The holidays have come and gone and while I would've loved to have visited home at least for Christmas (this has been my second consecutive year away from home for the holidays), due to ticket prices it just wasn't an option. As a present to myself and an attempt to make up for being away from home, I decided to go to Syria instead. That's right folks, I made it to the motherland...well, one of them anyways. I was originally going to go to Lebanon as well, but quickly realized how much there is to see in Syria and wanted to do the country justice. In the end, I still didn't get to see all I wanted to and hope to go back in the near future.
It took me waiting ten hours at the airport and having to bribe the guards at the end of the ordeal to get a visa. For Americans, you can only get a visa at the Syrian Embassy in Washington DC. That clearly was not an option for me so after harassing the Syrian embassy in Yemen for over a week and still being denied a visa, I decided to take my chances. The wait was painful, but well worth the frustration.
I'll write more on my Syrian adventures in the next few posts as there were a few experiences that are worth more detail. For those who are curious, below is a rough itinerary of what I did and saw:
12/24/09
Arrived
Waited at the airport for ten hours and bribed the guard at 10pm
Drove to Jabal to get a get view of Damascus at night
12/25/09
Explored the Old City in Damascus
Visited Azem Palace
Met Dori and Fawzi (Jordanian friends) in Damascus
Attended a live Christmas concert that night in the Old City
12/26/09
Explored Busra (preserved stone castle and coliseum)
12/27/09
Hiked to Deir Mar Musa and spent the night and next afternoon there (old monastery in the mountains of Syria)
12/28/09
Returned from Deir Mar Musa in the afternoon
Explored Umayyad Mosque
Explored Rayqad Tomb and Mosque
Met a couchsurfer (Adnan) in the Old City and got a personal tour of the surrounding history
12/29/09
Visited Palmyra (amazing stone temples in the middle of the dessert)
12/30/09
Visited the Mosque of Cain and Able aka the 40 shakes mosque
Visited the Zaineb Mosque
Went to Hammam Ammounah
12/31/09
Took a bus to the airport in the morning, arrived in Sana’a in the evening
For those who having spent time in Yemen, weddings here are an important and frequent occurrence. I have been to a few since I've arrived and thought I'd give a brief synopsis of what it entails.
The ceremony starts with wedding invitations, although most of the time my invitations have been verbal. During the celebration, as with everything else in Yemen, women and men split into separate groups. For women, the celebration can last anywhere from one to seven days depending on the family and their status. For men, the time frame tends to be one to three days.
The early morning of the first day of the celebration is called the thebal or gassal, when the bride and her friends go together to the hammam or public bath. Upon their return there is a traditional lunch accompanied by Yemeni songs and following the lunch is an afternoon party where the bride wears a green dress and sits next to a shamadon (an ornate iron structure decorated with egg shells). During this time, the older women chew qat and the younger women dance.
On the second day, the party is called naghash, taking place in a spacious hall and lasting into the night. The family of the bride provides the guests with cookies and cakes at this time.
The biggest celebration is on the third day. The bride wears a modern dress (usually quite flamboyant) and the party welcomes the bride with applause. At the end of the party (usually late at night, around 11pm) the groom enters the hall where the bride is waiting and they sit together.
The althath, or the fourth day, the mother of the groom hosts a party that gives her family an opportunity to see the wife of her son. That night (or after the wedding reception), guests usually participate in giving al-tarh. This is where the male guests give money to the groom, each according to his ability (in place of gifts as is done in western culture). The bride and the female guests also get henna done on this day.
If the groom does not throw a banquet to cut the costs of the wedding, then instead of al-tarh, the groom and his guests go to the hammam, eat breakfast, and then drive around the city accompanied by drummers. Tribal dances are performed until lunch at which time an al-magyal or vocalist sings and chants with the guests until the evening when its time to prepare for the reception.
