Khaled Elmarghani presents Libya in “Parallel Covers”
Curated by Vanessa Tomassini.
“In recent days, the hashtag #ParallelCovers has spread on social media in the Arab world, so the names of the real books and the authors inspire the pioneers of social media to change the cover of the books with the image of a politician or a public character. For example, I used the image of Khaled Al-Meshri, head of the High Council of State, for the novel of the famous Italian writer Niccolò Machiavelli, Belfagor the archdemon, that is, the shadow of the devil on earth”. So, the young Libyan journalist and graphic designer, Khaled Elmarghani, sarcastically tells us about modern Libya’s protagonists and history through his “Parallel Covers”.
“Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown
Fathi Pashaga, Othman Abdul Jalil and Ageela Saleh are like demons. Onsy, the Libyan woman residing in America, is described here as angels because she does not know the pitfalls of political life in her native country.
“Belfagor the archdemon” by Niccolò Machiavelli
Belfagor is represented here by Khaled Al-Meshri. The president of the High Council of State perfectly represents the shadow of the devil on earth.
“Zero Hour” by Agatha Christie
The zero hour here shows General Khalifa Haftar as the protagonist thanks to the large number of his zero-hour announcements with zero results.
“Stroke of a pen” by Mohammed Hassan Abdullah
Here is a photo of the former member of the Government of National Accord (GNA) who said that a stroke of the pen had eliminated General Khalifa Haftar in the Skhirat dialogue, not a bullet.
“The Antichrist” by Ahmed Khaled Mustafa
The original cover of the book is as terrifying as the face of Ageela Saleh, president of the Libyan parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR).
“On Silence” by David Le Breton
Former presidential adviser Ahmed Hamza is always silent and does not speak, attracting the attention of most Libyan people.
“Stupid Success” by Torao Tokuda
I chose the image of Mohammed Al-Manfi, the current President of the Presidential Council, because I consider him a fool who has done nothing in Libya political life.
“Media Control” by Noam Chomsky
Walid Al-Lafi, former director of the al-Naba TV channel known for its content in support of terrorist groups, is now minister of the Government of National Unity led by Abdel Hamid Al Dabeibah, contributing to control the media.
“The end justifies the means” from the opera “The Prince” by Niccolò Machiavelli
“The end justifies the means” can be traced back to one of the most important works that Machiavelli left to modernity, the essay Il Principe. The meeting between Khalifa Haftar and Fathi Pashaga is the demonstration that everything is fair and possible in order to reach power at all costs.
“Thirty-six Stratagems”
Composed in China probably during the Ming dynasty, between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, the book of Thirty-six stratagems contains a series of tricks and tricks to be used in war, but also in political and social life. Abdullah Naker, a rebel in the western Libyan city of Zintan, now party leader, said in a press release during the 2011 revolution that he waged 36 battles against Gaddafi.
Khaled Elmarghani is a young Libyan journalist and Graphic Designer. He is head of the National Human Rights Committee in Libya (NCHR) media office. He is 27 years old and has previously worked for Tanasuh, LPC, Libya 24, 218TV and 218 News.