I am very happy to finally lift the veil on a project I have been working on for a few months.
Earlier this year, while browsing my Twitter feed, I suddenly stumbled upon a link to a compilation of music from the former Libyan Jamahiriya, among them a few tracks by Maltese funk artists praising the late Colonel Muammar Al-Gaddafi and his theories.
It’s hard to really explain the thoughts that went through my head as I sat there and listened to it, but I was instantaneously hooked. I knew I had to find these records, dig through the underlying political history behind the entire thing, and find away to digitize them for preservation. I knew I had stumbled upon history seldom appreciated.
I spent the next few months scouring the internet for the necessary equipment, and once that was in place, I began to acquire each record chronologically.
I have now managed, as of writing this, to acquire 7 incredible records. The digitization process takes a while, but I have already managed to digitize 4 out of those 7, to be published on this website very soon.
The story behind the Jamahiriya Overseas Broadcasting Department, Radio Voice of Friendship and Solidarity, and the efforts of the Libyan Embassy in Malta to produce these records is – in lack of a better word – mindboggling. I will try my best to lay it all out in a future blog post, but for now, welcome!
This is Radio Voice of Friendship and Solidarity, reimagined as an online streaming service and an archive for all to listen.