The reception usually begins with traditional dances followed by the azafah (the actual wedding reception) which lasts from an hour and a half to two hours. During this time, the al-magyal sings religious chants while the groom carries a sword and walks from one end of the street to the other. The street is usually lit up with special lights and decorations. After the azafah, the groom asks permission to leave for his bride while the guests continue to dance until dawn. Dances are performed the next morning and similar ceremonies take place the following afternoon.
One aspect of weddings that I find worth mentioning is that the women tend to dress very scandalously and put on lots of make up (neither of which are tolerated outside of this situation). Of course, they are only in the presence of other women when this happens, but I find it to be a unique tradition that doesn’t mesh with the rest of Yemeni culture.
Lecture for YCMES: “Yemen Human Development: Challenges & Opportunities”
Marta Colburn December 14th, 2009
I. Development Actors
Civil Society – local & international
Bi-Lateral Entities – Saudi, Kuwait
Multi-Lateral Entities – UN system, EU, World Bank, Arab Donors, AGFUND
Although, Yemen’s ranking is very low in the UN Human Development Index for 2008 (138 out of 179 countries), development assistance or ODA remains low. According to Yemeni government officials, the country receives on average $13 to $15 per capita in total foreign aid money—less per capita than many sub-Saharan Africa countries receive.
Saudi Arabia is the largest donor, with Arab donors investing more in infrastructure and Western donors more in software.
Summary of the history of donor assistance to Yemen:
Most significant watershed point was the dramatic drop following the August of 1990 (a little over two months after Yemeni unification) when Iraq invaded Kuwait. As the only Arab country on the UN Security Council in 1990-91, Yemen’s position of neutrality and advocacy of a non-military Arab diplomatic solution was seen as de facto support for Saddam Hussein by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, many other Arab countries and the United States. As a result, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulf states cut off their substantial financial assistance to Yemen, including a US$300 million aid package from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait alone. The US government reduced its assistance program from US$42 million a year to US$3million.
In fiscal 2009, total US aid for Yemen was $27.5 million, of which $21 million is development assistance. The remainder includes Foreign Military Financing, counter terrorism and related programs, and International Military and Education Training.
The Obama administration has requested that US aid to Yemen more than double for fiscal 2010 to more than $50 million, excluding military and security funding. U.S. military and security funding for fiscal 2010 will jump to more than $66 million for counter terrorism, anti-piracy, and border security assistance—more than double the amount for the two previous years combined.
It must be noted that the most significant contributor to development in Yemen has actually been citizens. Through remittances Yemenis built homes, bought and improved agriculture, but also contributed to community level investments such as schools and roads. In the 1970s and 80s when expatriate Yemen labor in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf was at its peak, such unskilled laborers (almost half were illiterate and only 18% had any formal education) sent remittances totalling nearly US$2 billion annually, dropping to $300 million in the early 1990s. With the 1990 expulsion of nearly a million Yemeni workers from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf this lifeline to rural communities ended.
II. Demographics
1. Rural Profile
73% of Yemenis reside in rural villages or clusters of homes - living in such mountainous terrain makes the provision of infrastructure and services a challenge (roads, health care, education, water and electricity).
Urban poverty has declined from 32% (1998) to 20.7% (2005), but more than 40% of rural residents are now poor.
According to UNDP (2008) 15.7% of Yemenis lived on less than $1 a day and 45.2% lived on less than $2 a day (the official poverty line).
While rural Yemenis have always faced isolation and poverty, the long tradition of male migration for work outside of the country has been limited in the last 15 years.
2. Youth bulge
Yemen is a country of youth with nearly 50% of the population under the age of 15 and 76% of the population under age 28.
Youth unemployment rate is double that of adults (18.7% as compared to 8.4% in 1999, and estimated at between 31.2% and 37.4% in 2008 ).
190,000 young people enter the labor market each year with little or no marketable skills, which is closely tied to poor education outcomes including no linkage to labor demand needs.
75% of the unemployed were first time job seekers.
In recent years traditional labor outlets in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf have shrunk significantly.
