Ghazi Gheblawi is a Libyan author, blogger, activist, and physician. He has been a public speaker on Libyan affairs, pushing for democracy, human rights, and freedom of the press in Libya. In 2004, he co-founded the Libya Alyoum (Libya Today) online newspaper and served as cultural editor until 2009. His award-winning blog Imtidad focuses on cultural and social issues in Libya and the Arab world. Since the beginning of the Libyan uprising, Gheblawi has gathered information and verified reports from activists inside and out of Libya, using social media networks. He also presents the Imtidad Cultural Podcast, one of the most popular Arabic-language literary podcasts.

About

During the 2011 Libyan uprising, Gheblawi used his contacts in the Libyan Twittersphere to help report events on the ground on Imtidad. The blog also features a podcast, the Imtidad Cultural Podcast, one of the first Arabic podcasts focusing on English and Arabic culture, and literature in Britain and the Arab World. Gheblawi produces and hosts the show with writer Mohamed Mesrati. Launched in 2006, their program provides analyses of important news, reviews books, hosts interviews with intellectuals and writers, presents readings, and offers opinions.

Gheblawi has published two collections of short stories and poems in Arabic. In 2006, he was invited to read his poetry at the African Writers’ Evening at the Poetry Café in Convent Garden. Several of Gheblawi’s English-language poems have appeared in literary magazines. He is currently a clinical lecturer at the Teaching Center of Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.