Authenticity of Yemen

Perhaps not everyone knows about the relationship between one’s environment’s architecture and one’s cultural identity, but Boushra al-Mutawakel had a very clear vision of it.

“My Father’s House: the architecture of cultural heritage to stimulate debate on the influence of buildings on a nation’s culture,” was the title of Boushra’s exhibition, which was part of a British Council project that explored the Gulf’s cultural identity through its architecture. The project toured the Middle East during 2009 and 2010 and was centered on an exhibition with contributions from eight artists, five from the Middle East and three from the UK. Boushra, one of Yemen’s contemporary and most notable female photographers, had an intimate and revealing contribution to this project.

Last month, in a cozy and crowded room at the National Museum in Sana’a, in the presence of diplomats, members of government, intellectuals and artists, the British Council held a screening of “Portrait of a Family,” a short digital presentation of Boushra’s family/ancestral homes. The photos painted an intimate portrait of Boushra’s houses over several generations. The presentation explored the interiors of these homes in Sana’a, giving a small and intimate glimpse into the history of her family. On display, along with the short film, there was a companion family photo album containing the same photos.

Essentially, Boushra interpreted “My Father’s House’s” theme by exploring the interiors of different homes of different social and economic classes, in Sana’a, in an attempt to convey something about people who occupy these spaces. “When people think of Sana’a, they think of the Old City, one of the oldest in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although its architecture of stone and mud-brick towers is truly unique, this reflects only a small part of the city. Sana’a as a whole is more than that. When the British Council told me about this project, I decided to present homes in Sana’a from a different perspective, from the inside which is something we are not used to seeing, because normally it is very private,” said Boushra.

Viewers definitely learned more than that from My Father’s House. Boushra expanded the theme by inviting viewers into her childhood, her past and her present homes, from her grandparents’ houses to her current house. With warm nostalgia, Boushra recollected some memories when the photos were displayed. “Each room and space has its own history and story. I’m so happy to have been part of this exhibition which took me three years to complete. During my work on this project, I learned a great deal about the history and seemingly insignificant details and lost memories about my family and myself,” concluded Boushra.

Yemen needs rehabilitation center

In 2008, over 27 tons of narcotics and 14 million pills were seized, and around 259 people were arrested for drug trafficking. 88 percent of those arrested were Yemeni, said a source at the Anti-Narcotics Directory at the Ministry of Interior.
Recently, drug-related news has increasingly made the headlines in Yemeni media. A recent headline revealed that security authorities in the Aden Free-Zone port have prevented the importation of over 2.6 million narcotic tablets hidden in ovens being shipped from Egypt. Authorities said they seized 2,610,000 Keptagon pills in five bags.

The drug problem is increasing in Yemen due to the length of the nearly 2,500 kilometer coast as well as the considerable length of the Yemeni desert bordering neighboring countries. Yemen used to only be a transit point for smuggling drugs from eastern Asia via the Arabian Sea to African and Gulf countries, but this is no longer the case.

The recent confiscation of narcotic tablets, increased smuggling a variety of illegal drugs via the Indian Ocean into the southern Yemeni governorate of Hadramawt, and trials of several individuals accused of smuggling tons of drugs into the country are all explicit indicators of a real drug problem in the country.

Surprisingly, the majority of Yemenis are in denial about the depth of the matter. "There is no such problem in Yemen. We don't have drugs or addicts. We may have a qat problem but it is not addictive, only energizing," said Amani, an elementary school teacher.

This denial makes it difficult for society to comprehend the basic facts related to the subject.
Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. It is defined by many as the use of an illegal substance such as marijuana or cocaine, which some people take in order to feel happy, relaxed, or excited. Consequently, the user wants more and more of it. Dr. Youmna Fathi Al-Aswadi, an addiction counselor, explained the major phases of using drugs. "The disorder of addiction involves stages which are characterized, respectively, everywhere by constant cravings and preoccupation with obtaining the substance, using more of the substance than necessary to experience the intoxicating effects, and experiencing tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and decreased motivation for normal activities."

Drug addicts come from all segments of society. Since drugs are of all costs (cheap and expensive), both the poor and the rich can afford them.

