Ibn Thabit - Call to the Libyan Youth

Translation of Libyan rapper Ibn Thabit’s Call to the Libyan Youth

They said Libya is not like Egypt and Tunisia
True, the martyrs that have died before are more than Egypt and Tunisia.
The unemployment rate is higher than Egypt and Tunisia
The poor are more than Egypt and Tunisia
They are right
Libya is not like Egypt and Tunisia.

***

they said we’re trying to stir up trouble,
enough of this idle talk
if you don’t want to free your country,
just leave it, go elsewhere.
don’t speak about the grandchildren of the mujahideen
don’t speak about Gaddafi staying longer
then Zein el Abdeen
our aim is liberation
minds and hearts
and our message will reach those
who thumb their prayer-beads in the mosques
and those who sit smoking in cafes
and the downtrodden will rise up
and show their anger
those eking out a living
counting the costs
these are people who want freedom
the people who want justice
and there are a lot of them
and the reason they are so many:

the ignorant colonel

the whole nation wants change
and we have to be ready to fight for it
as long as the tamil tigers have fought

they said  Libya is not like Egypt and Tunisia…

one, two, three
not afraid for his life
from four to six
enough of this fitna
at the seventh hour
the goverment will understand
eight, nine
repeat this sound, my voice travels to you
everybody wants to know what this is
close your eyes
listen to the martyrs of Bu Sleem
forty years – enough.
you can’t say this phrase inside our country.
this is the freedom of the Jamahiriya
the democracy of many people sitting on many chairs
the nonsense you spout, the words you twist
rotting the students minds
the money you steal away
this is you giving power to the people
by tarnishing the country’s image

the libyan people have honor,
the libyan people have morals,
the libyan people are true
the libyan people pray and bless the name of the prophet
and one fifth of the libyan people have memorized the quran
what gives you the idea that the libyan people would willingly follow the devil?
our grandparents with rifles and on horses
fought against oppression and injustice
and now we with heart and soul
must come out and fight every kind of ugliness
the libyan people want to live
the libyan people have ambition
libyan people know that after Muammer will come his offspring
and they will repeat the same disasters
these are the same dogs who revolt us
and the one who wants to see the end of this in his lifetime
must be ready to sacrifice his life
sacrifice his blood to be rid of his burden
for the martyrs at bu sleem -
what was their crime?
those who died “for no reason”
no, they were martyrs

shabab, this is our country
this is our time
let them see our rage
under this pressure
the heat reaching boiling point
how long are we going to stay
waiting for change
waiting for the donkeys
to feel pity for us and throw us a few scraps

the thing they fear most is seeing us standing shoulder to shoulder
they want to crumble us into pieces
into easterners and westerners
let us both easterners and westerners topple him
with one voice, in one go
the evil will leave us
and we will have the freedom to speak
we will see how much conscience we have

he has tortured millions
stolen billions
our country’s gdp is less than the price of some cars
his children and his friends have villas like palaces
and those of us who wants simple housing
has to wait in line

you don’t have to do anything
to be taken in by the security forces
the one who does the crime doesn’t have to be the one who pays
this is the modern age,
injustice is closer to them than their hand
and what is needed is for you to do what is needed

i have a message  for you
this is the chance you dreamed about
so you can live standing up on your feet
not on your knees
***
A special call to the shabab of Tripoli
go out on 17 February
the army will all be in the east
and god give us victory…

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