International Medical Corps has partnered with the Almost Dawn in Libya (ADIL) photography project to contribute to the reconciliation of the Libyan people in the aftermath of war and to support the post-conflict rebuilding process.
Comprised of a series of four exhibits in Libya’s major cities of Benghazi, Misurata, Tripoli, and Zintan, the ADIL project will feature photographs from the frontlines of the conflict by world-renowned humanitarian photographers. During the exhibitions, ADIL and International Medical Corps will work to foster dialogue among local agencies and community leaders in an effort to promote peace, rebuilding and a return to self-reliance.
“Since we launched our response in Libya at the very start of the war, International Medical Corps has worked closely with National Transitional Council ministries and community leaders to ensure our health care and training activities provide the maximum benefit to the Libyan people in this time of transition,” said Edi Cosic, Country Director for International Medical Corps in Libya. “We are excited to partner with ADIL, which at its core uses visual communication as a bridge for reconciliation and rebuilding. This partnership will allow us to encourage positive, lasting dialogue and ultimately improve relations and public services in post-war Libya.”
The exhibitions will include works by photographers who witnessed and documented the Libyan conflict firsthand including Lynsey Addario, Eric Bouvet, Bryan Denton, André Liohn, Christopher Morris, Jehad Nga and Finbarr O’Reilly with curatorial guidance by Paolo Pellegrin.
“Photography is an extremely valuable communication instrument because it is universally accessible and understood and it bridges socio-economic and linguistic barriers,” says André Liohn, Overseas Press Club of America’s 2012 Robert Capa Award winner and creator of ADIL. “In the aftermath of a civil war, photography can support people’s struggles in dealing with the painful past, in designing a shared vision of the future. Photographs are witnesses of the broken relations and can contribute to the healing of societies.”
International Medical Corps has been on-the-ground providing lifesaving services in Libya since the initial outbreak of conflict in February 2011. Throughout the year, medical teams expanded their activities for a country-wide response, including in Benghazi, Misurata, Zliten, the Western Mountains, Tripoli, as well as the Egyptian and Tunisian border regions that received large numbers of people fleeing the violence. Through the deployment of 267 doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps has supported 78 health facilities, provided more than 2,200+ evacuees with emergency care, performed 95,000 medical consultations and surgeries, delivered 192 tons of medicines and supplies, and trained 2,500 local health care workers to ensure sustainable care. Today International Medical Corps is still in Libya, coordinating activities with the Libyan Ministry of Health and continuing to provide vital health care services. Our current areas of focus include building the capacity of the rehabilitation sector, primary health care support, nursing support, mental health and psychosocial support, and prevention of and response to gender-based violence.