Economic decline, social problems, poor friendships, Qat sessions, and ignorance are all factors that can take a toll on primarily the young. Consequently, drugs could be the answer. "I had to work for long hours. I got exhausted and really wanted a pick-me-up. I told my boss about this and he gave me an already opened bottle of milk several times. I drank it and felt really great. I slept little and worked tirelessly. Then I asked for more and he told me that pills were added to the milk. He charged me to get more of the pills," said a construction worker, clearly showing the signs of being an addict in a short period of time.

Another drug addict explained how he initially used drugs. "I wanted comfort, so I went to a pharmacist friend that initially gave me the pills. I felt really good after taking them along with Qat. Then, gradually, I took other pills with greater effects. Finally, I used a needle to inject drugs. I needed the strongest effect because the pills didn't do much for me anymore."

Frequent drug smuggling news, the frequent uncovering of drug operations by security efforts, and the desperate desire for drugs by addicts shows how this is a highly profitable industry. The more drug-related news, the more addicts exist, the more profit. So, it is an unquestionable matter that there is a drug problem that needs to be addressed.

Yemen is well-known for Qat consumption. Qat sessions and smoking are the seeds of drug use. In most cases, Qat and smoking lead to harder drugs. According to one addict (who's married and has a 9 year-old son), a new trend in the Yemeni drug world is a combination of any energizing drink and pain killers, mostly consumed during Qat sessions. "I'm an addiction counselor and I've never met an addict who was not a smoker, a Qat chewer, or both," said Dr. Youmna.
"Qat sets one onto the path of harder drugs. Most drug users have turned to drugs after first being smokers, Qat chewers, or both," said Ali Saleh Al-Makaleh, the Chief of a Drug Danger Awareness-Raising Team in the Future Guardians program of the Life Makers Foundation.

Qat use, the search for comfort, and the figures of seized drugs are key elements for acknowledging the severity of the issue. However, lack of awareness makes it a great challenge to be open about the problem and establish suitable and urgent solutions.

Al-Makaleh explained why, despite all of that, there is collective social denial about the subject. "Our society is utterly in denial because they're not following the news. We waste our time on following entertainment news on TV channels, newspapers, or magazines. We often neglect our local news which has caused a national lack of awareness. It's all out there in the media. Nothing is hidden. The drug news that makes headlines, the uncovering of more drug operations, and the statistics for seized drugs that appear periodically and are all out there to the public but no one is aware."

"Enough negligence! The problem is everywhere in the country and it's spreading too fast. It's like a devastating flood that will destroy our country. We have to take action now before we lose more and more of our youth," he added.

In the meantime, a great number of Yemeni youth are falling into the drug addiction trap. "I've been an addict for almost ten years and I'm really stuck. I’ve tried so many times to quit but I can’t. My whole body aches whenever I stop using the pills. I consumed lots of pills over the last ten years and it's really difficult for me to stop. I don't know where to turn to." added a drug addict, choking with tears.

Regarding the appropriate treatment for addicts, Dr. Walid Sarhan, a Consultant Psychiatrist explained, "The drug addict is a sick person who needs treatment, while the abuser is a person who takes drugs on and off and can stop if they want to. The addict will have many withdrawal symptoms that could be serious or even fatal. That's why we need addiction centers for treatment, both for detoxification and rehabilitation. After treatment, the addict could lead a normal, productive life."

Ashwaq Al-Malahi, an activist for combating drugs and an Executive Officer at Life Makers Union, explained the importance of having a treatment center for addicts. "Since awareness and an addiction treatment center can't be separated, we really need a place for rehabilitation. Once an addict who wants to be treated comes to us, we check him in. Just because you are an addict doesn't mean either you are going to jail or will die. We've got to have a decent rehabilitation program to help the addicts."
"If addicts knew the laws concerning their condition, they would not hesitate even a bit to seek help. In our constitution, it's stated that if an addict admits to being addict and asks for help, he should get the help and not be jailed for drug use," a source at the Anti-Narcotics Directory at the Ministry of Interior said.

On the 22nd of July 2008, Life Makers organization announced a project to establish the first sanatorium to treat drug addicts in Yemen. Following that, Adnan al-Washali, Executive Director at Life Makers Foundation said, “The idea was initiated 5 years ago. Life Makers Organization-Yemen was assigned by the Right Start Foundation and the Dubai Police to run a drug addiction and its consequences awareness program. About 60 members of our organization were trained to spread awareness among the youth. After this initiative, many drug addicts and members of their families came to us seeking help. They told us that they wanted to recover, but did not know where they could turn to for help. Naturally, we had to carry out a plan for building an addiction treatment center. Well, to begin with, people were in denial about the issue. People truly thought that the center would be for criminals that should be jailed rather than hospitalized.”

