Article: Libya Celebrates Liberation: Oct 23, Day 1 Of A New Era

After eight months of incredible drama in Libya, the institutions of the past lay in ruins, and the rebuilding has officially begun. Gaddafi's own death reads like a scene from a Greek tragedy, where hubris against the Gods usually reaches a blood-drenched and shocking denouement. The death of King Pentheus of Thebes from Euripedes' The Bacchae comes to mind in the scene where Pentheus, who has defied Dionysus, is torn to pieces by the God-intoxicated Bacchae, led by his own mother, Agave:

Hither, for doom and deed!
Hither with lifted sword,
Justice, Wrath of the Lord,
Come in our visible need!
Smite till the throat shall bleed,
Smite till the heart shall bleed,
Him the tyrannous, lawless, Godless,
Echion's earth-born seed! (source)

And the famous quote of Thomas Jefferson that "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants; It is its natural manure," certainly has found expression in Libya, although this tree only took root in the first protests of February 17th of this year after decades of barren landscape. It has indeed been well-watered since February. How well it grows is now up to the Libyan people.

Here are some words and images of Day One of a new era.

From MSNBC:

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From Al Arabiya:

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By Al Arabiya And Agencies

TRIPOLI

Libya's interim National Transitional Council (NTC) declared in a ceremony held in the eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday that the country has been "liberated,' three days after the death of former strongman Muammar Qaddafi.

NTC vice chairman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga announced Libya "liberated," at a huge rally in the eastern city of Benghazi, where the uprising against Qaddafi was launched eight months ago.

"Declaration of Liberation. Raise your head high. You are a free Libyan," he said.

Tens of thousands of voices echoed him chanting, "You are a free Libyan."

Earlier, an official who began the ceremony in Benghazi said, "We declare to the whole world that we have liberated our beloved cities, villages, hill-tops, mountains, deserts and skies."

The ceremony, held by the NTC before thousands of people in Benghazi's Kish Square, began with the singing of the national anthem and the waving of flags, both of which date back to the monarchy which Qaddafi overthrew in a bloodless coup in 1969.

Libya's interim leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil paid tribute to the fighters, women, businessmen and tribal chiefs who stood by the revolution. (FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE)

From AFP:

From Channel 4: