40th anniversary of the Libyan Revolution

The 40th anniversary of the Libyan Revolution was a ruby jubilee anniversary in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya celebrated on 1 September 2009 in honor of the 1969 Libyan coup d'état.[1][2]

A light show on the That El Emad Towers in honor of the anniversary.

Background
A plane flying during an air show rehearsal on 30 August.

The coup, known officially as the al-Fateh Revolution was carried out by group of military officers led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi known as the Free Officers Movement. The goal of this group was to contribute to the overthrow of King Idris of Libya. On 1 September, 70 army officers and enlisted soldiers who mostly came from the Libyan Army Corps of Signals launched a seizure of the government in Benghazi and, within two hours, gained control of the entire national government. One of the coup plotters first actions were to abolish the monarchy and proclaim the Libyan Arab Republic. Institutions that were later created such as the Libyan People's Court were used to purge any remnants of the former regime. The coup was the result of a continuous rise in ideologies such as Nasserism, Arab nationalism and Arab socialism throughout the Islamic and particularly the Arab world. The coup transitioned the Kingdom of Libya into military state and later a socialist republic or Jamahiriya.[3]

Military parade
The contingent from the Algerian People's National Armed Forces.

A military parade of troops of the African Union and te Libyan Armed Forces took place on Green Square on 1 September.[4] This marked the first day of celebrations. Troops from foreign countries took part in the parade. Unit's that represented their country included: 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment (Russia),[5][6] 26-member contingent of the Serbian Armed Forces (Serbia).[7] Musical accompaniment was provided by the Armed Forces Band, who performed the national anthem, Allahu Akbar (anthem). Music was also provided by the bands of foreign states, including the Band of the 154th Preobrazhensky Regiment as well as the bands participating in the World Military Music Festival. For the foreign section of the parade, the bands performed Russian military marches, particularly the Preobrazhensky Regiment March, Hero and Farewell of Slavianka.

Military tattoo

The World Military Music Festival took place on 2 September as a military tattoo that saw the participation of military bands and cultural groups from 16 nations and 5 continents. It was presided by Gaddafi's son Mutassim in his position as National Security Advisor of Libya.[8]

Country Name Photo Name
   AlgeriaRepublican Guard Band AustraliaRats of Tobruk Memorial Pipes & Drums
   AustriaMilitary Music Band Tyrol EgyptEgyptian Armed Forces Symphonic Band
   EthiopiaEthiopian National Defence Force Band FranceFrench Foreign Legion Music Band (MLE)
   ItalyBand of the Mechanized Brigade "Sassari", the Sbandieratori Gubbio and the Sbandieratori Sansepolcro KenyaWaza Afrika Troupe
   LibyaJoint Band of the Libyan Armed Forces MaltaArmed Forces of Malta Band
 MexicoSymphonic Band and Chorus of the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico New ZealandPipes & Drums of Christchurch City
   PakistanPakistan Armed Forces Band RussiaEMERCOM Band and the Nalmes State Academic Dance Company
 SenegalPrincipal Band of the Senegalese Armed Forces TunisiaTunisian Army Band
 UkraineCentral Air Force Band United Kingdom/ WalesPorth Tywyn Band

Each individual band and group had their own short performance before being brought together for massed finale. Performances included pipe band songs, the national anthem, and the massed bands leaving to a Russian tune. The performance took place on Green Square in front of an audience of invited guests and senior military officials and thousands of members of an incredibly appreciative general public.[8] The bands present also gave an additional impromptu street performance on the square.

Attendees
Filipino President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo shakes hands with the Libyan Chargé d'affaires prior to leaving for Tripoli to attend the parade.

See also

References
  1. "The Libyan revolution turns 40". archiv.eurotopics.net. August 28, 2009.
  2. "At 40, Gaddafi's Libya Has Much to Celebrate – CSS Blog Network".
  3. "FACTBOX: Libya celebrates 40 years of Gaddafi rule". September 1, 2009 – via www.reuters.com.
  4. "Hugs from Chavez as Gaddafi's Libya reaches 40". September 1, 2009 – via www.reuters.com.
  5. "В Ливии празднуют День революции" – via amp.vesti.ru.
  6. "Кремлевский караул примет участие в параде в Ливии". vesti.ru.
  7. "40th anniversary of the Libyan revolution | Serbian Armed Forces". www.vs.rs.
  8. "World Military Music Festival". CRAIG ROBERTS.
  9. "40th Anniversary of Libyan Revolution | Asian Tribune". www.asiantribune.com.
  10. News, 26 September. "President Saleh arrives in Libya to take part in the 40th anniversary of the libyan revolution". 26sep.net.
  11. Libre, Diario. "Leonel reaches Libya for African Summit". www.diariolibre.com.
  12. "Tadić attends Libyan revolution anniversary". B92.net.
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