London, the British capital, recently hosted a cultural event: an art exhibition celebrating the beauty and richness of Libyan identity through the works of three innovative Libyan artists. Titled “The Spirit of Identity,” the exhibition showcased over 30 unique artworks, each embodying the rich cultural and artistic heritage presented by Murad Belhaj, Iskandar Al-Soukni, and Nasser Al-Barouni.
These pieces offer a captivating visual narrative, skillfully blending traditions, popular artefacts, the elegance of Arabic calligraphy, and contemporary abstract expression.
The exhibition featured a literary event: the launch of “Safar Al-Ghaba” (Forest Journey), the latest publication by the esteemed Libyan writer Azza Kamel Al-Maghour. The evening was moderated by the poet and litterateur Jamal Nassari, with the journalist Nourjan Sargaya serving as presenter..
Published by Al-Farajani Publishing House under the title “Safar Al-Ghaba: My Diaries in the Snowy Canadian Forests,” the book documents Al-Maghour’s personal experience during her stay in Ottawa, Canada, between 2019 and 2021. Through 48 meditative texts, accompanied by her photographs taken during her wanderings in the Canadian forests, Al-Maghour transports the reader into a world of nature and diaspora, exploring feelings of alienation, steadfastness, and nostalgia through a style known as “therapeutic writing.”
In the book’s opening, Al-Maghour writes poetically: “Hours of walking alone in the vast, dense spaces, as I felt my way through its thickets, I was in truth feeling the depths of my soul, reproaching it, soothing it, sometimes chastising it, taking its hand, and dreaming with it.”
Azza Al-Maghour is regarded as one of the most prominent literary voices in contemporary Arabic literature. A graduate of the Faculty of Law at Benghazi University, she also holds a certificate in international law from Sorbonne University in Paris. Her literary repertoire includes five previous short story collections, notably: “Fashloum,” “30 Stories from My City,” “Woman on the Edge of the World,” “Comecon Countries,” and “Bahloula.”