This demographic reality contributes to instability in Yemen from two sides of the equation, on the one hand the vulnerability of young people due to frustration and lack of economic, social and political opportunities and on the other hand their engagement in crime, violence, conflict and the active recruitment of young men to extremist causes.
3. Population explosion
The population of Yemen has doubled in size since 1990 and is projected to almost double again by 2025 (from 19.7m in 2004 to 38m in 2025).
Yemen has a 3.5% population growth rate (2006), one of the highest in the world.
Fertility rates have decreased dramatically since 1990 (when Yemeni women delivered 8.3 live births per lifetime) to the current estimated 6.5 births per woman. Although, according to the Ministry of Health (2007) at any given moment, nearly 16% of women in Yemen were pregnant.
III. Economic Issues
1. Poverty & Unemployment
Unemployment is conservatively estimated at present by the government at 16%
The country has high rates of poverty (35% of the population is below the poverty line).
Estimates vary, but between 2007-08 a 60% spike in food prices significantly impacted poor households throughout Yemen with an 120% increase in the cost of bulk flour.
Yemen has high rates of malnutrition (one in three Yemenis suffer from chronic hunger), illiteracy (45.7%), and infant, child and maternal mortality. According to UNICEF 370 women die per 100,000 live births; the under-five mortality rate was 73 per 1,000 live births; the infant mortality rate (under 12 months) was 55 per 1,000 live births; the neonatal mortality rate was 41 per 1,000 live births.
Yemen’s population explosion means that the country has to manage more efficiently and equitably its financial resources in order to meet the various Millennium Development Goals.
2. Looming economic crisis
Yemen's economy depends mainly on its declining oil resources which account for 30-35% of GDP, providing 75% of government revenues and 90% of export receipts.
World Bank predicts that state revenues from oil and gas sales will plummet sharply during 2009–10 and fall to zero by 2017. The lack of state budget will further exacerbate the economic challenges facing the country and contribute to poverty and instability.
In 2009, inflation should decline to under 10% from its 2008 level of 19%.
Diesel subsidies - Yemen, where despite sharp price increases, the government still subsidies prices of USD 0.28 per liter (USD 1.08 per gallon) for diesel. Very small gap between oil revenues ($4.2 million annually) and subsidies (approximately $3.7 million0).
In recognition of the severe budgetary shortfalls, at the beginning of 2009 the Finance Ministry reportedly ordered budget cuts of 50% throughout the entire bureaucracy. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, however, cuts of only 4% have been implemented.
The investment climate in Yemen remains weak. In its 2010 Doing Business survey, the World Bank ranked Yemen 99 out of 183 countries for which the overall ease of doing business was assessed, moderately improving its score from 2009 by 4 points. Yemen’s weakest scores were in getting credit (150 out of 183), although the country’s ranking rose from 2009 of 174th to 150th in 2010. Other key issues according to the report were paying taxes and dropping from 141st in 2009 to 148th in 2010 and protecting investors, also dropping from 127th to 132nd.
IV. Governance
1. Corruption
Rampant corruption in all sectors of government has created a hemorrhaging economy, an inhospitable investment environment, and a government that lacks credibility. Corruption is a significant factor contributing to extremism and weak rule of law.
Patronage network: four factors for distribution and thus major corruption:
1.) National budget
2.) Procurement system
3.) Military-commercial complex
4.) General People’s Congress (GPC) party machine
Cronyism in the government is another big problem. The system and salaries are designed to attract crooks, the salaries are pathetic compared to private sector salaries, but opportunities to steal are prolific. That is why our civil servants are unqualified and often corrupt. This rots the system from the inside out by creating a civil servant corps that has low productivity. It promotes corruption on small and large scales, and it creates a hostile investment environment.
Nepotism.
Give example of payments for government job – 500,000 YR in Mareb, 300,000 YR in Hajja and Al-Jawf.
2. Weak rule of law
Context of traditional weak state and tensions between the state and tribes.
