Muammar Gaddafi, the ousted leader of Libya was larger than life. Though not always seeing eye-to-eye with world leaders, let alone fellow Arab or African regimes, his presence could not be ignored. At the UN, Arab league, African Union and other platforms, his input was noted. 

Dictator, eccentric, megalomaniac are some of the terms he is often characterized by. But Gaddafi was much more than this. From humble beginnings, the Colonel-turned-President changed Libya, he led it and he carved for himself a role in international politics. 

Daad Sharab shares a rare firsthand account of who he was. Daad is a Jordanian businesswoman with roots in Palestine. She can be described as a business consultant for the government of Gaddafi, an unofficial diplomat, his confidante and troubleshooter among others. But perhaps the title which best describes her proximity to him – despite being no relation at all to the now assassinated Libyan President – is as his daughter. That is what Gaddafi called her and even with her marriage – as she admits – his opinion held more importance than her biological father.

Her account is captured in her memoirs The Colonel and I: My Life with Gaddafi released in 2022.