Since drug addicts are socially considered to be criminals, it's very difficult to take the needed actions for treating them." Addicts are socially convicted criminals, so it was natural to have difficulties for establishing the treatment center," he added.

The Life Makers Foundation is still coordinating a draft of the project with the Ministry of Health, Dubai Police, Yemeni businessmen, the UN, and NGOs. Each one would participate in different ways. "The Ministry of Health expressed monetary reservations, but completely agreed on the idea. To build such a place would cost heavily. We thought we could knock on businessmen's doors and ask for financial support, and they approved of supporting us financially but the amount of money they offered was too little. They explained that if they were to donate a large amount of money, they would like it to be for an investment program, rather than on drug addicts," he added.

The Dubai Police have held several courses for the Antinarcotics Directory at the Ministry of Interior on Combating Drugs. On their last visit, Mr.Ibrahim M.J.Dabal, Lt. Colonel Expert at the Dubai Police said, "There has been a great exchange of information between us and Yemen regarding the combat of drugs and if there were be a treatment center, Yemen could count on us consulting-wise, since we have the expertise."

"Many addicts come to us seeking help and it's really devastating when we have to tell them that there is no treatment center," added Al-Malahi. As long as there are drug activities, it is crucial to have a treatment center to provide adequate help.

"The businessmen’s support is sorely needed, but until the project actually materializes, every promise of support we have is pointless. Our current concern is to enlighten the public about the drug problem, and to attract the required governmental attention. It is crucial to have the government fully involved and committed to the cause. Drug addiction is a disease and these addicts are sick, not criminals. So, the rehabilitation project is a national project," added al-Washali.

"No doubt every addict would love to recover and live a normal life just like everyone else. I look at my daughters and I'm afraid that one day they might get caught up in the drug world. No one is immune. If it won't happen to you, it could happen to your neighbor, to your cousin, to your siblings, to anyone," added Mr. al-Makaleh.

Concerning the status of the treatment center, a source at the Ministry of Health said, "It's definitely on our long-term agenda, but not in the short-term."

According to the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) what really undermines the fight against drugs is the lack of awareness. The fight against drugs has been hampered by society's lack of knowledge. The society's full involvement is crucial to combating drugs. Security efforts for combating drugs are only 30% of the solution, while the rest of the responsibility falls upon society.

"Having a treatment center for addicts is a national responsibility. We would love to have volunteers and donations from everyone. There is still hope and hopefully the center will be established very soon," expressed everyone who was interviewed.

An addict’s advice to everyone is not to take the drug road at all. "I tell all of the young people to never use any kind of pills. Not even pain killers unless they are prescribed by a doctor," advised an addict.

Dr. Sarhan expressed how governmental involvement and family support go hand in hand. "The main policy in dealing with the drug problem is prevention, whereby the supply of drugs is stopped by the police and customs officials, and the reduction in demand for drugs is done by the family, schools, religious leaders, and the media," he said.

Youth’s political participation sees slow progress

Young people are completely excluded from the political scene in Yemen, unless they come from political families, and nothing could enhance their political participation except the solving of the many urgent problems they already face. That was the main theme of al-Hewar Foundation for Democratic Development’s (HFDD) seminar, titled “Youth and political parties…from a Yemeni perspective,” that was held last week. The seminar was conducted in cooperation with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in a continuous attempt to enhance the democratic nature of Yemen’s civil society and Yemeni youth’s political involvement.

The seminar targeted personalities from several political parties, youth from NGOs, humanitarian activists, intellectuals and journalists, aiming to provide close insight into Yemeni youth’s current political participation. The attendees agreed unanimously that young people’s political participation is weak or negatively orientated.

Activist, Majed al-Mathaji said that youth have gone through different stages in Yemen’s political history and many historic and political events have had a large impact on their current political situation. He added, “Yemen’s active political participation consists of only old people. There is no space for youth.”

The seminar’s lecturers targeted youth between the age of 18 and 30. Activist Suha Bashreen talked about her findings after her study on Yemeni youth’s current political participation. “Between the age of 18 and 30, I call them youth. I found a sad reality where very few are politically active in three different political parties, the fundamental reason behind their inaction being that, in general, the current political parties do not provide a friendly political environment for youth. However, male youth in particular were more active than females. If any of the female youth participated at all, it was only because they were influenced by their own families. That’s to say, personal conviction about political participation among youth is non-existent.”