Political unrest – South
Tribal conflict - approximate 6 to 17 million small arms for a population of 23 million means that it is one of the most heavily armed countries in the world. In an NDI report (2007) it was found that 44% of the sheiks said that young men are becoming more difficult to control compared to five years ago. Of those who answered yes, 60% said that young people are becoming less controllable because of lack of awareness about the consequences of conflict, 20% because of poverty and unemployment, 7% because of political party-related issues and 4% because of the conflict itself.
Al-Huthis - Al-Huthi insurgency has festered since 2004 with the sixth encounter flaring up in November 2009. This conflict has primarily focused in Sa’adah governorate claiming thousands of lives and displacing an estimated 190,000 Yemenis over the last five years (UNHCR estimates November 2009).
There is a lack of infrastructure, services and security in much of rural Yemen.
3. Terrorism
Litany is long and I am sure you and your families are more familiar with it than you would care to be. Contextual factors that contribute include poverty, unemployment, corruption and a lack of positive activities for young people such as sports and youth clubs, particularly in rural areas where over 70% of the population resides.
The general context of radicalism, extremism and terrorism in Yemen includes a wide range of factors including:
1. Presence of returned mujahideen that have come home and gained varying levels of acceptance in broader Yemeni society
2. Recent increasing presence of Al-Qaeda particularly with the early 2009 announcement of the merger between the group’s Saudi Arabian and Yemeni forces. There is considerable evidence of the recruitment efforts of violent extremists in Yemen, particularly among young men, is of grave concern. The young Yemen suicide bomber involved in the March 2009 attack in the Hadramaut was recruited by such individuals indicating active recruitment for such terrorist activities.
3. Ongoing US military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the broadly perceived US support of Israel, also contribute to high levels of frustration with the global status quo.
4. Perceived anti-Islamic policies and attitudes in the West and the US fuel resentment and contribute to the appeal of violent extremism in Yemen. In January 2009, hundreds of thousands demonstrated in various Yemen cities in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Preachers in mosques across the country and a Fatwa issued by the Yemeni Scholars Association calling on Arab leaders to enable their people and armies to help people in Gaza defeat the Zionist enemy indicate the volatility of the situation and trigger events that can contribute to strengthening the appeal of radical perspectives.
5. Weak rule of law exists in many parts of the country and an erosion of national identity, particularly at the present time with the troubles in the North and South.
6. The continued incarceration of the Yemenis in Guantanamo Bay (nearly 100 Yemenis remain in detention, the largest national group of the remaining 239 as of June 2009) is an issue of concern.
Yemeni government efforts to eradicate terrorism and maintain security have left much to be desired. Unfortunately, many efforts in Yemen, and internationally, to address terrorism see the phenomenon through a security lens, which often sidelines the human dimension and enabling factors that are root causes.
V. Water Crisis
Historically Yemen has periodically suffered from drought and recent global weather patterns affected by climate change have exacerbated the country’s water crisis. Additionally, Yemen’s population is increasing rapidly, straining already stressed water sources.
Yemen’s per capita water consumption at 125 m3 annually is one of the lowest in the world.
Only 19.1% of citizens have access to adequate sanitation facilities, 31.5% to safe drinking water (the percentage of the rural population that has access to water from improved sources is actually declining from 68% of the population in 1990 to 65% in 2004 ).
While rainfall may vary from year to year, in recent years, the water table in Yemen has annually fallen an estimated 2 meters (or 6.6 feet), forcing wells to be dug deeper).
Total amount of water used annually is 3.5 billion m3, of which 93% is used in agriculture (approximately a third of which irrigates fields of qat - estimated 75% of Yemeni men), 6% in households and 1% by industry.
Gap between used water and renewed fresh water about 1 billion m3 a year. Additional the problem of a predicted doubling in the population by 2025 means that far higher amounts of water will be required to sustain the country (4.6 billion m3).
Lack of political will for a rational water policy is highly unlikely to improve.
16% of deaths in Yemeni children under the age of five are caused by diarrheal diseases. Additionally, diarrhea is the number two cause of death of Yemenis of all ages, causing 11% of deaths.
