Kadhafi's 'Green Book': from manifesto to mockery

The Libyan leader was killed by rebel fighters in his hometown of Sirte on October 20, 2011

TRIPOLI: Five years since Moamer Kadhafi was killed in a NATO-backed uprising, the strongman's quixotic Green Book - once Libya's sacred and ever-present scripture - is now ridiculed in the conflict-hit nation.

Published in 1976, it became Libya's unofficial "constitution", announcing a "third way" between capitalism and socialism that shaped political, economic and social life in the North African state for close to four decades.

"The Green Book followed us wherever we went, at school, on television and in the street," says Ahmad, a local journalist, who only gave his first name due to the sensitive topic.



Kadhafi unveiled his much-heralded "third way" seven years after he led a group of Libyan army officers in a 1969 coup d'etat that toppled the monarchy.

His vision, mixing elements of pan-Arabism and anti-colonialism, quickly gave way to despotic rule that suppressed all dissent and fostered the discontent that led to the 2011 uprising.

This file photo taken on March 2, 2011 shows a smouldering copy of the Green Book written by Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi after it was burned by residents of the north-central Libyan town of Benghazi. PHOTO: AFP

"Just before the 2011 revolt, regime security agents gave me copies of the Green Book. They told me to hand it out to people around me," says Ahmad.

"I got rid of them recently because I was afraid it could get my relatives in trouble," adds the father of eight.

During his rule, slogans from Kadhafi's eccentric worldview permeated every aspect of Libyan daily life.

In homes, phrases from the book appeared on food labels, since everything was imported and packaged by the state, while in schools they were a key part of curricula.

Quotations from the Green Book also adorned the walls in public buildings and even the stationery in offices.

Kadhafi maxims such as "compulsory education is imposed ignorance" were scrawled on the sides of buildings and shops had to strictly adhere to the text's prescribed phrasing or face punishment.

Kadhafi was killed by rebel fighters in his hometown of Sirte on October 20, 2011, but residents of the capital have not forgotten their distain for the strongman or his once-infallible book.

Sitting behind the counter at his Tripoli book store, shop owner Abdessalam says he got rid of all the copies he once had.



"My bookshop would be burned down instantly if I offered that book for sale," he says in a hushed voice, eyes scanning the aisles for eavesdroppers.

"No one here is a supporter of the Kadhafi regime but just the fact of possessing the text... could have disastrous consequences," said Abdessalam, who also declined to give his surname.

Since Kadhafi's ousting, Libya has descended into chaos, with rival forces vying to control territory and the country's vital oil wealth, and rival administrations claiming to be the legitimate, post-uprising government.

Even if the colour has faded, graffiti mocking Kadhafi's Green Book can still been found on the walls along Tripoli's seafront, with one poking fun at the "masterpiece".

Another shows both the slain strongman and his book in a garbage bin with flies swirling around and the words: "Burn in hell with your book".



Nearby, another artist has used an Arabic wordplay to change the title of the book to the word "idiots".

Despite the painful memories the book still evokes, some people have held on to a few copies for posterity.

"I collected all the editions, they are scattered here and there and over the years my family has hidden them," says Maha, a travel agent in her 50s.