qaeda and later the Islamic State group before they were chased out by 2018.

The North African country remains split between two rival administrations.

The divisions have complicated the emergency response and reconstruction efforts.

Derna is under the eastern administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose son Belgacem Haftar has been the figurehead for reconstruction in the city.

At the theatre festival, jury member Hanane Chouehidi told AFP that "despite the drama, the deaths and the destruction", she was confident Derna could be rebuilt.

"Derna deserves to be beautiful, just as its residents deserve to be happy," she said.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SHAKE AND BLOW
Burst dike leaves Filipino farmers under water
Aliaga, Philippines (AFP) Nov 19, 2024
Filipino farmer Ferdinand Pascua faces financial ruin after heavy rain brought by Typhoon Man-yi sent torrents of water down a river near his shanty, bursting through an earthen dike and inundating land he has tilled for a decade. Man-yi was a super typhoon when it slammed into the Philippines over the weekend - the sixth major storm to hit the archipelago nation in the past month. Pascua's farm in Aliaga municipality, three hours drive north of Manila, was not in Man-yi's path, but the nearby ... read more

SHAKE AND BLOW
Senegal navy intercepts almost 1,000 illegal migrants in one month

Nationalist raves galvanise traumatised Ukrainian youth

Under-fire Spain minister defends agencies' role in floods

Analysis of Fukushima debris sample could take a year: operator

SHAKE AND BLOW
Oldest alphabetic writing found in ancient Syrian tomb

Enormous potential for rare Earth elements found in US coal ash

Scientists show how a laser beam can cast a shadow

MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical

SHAKE AND BLOW
Parts of Great Barrier Reef suffer highest coral mortality on record

How the Mediterranean lost 70% of its water during a prehistoric crisis

Taps run dry in sprawling suburb of Mauritania's capital

ICTA-UAB expedition reveals the impact of Atlantic waters on Arctic ecosystems

SHAKE AND BLOW
Political implications of Antarctic geoengineering debated

Tajikistan lost 1,000 glaciers in 3 decades: minister

U.S., Finland and Canada agree to icebreaker collaboration pact

First Antarctic amber discovery opens new window to ancient climate

SHAKE AND BLOW
Denmark's major parties agree carbon tax on livestock

American soil losing more nutrients for crops due to heavier rainstorms

Defiant Lebanese harvest olives in the shadow of war

Planet expands partnership with Abelio for enhanced digital farming solutions

SHAKE AND BLOW
Philippines typhoon death toll rises to 12

2024's record ocean heat revved up Atlantic hurricane wind speeds: study

Icelandic village evacuated after new volcanic eruption

Burst dike leaves Filipino farmers under water

SHAKE AND BLOW
How will Senegal's new leaders use their legislative landslide?

UK doubles aid to war-torn Sudan

World not listening to us, laments Kenyan climate scientist at COP29

Madagascar riverbank landslide hits boat, killing 16

SHAKE AND BLOW
Friendly social behaviors influence chimpanzee interactions

Sitting for extended periods linked to higher cardiovascular risk even in physically active individuals

Iraq holds its first census in nearly 40 years

Dementia risk method uses machine learning for scalable and affordable care

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.