A study which is currently being compiled has found that of the 29,000 conflicts over the past 20 years 85% have involved water resources.
Land for agriculture only includes 13.6% of land, however only 1.2-1.6 million hectares is actually under cultivation. A recent report by the MAI noted that 85% of the agricultural lands are subject to deterioration from a variety of causes (including traditional pasturage methods have also contributed to soil erosion and deterioration). While a significant proportion of agriculture in Yemen is still rain fed, much of it is subsistence farming and largely the responsibility of women.
VI. Gender Equity
18% of girls aged 15-19 years and 60% of girls aged 20-24 years are married as opposed to 4% and 31% of boys in same age-groups, 14% had been married before 15. About 1.6 million girls are married before age 20, and 900,000 teenage mothers give birth every year. One third of maternal deaths can be directly linked to early marriage.
Female adult (over the age of 15) illiteracy rates are an astounding 68.6% (2004 census) and seven out of 21 governorates (1/3) are have over 80% female illiteracy rates (Sa’adah 86.8%, Raymah 86.3%, Hajja 85.4%, Dhamar 82.6%, Amran 81.9%, Al-Mahweet 81.4% and Al-Jawf 80.3%).
While the gender gap in education enrollment rates has decreased in recent years, it still remains high. Girls make up only one-third of primary school enrollments and only one in four girls go on to attend secondary school. Female secondary enrollment rates show dramatic disparity between governorates, ranging between 57% in Sana'a City to 2.6% in Shebwa Governorate.
There are three time consuming and often physically challenging tasks in rural Yemen that older female children (usually 10 and above) and women are responsible for – fetching water and gathering firewood and fodder for animals. The time spent on these female designated tasks varies considerably between diverse geographical areas and depending on the availability of such resources, as well as the affluence of families. All three tasks have a deep impact on girls’ enrollment in school, particularly for girls over 10 years of age and all three should be examined when building schools.
V. Conclusion
Dire situation, but there is room for hope
Youth programming including RAWFD
SFD efforts as a Yemeni-operated and directed institution
- Serving as a “university” for development professionals
Private sector initiatives such as Silver Filters
Human resources improvement from 1980s
Decentralization
Positive tribal traditions
- Conflict management, charity and generosity. Yemeni tribes have time-honored traditions in conflict prevention and resolution including using arbitration and mediation techniques, as well as highly-sophisticated systems of compensation when violence does erupt. Such traditions recognize the destructive nature of conflict and seek to prevent its outbreak and when it erupts to mitigate its damage. One astute informant during the assessment noted that the tribal model is designed to control the most contentious aspects of daily life to mitigate conflict. In other words, tribes behave in warlike ways and sometimes resort to war in order to make peace. Most tribal conflicts result in very little loss of life.
Yemen is blessed with indigenous democratic and entrepreneurial traditions that despite challenges continue to thrive.
Recently, I arranged a free class on development in Yemen for the students at YCMES to be taught by Marta Colburn, a woman who has a magnitude of experience across the board in issues of development. The class was more a discussion and the students really responded to Marta's humility, intelligence and humor.
I thought of summarizing all that was discussed, but there were so many topics and the conversation was often so sporadic that I thought it best to post Marta's notes on the following blog entry as they hold some very relevant and fascinating details about this country.
Topics included are as follows:
Development Actors
Demographics
Economic Issues
Governance
Water Crisis
Gender Equality
Women Journalists without Chains (WJWC) in an NGO which serves to protect the rights and freedoms of journalists unfairly prosecuted for releasing certain stories to the public. Well...they strive to help the journalists whom they agree with. The Zeytun students got to meet with the staff of this NGO and proceeded to ask questions regarding recent events and how the actions of WJWC coincided.
