TRIPOLI: Fashionable cafes springing up in Libya’s capital are shutting out single men and catering for women looking for a break from the tensions — political and personal — crowding in around them.
The cafes with European names and bright decor seem a world away from the city’s traffic-clogged and still violent streets. In a socially conservative society, they also offer privacy and protection from unwanted advances.
“If I go with my friends, we chat about our problems and change our mood,” said 27-year-old Haneen, eating a late breakfast in the busy La Rambla cafe. “A family place is more comfortable... there’s no harassment or flirting.”
For owners and managers of the businesses marketing themselves as “families-only” cafes, it is also a welcome change from the traditional clientele — hundreds of other rowdier eateries across Tripoli are packed out with young men, tables spilling out onto the streets and giant screens broadcasting soccer matches.
“Family cafes are great,” said Abdulhameed Ghreetly, manager of At Home cafe, which looks out onto the Mediterranean. “They are less of a headache than the cafes for young guys. You know the problems with the young guys and their quarreling.”
Most of Tripoli’s economy has been in freefall since major battles between rival factions in 2014 left the country divided with competing governments.
The female clients are offering some respite — managers say they spend more on fancy coffees and juices than the espresso-sipping men. “The guys just ask for coffee and water,” said Mohammed Abdurrazak, La Rambla’s owner. “The women come to eat.”
The menus are heavy with pastries, pancakes, waffles and milkshakes, alongside the popular “Oriental breakfast” which includes shakshouka (poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce) and ful (fava beans with herbs and spices).
Women find some respite in Libya’s ‘families only’ cafes
Women find some respite in Libya’s ‘families only’ cafes
WWII leader Churchill to be removed from UK banknotes
- The next series of banknotes due to be issued by the Bank of England will feature animals native to the UK
- The bank will gather views later this year about the specific wildlife the public would like to feature on the next set of banknotes
LONDON: World War II leader Winston Churchill is to be dropped from the UK £5 banknote in favor of a nature scene, sparking outrage from some lawmakers who said he should not be replaced by an otter or badger.
Novelist Jane Austen, artist J. M. W. Turner and mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing, are also due to be phased out on the £10, £20 and £50 banknotes respectively as part of a redesign.
The next series of banknotes due to be issued by the Bank of England will feature animals native to the UK, in a shift away from images of prominent Britons.
Possibilities, subject to a public consultation, include badgers and otters as well as frogs, hedgehogs, barn owls and newts. Plants and landscapes will complete the scenes depicted.
“For more than 50 years, the bank has proudly showcased many inspirational historical figures who have helped shape national thought, innovation, leadership and values on its banknotes,” the bank said.
“The change to wildlife imagery ... provides an opportunity to celebrate another important aspect of the UK,” it added.
The bank will gather views later this year about the specific wildlife the public would like to feature on the next set of banknotes.
Bank of England chief cashier Victoria Cleland said the key driver for a new series of banknotes was how to stay ahead of counterfeiters.
“Nature is a great choice from a banknote authentication perspective and means we can showcase the UK’s rich and varied wildlife on the next series of banknotes,” she added.
- ‘Shaped this nation’ -
The new banknotes will not appear for several years.
They will continue to feature a portrait of the monarch King Charles III on the other side. Banknotes with the late Queen Elizabeth II also remain in circulation.
Previous banknotes have pictured other national figures including novelist Charles Dickens, physicist and chemist Michael Faraday, composer Edward Elgar, nurse Florence Nightingale and architect Christopher Wren.
The most recent series — rolled out between 2016 and 2021 — was printed for the first time on polymer rather than paper.
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, was among lawmakers who criticized the new nature theme.
“Let’s celebrate our wonderful British wildlife, sure, but Winston Churchill helped save our country and the whole of Europe from fascism,” he wrote on X.
“He deserves better than being replaced by a badger,” he said.
Main opposition Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart called the decision “outrageous.”
“He (Churchill) earned his place on our five pound note. He must not be replaced with an otter,” he said on X, adding the “great people who shaped this nation” should not be forgotten.
