A Botched Reconstruction: The Destruction of Benghazi’s Cultural Heritage

Like most big events that happen in Libya, we first heard about it through Facebook. Posts from angry citizens displayed a heartbreaking sight; Cinema Berenici, an Italian-era cinema in downtown Benghazi, was being razed by bulldozers. The cinema is – was – one of the iconic landmarks of old Benghazi, a place first constructed to serve Italian colonizers, and later the people of Benghazi. Amid the chaos and the furor of the social media conversation were two questions; why, and what next? No official statement was made by any of the competing government agencies as to why the cinema was demolished or what would be put up it’s place, leaving people to speculate.

Cinema Berenice in its heyday

Perhaps I should backtrack for a moment. When I say that the cinema was being razed, it would perhaps be more accurate to say that the remains of the cinema were being razed. Like much of the city centre, Cinema Berenici sustained significant damage since the 2014 war. Even prior to 2011, the cinema was neglected, another byproduct of a governance and social system too preoccupied with putting out proverbial fires to focus on culture and heritage. The slow reconstruction in the past few years rekindled some hope that the city’s landmarks would be included in the new plans, but the Facebook images doused that hope.

But while Benghazi’s residents were still grieving the loss of an important landmark, more photos of destruction began flooding our feed; the Sagracioni, the Fish Market, and an entire section of the waterfront completely erased. These were being posted entirely by concerned residents, demanding answers from anyone. It was only two weeks after the initial demolition began that a government agency finally spoke up; a Facebook page calling itself ‘Platform for the Construction of Benghazi’ (likely affiliated with the Benghazi and Derna Reconstruction Fund) posted an aerial video of the site with a caption claiming that the development of the area would “usher in a new era of modernism while preserving the history of the area”.

But what this historically sensitive modernism will look – or indeed who designed it or who will conduct the reconstruction – seems to be a secret, because no plans or consultations have yet been shared. [see update below] But any transparency or clarity on these projects seem to be lost in the bureaucratic quagmire of the Libyan government(s).

When I say that Benghazi’s residents are grieving, I mean it quite literally. Posts of the destruction are being shared with the caption ‘From God we came and to Him we return’, a phrase Libyans use when a person dies. What is being mourned now is Benghazi itself, it’s identity and spirit which many denizens see as being embodied in the historic downtown.

That’s not to say that everyone is up in arms. Many Libyans continue to struggle with the increasing costs of living and trying to secure their basic needs, and heritage preservation is the last thing on their minds. In fact, many people would welcome any kind of construction, anything to erase the signs of the war and bring Benghazi into a new age.

The demolition of heritage buildings seems to be planned at a strategic moment for Benghazi; in the past year, we’ve seen a flurry of new development across the city, from public housing regeneration to parks to improved transportation planning. People are feeling cautiously optimistic about the city’s future and it appears that the downtown project is positioning itself as part of this new wave of positive change to shield itself from scrutiny.

Like any post-conflict/post-disaster setting, Benghazi’s historic core will most likely become another victim of the Shock Doctrine of disaster capitalism. Like Lebanon and Iraq, private interests are dominating the conversation under the guise of ‘efficient and necessary actions for the good of the city’. I can already hear the shouts of people who disagree with me. “We NEED private sector development, we don’t have the capacity or skill to develop our city!” And it’s true, I’m not deluded into thinking that we have what it takes reconstruct our city, or that any reconstruction plans and processes will please everyone. But the complete, total opposite of a perfect reconstruction is taking a bulldozer to the remains of our history. There has to be a middle ground.

Update March 27, 2023: I’ve been informed that the group behind the demolition is neither the Municipality or the Benghazi and Derna Reconstruction Fund but rather a new committee created in January 2023.