Recently, a man was prosecuted for publishing comics that portrayed Islam in a very unattractive and insulting way. While these comics may have held content that was offensive and uncalled for, the fact remains that he was prosecuted for exercising freedom of speech, a right this NGO says they strive to preserve. When questioned as to whether WJWC would have defended this individual or done what they could to help him, they replied, "no." They believe (along with the government and many other institutions in Yemen) that somehow these comics violated the rights of those who believe in Islam.
Another student asked if they would defend an individual who wrote on the topic of homosexuality in Yemen and again, they replied with, "no." According to their interpretation of the Qu’ran, homosexuality is forbidden and since homosexuality is not an issue in Yemen like it is in the west (according to this organization), it's best to neglect it altogether since doing otherwise would make the issue more relevant than it actually is.
For reference, many Yemenis and Arabs in other countries as well do not think homosexuality exists in their country or in the Middle East. I realize it is not necessary to add this next statement, but I have a few friends from Yemen and other Middle Eastern areas that are gay, though they would never reveal this to their families and Arab peers, just to clear up any discrepancies.
While I’m sure the Dutch students were taken aback by this meeting and perhaps didn’t think it was useful, I will respectfully disagree. This is how things work in Yemen and whether or not they are ideal, they are the reality. To me, trying to understand a culture, its system and its politics means viewing it from every angle, even if you don’t necessary like what you see.
There are times, doing the kind of work that I do and interacting with the people of the countries I'm in, that I just have to take a step back and breathe. I try to remind myself that rarely does one person ever change anything in any great magnitude by themselves. The small steps of many tend to be required for real change.
Yemen is such a beautiful country in so many ways. What they say about Arab hospitality is true; people in this region are generally very kind, warm, and helpful. However, Yemen is an extreme. People here will literally jump over fences to help you. Just yesterday morning I was walking and passed three Yemenis squatting in the streets sharing a plate of food that was really meant for one, and still they offered me a place to sit with them to share what they could.
That being said, the multitude and magnitude of the issues here overwhelm me at times. When I was interviewing Yemeni students for the Zeytun program I was distressed by the qualifications that the applicants brought to the table. All were well educated and students of politics or of the like, yet many couldn't answer the most basic of politically or culturally oriented questions. The educational system in Yemen fails on many levels.
The other day, during a meeting between the Zeytun students and an NGO that focuses on encouraging women's rights, the topic of polygamy in Islam was raised. The students and the organization talked back and forth about the legitimacy of polygamy in modern times and the double standard of men being allowed to take multiple wives, but not the other way around for women. During the discussion, one of the Yemeni women argued that it had been proven scientifically that a woman's body is more sensitive than a man's to disease and that women physically cannot handle multiple sex partners. She explained this was one reason why prostitutes have so many sexually transmitted diseases.
While I would expect something like this from one of the men in the group (and have heard statement's that boasted similar ignorance and discrimination towards the opposite sex), to hear that argument come from a supposedly educated women was hard for me to swallow on many levels. One of the students from Amsterdam responded stating that this was not the case, but at that point it was almost irrelevant.
The students involved in the Zeytun Exchange Program that I oversee have been attending various meetings from one day to the next to NGOs, ministries, and other political and cultural organizations of the like. I may post a few blog entries addressing some of the organizations we visited and what they had to say about their role in Yemeni culture.
One of the most interesting meetings took place with Nadia Esokaf, the Chief and Editor of the Yemen Times Newspaper. It’s rare to find a woman in Yemen (especially a Yemeni woman) with a position of this magnitude. Nadia was raised into the business and when her father was assassinated by the government, she and her brother and sister took over the paper’s endeavors.
When I asked her about the challenges she faced in this position as a woman, she said that she had to let get rid of almost half the male staff when she began because they weren’t receptive to authority coming from a woman. She has since learned how to talk to men in this region in ways that they are more receptive to. As her father left such a positive legacy, she didn’t have a problem proving her name, her problems were surrounding professional relationships within the press field.
I was extremely inspired by this woman whose intelligence and presence dominated the room in a manner that was assertive without being overbearing. She is fluent in English and posses a wealth of information of which we were only able to scratch the surface given the short time frame.
