The pen has lost its might in Libya

Derna flood survivor Abdul Salam Anwisi looking at the destroyed homes following flooding caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel, in Derna, Libya. — AP

IN the days after much of the coastal city of Derna, Libya, was washed away by devastating floods, Mahbuba Khalifa wrote a poem to honour her hometown, known by Libyans as the “City of Poets”.

I used to carry your great legacy in my conscience and on my shoulders, and I walked with arrogant pride and I had a certain pride that I did not deny.