Blogging is one of the tools that made so many people’s voices heard and opinions understood. It has given so many individuals the chance to express themselves and publish in this wide and complex cyber web we live in an exchange with our reality. I am glad I became one of those to share ideas, motivate others, tell untold stories, and let others discover the beauty of Libya’s history.
In addition, it has introduced me to so many people; Libyans and foreigners. I have discovered the power within words and sentences; I learned how to make use of this power in the most positive way possible. Throughout this journey, I was inspired along the way and I still am. Today, I will shed light on these Libyan women who have inspired me personally in one way or another. If you don’t know them, now you do.
1- Lubna Ben Halim
She was born in Tripoli, August 1983. She has BSc Architecture, graduated 2008. She started her career as an Architect until 2011 until she discovered a new interest in interior design and photography. This new interest has improved with time as Lubna followed her hobby and passion for baking and food preparation. She bakes and cooks different kinds of food, then assemble them in order to portray them in a picture full of creativity and details. She shares the photos and recipes with family and friends on social media, i.e. Facebook.
Later on, she won the title of the first Libyan woman food photographer and stylist. Throughout her career, she gave photography and styling workshops in Tripoli. She is the founder of Mezian Co. which is specialized in media services for coffee shops and restaurants, for example, menu designing and marketing campaigns. Her company was one of the selected companies among 225 companies that participated in the Libya start-ups Expo. It also won Nader Award for entrepreneurship in business in 2017. Lubna has her own food blog and she has over 18K followers on her page on Instagram. She is inspired by many people in the same domain and she wants to spread the Libyan cuisine worldwide in order for people to discover the beauty within. https://lubnabenhalim.ly/
https://www.instagram.com/lulukitchenly/
2- Ghada Elshatiti
She is a blogger from Benghazi. Her blog is mainly in Arabic and she wrote articles about the Libyan revolution and the current scene in the country. She captures your feeling with her words and she knows how to keep on your feet through every paragraph. You can check her blog through the link below: https://ghadaelshatiti.wordpress.com/
3- Razan Al-Naas
She writes about different topics; social events, cultural, books reviews, diaries, anything that fascinates her. Her blog is mainly in Arabic. She is also into photography and has an account on Instagram where she showcases her work. She has managed to capture moments around Tripoli and Libya in a very artistic way. You can check her blog in the link below: https://razangryffindor.wordpress.com/
4- Nora M. Barghati
She is a Libyan American living in Iraq. She writes of companionship and family, war and death, sensuality and love, nature and poetry. She has many voices and she writes about life as she views and lives it. She has been writing since 2015. She writes in both Arabic and English. She writes poems as well. You can check her blog through the link below: https://norambarghati.wordpress.com/
5- Nuha Dadesh
She is a part-time student at the Pharmacy faculty of the University of Tripoli. And, she is a part-time poet and writer. She writes short stories that only exist in her imagination to escape reality. Whereas her articles are full of explicit details of her reality here in Tripoli, Libya. She writes because it’s her passion and it is what allows her to describe her emotions boldly and fiercely.
She writes to leave my own “fingerprint” in this world because she read that if she hopes to be remembered you gotta do something worth writing about or write something worth reading. She mainly writes in English because it somehow became the first language that I can describe anything in with ease ever since she migrated to the US 10 years ago! So, she has an “Americanized” type of personality that’s peripheral to her inner Muslim Libyan self. She has her own blog but she also writes for a Libyan platform for a Libyan platform called Fasela. http://nuhadadesh.blogspot.com
/https://www.facebook.com/Fasela.Writers.Ly/
6- Hiba Shalabi
Hiba Shalabi is a Libyan photographer and artist. She began her journey with photography since 2004 and she has been a blogger since 2005. She is passionate about photography, art, and heritage. She has participated in national and international exhibitions. She is the founder of the campaign to protect the Old City of Tripoli. Her campaign has received major feedback and attention from the international community and she has managed to put the old city under the spotlight to protect it from destruction since it is a city that holds great stories of culture, traditions, and beauty. She is the founder of Trabulusna team that began to discover the old city among other members and that expanded the circle around this city. She participated in an Italian documentary about the Old City directed by Giovanna Gallardo and it was premiered in Rome film festival in 2018. https://habushthoughts.blogspot.com/?m=1
7- Amina Subaihi
She is a blogger who has been writing since 2013. Her first article was on the anniversary of the Libya revolution. She writes literature, poetry, books reviews, movies, personal stories, and many other topics. She also writes in Arabic and she has the ability to keep the reader anticipated in her stories. You can check her blog through the link below: https://7ajato5alas.wordpress.com/
8- Roya Shaaban
She is a translator in the making and writer. She writes about art, cinema, books, philosophy, and any related topics. She has been writing on her blog since 2015. She writes in Arabic as well but she gives great care You can check her blog through the link below: https://royareload.blogspot.com/
9- Elham Elhshik
Elham is a medical graduate and has a master from the United States. She is mainly interested in HIV disease, especially with children. She is a writer and she began blogging in English in order to practice the language and in other cases, to let things out especially when she was studying abroad. She is also fond of photography, travel, especially, natural reserves like mountains and the beach. https://livingparadox.blogspot.com/
10- Reem Tombokti
She is a graduate researching culture and media. She is a digital artist, occasional writer, bookworm & cinephile trying to make sense of the world & verb conjugation rules. She writes in both Arabic and English. She is passionate about literature, culture, music, and art. You can check her blog on Medium: https://medium.com/@reem.t
11- Ebtihal Nasser
She is a Telecommunication student. She is an advocate for youth and women. She is also an art lover. She has been blogging since 2014. You can check her blog through this link: http://abthall.blogspot.my/
12- Tamader Morgan
Tamader Morgan is a twenty-something Libyan writer and poet who lives in Tripoli, where most of her writing muses stem from the chaos of her present reality. She has a BA in English Lit and works as a part-time ESL and Creative Writing teacher. Online, she’s the chief editor of the English department of Fasela, on which she exclusively publishes her own articles about social justice, relationships, and mental illness.
When she’s not high on poetry or pondering upon taking over the world, she enjoys journaling, painting flowers, eating pizza and reading contemporary young adult books. Her literary idols are so many but the ones who inspire her the most are Virginia Woolf, Mary Shelley, Hisham Matar, John Keats, and T.S. Eliot. You can check the following link to her blog and to one of her best pieces. https://medium.com/@tamadermorgan/how-living-in-libya-became-my-muse-53abc17f58d1\
Believe it or not, this article was supposed to be published two years ago but I got caught up in life and it needed more work but late is better than never as the saying says. I am so inspired by each woman in this list and I am sure there are so many Libyan female bloggers out there that deserve to be highlighted too. I am proud to see them all create valuable content and share stories. I hope you enjoy this article and let me know if you follow any of these amazing bloggers in the comments section.