The Yemen Times is an English newspaper that has been in business for almost 20 years, despite three attempts by the government to close them down. Their main targets are educated Yemenis and foreigners living in Yemen or those interested in learning about or traveling to the country. Because the majority of the Yemeni population is not reading their newspaper, the Yemen Times has more immunity than most other sources of print since the government is not as concerned with what they have to say. However, they still tread with caution when publishing certain stories as there are many instances where government officials come into the office to intimidate or threaten.
Nadia’s wish is to someday be able to say something she knows is true without being scared she will offend someone. In Yemen, this is all you have to do to get prosecuted, thrown in jail, harassed, or killed. Nadia spoke of the frequent occurrence of rape in schools where older boys where sexually assaulting younger boys. They know this is happening and at some institutions on a very high scale, but they are unable to write about it because of the consequences they’d face from the school, the children’s parents, and the government. Sex in general is a very taboo subject in Yemen, but homosexuality is an even more sensitive issue.
Although free speech is clearly an obstacle, she feels the most significant problem the paper faces is access to information or lack there of. The majority of the time she can get in touch with opposition forces such as al-Qaeda, the Houthis, etc., before getting a response from Yemen’s own government.
She made the point that Yemen is an insecure country because the government cannot control it, especially with regards to terrorism. Nadia used a metaphor that shaped the Yemeni government as a very strict and old fashioned parent and the country of Yemen as its child. The parent wants things done in a very specific way, but the child is growing, expanding and learning and now as a teenager, is rebelling against the government in ways that are smart, where they remain unseen.
Speaking to the matter of terrorism and the lack of government control, the conversation began to address more specific political issues in Yemen, such as the war in the North and South. Nadia explained that the Houthis are successful at the war in Sada because they are living in the mountains where there are no roads and the rough terrain doesn’t allow for any government, including Yemen or Saudi Arabia, to control it. People easily disappear here and only the native people and Bedouins know how to navigate it. The government tries to maintain the security situation through the use of violence (hard security), but you can’t physically fight faith or belief which is why soft security is needed if control is to be established and maintained.
The idea behind soft security is to make the Yemeni people love their country by providing good health care, education, trained security, an honest police force, and so on. If Yemen becomes more appreciative of its people, the people will be more supportive of the government.
According to Nadia, there needs to be a change of authority and the old powers need to be replaced by educated individuals who are qualified to govern a country. While in 2006 Yemen held fair elections, this was threatening to the current regime that feared eventually a change in leadership would ensue. Perhaps this threat was a motivation for the government’s cancelation of the last elections. The opposition parties in Yemen have no real power and don’t have the people’s interest in mind. As a result of the inability of the system to satisfy the people, parties are turning into movements from the ground level and are neither registered nor organized.
Yemen’s problems are vast, but Nadia believes that its future rests in the hands of educated and loyal youth who have the desire to change things. Sadly many who fit into this category go abroad to study or work and generally don’t return.
To find out more on the Yemen Times, refer to their website at: http://www.yementimes.com/
As I've previously mentioned, one of my jobs at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies is Special Programs Officer. I am currently in charge of an academic exchange program between students from Amsterdam and students from Yemen, called Zeytun, as a part of this position. This past week and this coming week will be crazier than normal as the Amsterdam students have arrived and I am responsible for overseeing their trips to NGOs, Ministries, and other cultural and political meetings and field trips with the accompaniment of the Yemeni students as well. In addition, I'm still needed at the college to continue my other job as Student Affairs Coordinator for the foreign students here, so balancing these two sets of responsibilities has been challenging.
While all the Dutch students are very enthusiastic and welcoming, I'm a little surprised at the lack of Arabic skills they possess. They are all political science students that have an interest in the Middle East, and many have traveled to countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, yet none of them know a word of Arabic. This has been a bit of a hindrance. The Yemeni students and the Amsterdam students communicate through English, and the Yemenis will often accompany them to dinner or other activities after the ones I've scheduled, so they have no problem navigating the city. However, when the Dutch students are by themselves, things become more complicated. Hardly anyone in Yemen speaks more than two words of English, so the first few days I was with them constantly to help order food, take taxis, exchange money, or whatever else until the Yemeni's were able to step in.
