Wild flowers of Benghazi
On my third day in Benghazi my colleagues took me out on a short
hike in the country. While being an incredibly windy day, it was
also very beautiful. The hills were a bright green because of the
amount of rain they had received during the winter. Immediately I
knew what I wanted to do on this walk - look for wild flowers! In
drier climates wild flowers can look amazing, especially in the
spring!
I saw maybe a dozen different varieties. Some looked like
cousins to flowers I know back home and others were completely new
to me! The diversity both surprised and inspired me.
The inspiration comes from my knowledge that diversity is a
strength. In my experience ecosystems that have diverse flora and
fauna also tend to be the healthiest. I hope the people of Libya
can learn the lesson I learnt from the hills outside Benghazi. As
they build a new country for themselves, their strength lies in the
many views and opinions they have - they should cherish and guard
these just like a field of wild flowers.
Written by Ethan Ohs, Frontrunner Director
Ethan recently spent five days in Libya working at the Attawasul
Youth Conference. Over three days he worked with a group from
across the Arab world to explore leadership, governance and
democracy. Most of his group were from Libya though he also worked
with participants from the UK, US and Yemen.
