“I wanted the job”: Sudanese woman defies Libyan patriarchy as mechanic

“It was a bit difficult at the beginning,” says Asawar, who came to Libya with her four sisters, her mother and her brother, who works in the men’s department of the same workshop.

She said she was afraid of “making mistakes and damaging the customer's car,” but as she honed her skills, she developed a “passion” for mechanics, even in the face of misogyny.

People told Asawar that “your place is at home” and “in the kitchen” and that “this is not a job for you,” she said.

But the young woman was determined “not to let this become an obstacle… On the contrary, I found it strange that someone would say something like that without knowing my circumstances.”

“I had one goal: I wanted the job.”

Every day, Asawar, dressed in a white headscarf and black blouse, greets a line of drivers from Misrata, a large port city about 200 kilometers east of Tripoli.

“It’s great to see women making progress in all fields,” including mechanics, said Fawzia Manita, a customer.

“In Libya, more and more women are driving cars. They have to feel comfortable when they are dealing with women. If they were dealing with men, they would feel intimidated,” says the 39-year-old.

Libya is struggling to recover from years of war and chaos that followed the NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Due to its proximity to Italy, whose southernmost island of Lampedusa is about 300 kilometers away, Libya is also an important starting point for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, especially from sub-Saharan Africa, who undertake the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to reach Europe.

Last month, authorities said up to four out of five foreigners in the North African country were without valid papers.

The Mustafas left Sudan last October amid the war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

According to the UN, the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives. More than 10.7 million Sudanese have been displaced within the country, and 2.3 million have fled to neighboring countries.

After a ten-day journey through the desert, Asawar arrived in Kufra, an oasis where, according to the UN, more than 40,000 Sudanese refugees live alongside 60,000 locals.

The city is about 1,200 kilometers from Misrata, where Mostafa finally found a job.

“Those were the worst days I've ever experienced,” she told AFP, without elaborating.

She was reluctant to talk about her experiences on her journey, first to Benghazi in the northeast, then to the capital Tripoli in the west and finally to Misrata.

In the repair shop, the encouragement of her 19-year-old brother Sahabi was a great help.

“I am there for her when she needs help and encouragement,” said Sahabi.

Abdelsalam Shagib, the 32-year-old shop owner, also supports Asawar, his only female employee.

He called for more diverse offerings for female customers and for more women to be employed. The profession should “not remain the preserve of men,” he said.

“Women may want to work in this field,” he said.

According to the World Bank, women accounted for 37 percent of the labor force in Libya in 2022.

There are other workshops in Libya that offer a section for female drivers, but Shagib says his workshop is the first to have a woman offering her services.

“Today, the women who come here are happy to be dealing with a woman and feel more comfortable,” said Asawar.

She said that as long as “a woman is determined,” there is no job “that is a man’s monopoly.”

“If the desire is there, one should not hesitate.”