“Sadly, political use of youth only occurs during election times, simply attracting them to fulfill the parties’ main hidden goals,” she added.

The seminar also pointed out that political parties must focus on the Internet, where youth find most of their information. “It’s very notable to find political parties’ websites very insufficient and deserted when the youth today depend on the Internet for almost everything. Therefore, political parties are not fully talking advantage of current technology that is crucial to educating youth about how and where to participate politically,” said Suha.

“All I want to say is that youth are the nation’s treasure and, in particular, they are the political parties’ treasure too. If we don’t use them for the better, political parties will disappear and youth will become tools for terrorist attacks, just like what happened in the recent suicide bombing on the British embassy, where a young man was easy prey for terrorism and blew himself up, ” she added.

Rana Ahmed Ghanem, Head of the women’s center at the social and democratic forum, pointed out that it’s important not to detach youth’s political reality from their overall reality. “When we talk about youth’s political participation, we can’t exclude it from other issues related to youth and the society as a whole. It’s also important to consider that we are talking about youth in the third world, suffering from a large number of issues. Plus, those youth belong to a country that is, according to most statistics, ranked one of the worst countries in terms of development. They belong to a country that has seen war and is currently experiencing a deteriorating situation that reflects youth’s general political participation. The government talks about empowering youth politically, but that only happens for the elite, something that’s very frustrating for the other youth.”

She added that, how healthy the political parties’ reality is can be seen as a sign of how healthy the general political situation is in the country. “We can tell if there is a real democracy if we see that individuals are politically active. The fact that there is no support or empowerment for youth’s political participation is the fault of the political parties, because they are the one who must get the youth into the political scene and get them politically involved.”

She remarked that youth’s political movements have become weakened just like women’s civic involvement, saying, “Youth are excluded from the political scene just like women are excluded from civic engagement. Nevertheless, one of the most harmful results of excluding youth is that they tend to participate politically in a negative way. That’s to say, they begin to see positive aspects in terrorism. This happens unconsciously after a long period of frustration and devastation. Youth also become prey to many things like drug addiction, crime, and immigration. On top of all that, the tribe mentality dominates youth’s mentality because that’s what they relate to power and affiliation to the country.”

The seminar also stated that, on the one hand, the fact that youth are avoiding participating in political parties could be helpful but, on the other hand, it’s damaging if they are avoiding political participation completely because complete inaction forms a bleak future for the future political situation of the country. It’s not only the responsibility of the political parties, but also all concerned institutions. They must enhance political progress within all Yemen’s governorates.

“After all, family upbringing has to be democratic so that the coming generations, who are tomorrow’s citizens, are more politically aware and think about politics as a necessity, not an extravagance, “ concluded Rana.

Documentaries enhance youth’s voices

Under the frame work of Camera as a Voice Program, Youth Leadership Development Foundation and Girls World Communication Center launched screening documentary films, last Tuesday. The documentaries grasped issues related to gender issues and reproductive health’s rights and other issue.

Activists and involved in civil society organizations and families of participants in the program attended the screening. Eight short documentary films were displayed with the attendance of a specialized jury in gender issues. The jury was run by Dr. Raufa Hassan, chairperson of Cultural Development Planning Foundation (CDPF). In addition, the jury consisted of Dr. Bothynah al-Taal, Safa’a Rawiah, Rasha al-Jundi and Aymen Mufthel. At the end of the screening ceremony, the winners documentaries were announced. The first winner was the documentary film “Roa’ayah Bassir- Vision”. The second winner documentary was “Bdon thekr asma’a- without mentioning names” and the third winner documentary was “thlath talqat- three shots”.

The other participant documantries were “Star Man”, “al-Bydeq”, “lemen al-Qarar”, “Soot Hur” and “Xx Xy”.

Those documentaries were part of the Camera as a Voice Program, funded by United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The program trained 53 young trainers on tackling subjects related to gender issues and reproductive health’s rights. Moreover, the program provided the trainers with the basic skills and information about filmmaking. The program that lasted for four months aims to enhance youth’s freedom of expression on gender issues and reproductive health’s rights through filmmaking.