Last week, CNN International released a short video that surprised many viewers: young Libyan skydivers drifting over the coastline of Benghazi, descending towards a city still commonly associated with conflict rather than recreation. For a brief moment, global audiences saw a different Libya—one defined not by crisis, but by creativity, normalisation, and the quiet determination of its youth.
The video resonated because it challenged the entrenched global expectations surrounding Benghazi. For over a decade, the city has been framed internationally through the violence that followed the 2011 revolution, anchored most firmly by the 2012 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, as documented by the U.S. Department of Justice. Since then, Benghazi has endured cycles of armed confrontation, institutional collapse and urban fragmentation. Yet, beneath these layers of instability, the city has also been rebuilding in ways that rarely enter international analyses.
The skydiving project—small, local, and youth-driven—captures this tension. It reflects a societal shift from war-zone to what might be called a wind-zone: a movement towards possibility, civic agency, and sustainable development driven from below, even as Libya’s national political settlement remains uncertain.
Reclaiming Urban Life: The Politics of Public Space
Skydiving may appear trivial in the context of Libya’s complex political landscape, but in post-conflict environments, everyday activities often carry significant political meaning. They signal who controls space, which institutions are functional, and whether citizens feel confident enough to reoccupy public life.
In this sense, skydiving becomes a lens into Benghazi’s urban recovery. The activity presupposes functioning civil aviation coordination, emergency response capacity, regulated equipment, and a level of public safety. These align closely with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), which emphasises resilient infrastructure, inclusive public spaces, and the restoration of urban life.
Benghazi’s urban experience over the last decade has shifted dramatically—from battlegrounds to militarised zones, and now slowly back to places of community life. The return of recreational activities signifies civilian reappropriation of the city. This is not merely a social shift; it represents a subtle but meaningful form of political reconstruction grounded in lived experience.
Economic Diversification and New Development Pathways
Libya’s long-standing dependence on oil has produced a volatile political economy. The International Energy Agency notes that the country remains overwhelmingly reliant on hydrocarbons, with limited progress on diversification. Sustainable development—particularly aligned with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)—requires confronting this dependency.
Here, the skydiving initiative captures something strategic. Economic diversification does not always start with large-scale infrastructure. Often, it begins with small, community-led ventures that create new value chains and demonstrate what alternative livelihoods might look like.
Adventure tourism is one such opportunity. Libya has extraordinary natural and cultural assets: 1,900 km of coastline, desert landscapes, mountain ranges, and ancient heritage sites. Yet tourism remains almost entirely undeveloped. Skydiving may be a niche activity, but its visibility—magnified by CNN’s coverage—draws attention to the country’s untapped potential.
Adventure tourism can generate employment—for pilots, instructors, logistics teams, videographers, transport services, cafés and more—while remaining low-carbon, youth-driven, and scalable. These characteristics make it aligned with sustainable economic diversification rather than reinforcing extractive or high-emissions industries.
Youth, Agency and the Everyday Foundations of Peace
One of the most powerful aspects of the skydiving initiative is that it is led by young Libyans. According to labour-market research, approximately 67% of the Libyan population is under 35. This demographic reality presents both challenges and opportunities: high unemployment risks deepening instability, but youth-led innovation can also drive recovery.
Skydiving, in this context, is more than recreation. It is an assertion of agency—the freedom to dream, experiment, and redefine public life. It reflects the social resilience underpinning SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), where peace is not judged solely through formal political agreements but through lived experiences of safety, mobility and community participation.
Peacebuilding research consistently shows that social normalisation is as important as political negotiation. When young people reclaim space for creativity and collective activity, they contribute to the long-term foundations of peace—even if national-level politics remain gridlocked.
From War-Zone to Wind-Zone: Linking Symbolism to Clean Energy Futures
The metaphor of Benghazi entering a wind-zone is more than rhetorical. It connects directly to Libya’s potential for renewable energy. Studies show that the country has some of the world’s highest solar radiation levels—between 5–7 kWh/m²/day—alongside strong coastal winds averaging 6–8 m/s, making Libya well-suited for wind and solar energy projects.
Developing renewable energy infrastructure would support SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) while reducing Libya’s dependence on fossil fuels and the rentier political economy that has hindered sustainable governance and stability.
Wind and solar development could also decentralise power production, reduce energy shortages, and create technical jobs for Libya’s youth. In this sense, the wind that carries Benghazi’s skydivers symbolises not only hope, but a viable and sustainable economic direction.
Beyond Symbolism: Steps Toward Sustainable Development
For Benghazi to shift meaningfully from war-zone to wind-zone, symbolic transformations must be matched by structural reforms. Three priorities stand out:
1. Strengthen municipal governance
Local authorities need resources and autonomy to manage urban planning, tourism development, and public-service provision.
2. Support youth-led innovation
Small grants, entrepreneurial training, and creative spaces can amplify the contributions of young Libyans—the demographic most capable of driving long-term change.
3. Invest in renewable energy
Solar and wind projects offer diversification, resilience, and a pathway out of hydrocarbon dependency—conditions essential for sustainable development.
Conclusion
The skydiving video does not suggest that Benghazi’s political challenges are resolved. Institutions remain fragmented, reconstruction is uneven, and uncertainty persists. Yet focusing solely on national-level politics risks obscuring the quieter transformations taking place within communities.
Benghazi’s skydivers highlight a fundamental insight: sustainable development—like peace—often begins with acts of everyday courage, small innovations, and the reclaiming of public life. They reveal a society refusing to be defined solely by its past, and instead experimenting with new futures.
Benghazi’s transition remains incomplete, but the wind that carried these skydivers over the city signals something important: a new development path shaped not only by political actors, but by the citizens determined to rise above the legacy of conflict.
Dr Serag El Hegazi is a Lecturer and a Program Leader in Sustainable Development and Project Planning at the University of Bradford, and member of board and specialist of North African Studies at John and Elnora Ferguson Centre for African Studies (JEFCAS). His research focuses on sustainable urban development, post-conflict reconstruction, and environmental governance in the MENA region. He has published on MENA political economy, urban recovery, and heritage preservation, including articles in African Arguments, The Conversation, and Democracy in Africa. He also works with international organisations on development planning and youth-led innovation in the MENA region.