I guess I was just a little shocked no one even knew the basics: shukran (thank you), afwan (you're welcome), salam al-ekum (hello)....you get the idea. Regardless, it’s been a wonderful experience for the Yemenis and for the Dutch, but especially for the Yemeni women in the program. There are so few opportunities for women here so I'm pleased by the idea that they will get a chance to travel to Amsterdam and get a first hand perspective of another culture as many have never left the country. I hope it to be an empowering experience for everyone. In addition, both the Yemeni and Dutch students (as well as myself) are meeting some very intelligent and inspiring people which I will write about as the program progresses.
A little about the program itself:
Zeytun, which means "olive" in many Arabic dialects, has many symbolic senses that are cherished in this initiative. The olive has a reputation for being a strong and rooted tree able to survive for centuries and is at the same time a symbol of the richness and glory of ancient European and Middle Eastern cultures, as well as of peace and goodwill. Zeytun is a grassroots initiative for durable academic exchange between the Netherlands and the Middle East for students of political science, international relations and diplomacy.
Many have recognized the importance of European-Middle Eastern relations and have tried to bring the two regions closer to each other. Despite these attempts, significant gaps still exist, especially amongst higher education. If two countries desire to establish durable, stable and beneficial relations, they should first tune it the young minds in both regions to actively engage with each other. An effective way to facilitate this interaction is through academic exchanges. Exchanges not only diminish prejudices and stereotypes, but lead participants to common values.
Zeytun envisions greater academic mobility and increased cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe and the Middle East. Mobility and cooperation are considered important assets that contribute to the broader aims of modernization and innovation in higher education in both Europe and the Middle East, and to a healthy and constructive foundation for dialogue between the two regions.
You can find more in depth information about the program at: http://www.zeytun.org/
Here is some general information on Socotra, compliments of Wikipedia:
Socotra is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean and is part of the republic of Yemen. It lies off some 80 kilometers (50 mi) east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers (240 mi) south of the Arabian peninsula. A third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet and it has been described by many visitors as the most alien-looking place on Earth.
Socotra is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth of continental origin (i.e., not of volcanic origin). The archipelago was once part of the super continent of Gondwana and detached during the Miocene, in the same set of rifting events that opened the Gulf of Aden to its northwest.
Not later then 1.4 million years ago, there was an Oldoway (or Oldowan) culture in Socotra. Oldoway stone tools were found in the area around Hadibo by V.A. Zhukov, a member of the Russian Complex Expedition in 2008.
Socotra appears as Dioskouridou ("of the Dioscurides") in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a 1st century A.D. Greek navigation aid. In the notes to his translation of the Periplus, G.W.B. Huntingford remarks that the name Socotra is not Greek in origin, but derives from the Sanskrit dvipa sukhadhara ("island of bliss").
A local tradition holds that the inhabitants were converted to Christianity by Thomas in AD 52. In the 10th century, the Arab geographer Abu Mohammed Al-Hassan Al-Hamdani stated that in his time most of the inhabitants were Christians. Socotra is also mentioned in The Travels of Marco Polo according to which "the inhabitants are baptized Christians and have an archbishop" who, it is further explained, "has nothing to do with the Pope at Rome, but is subject to an archbishop who lives at Baghdad". They were Nestorians but they also practiced ancient magic rituals despite the warnings of their archbishop.
In 1507, the fleet of Tristão da Cunha with Afonso de Albuquerque landed an occupying force at the then capital of Suq, searching a Portuguese base to stop the Red Sea commerce to the Indian sea, and to liberate the assumed friendly Christians from Arab Islamic rule. Here they started to build a fortress. However, they were not welcomed as enthusiastically as they had expected and abandoned the island four years later.
The islands passed under the control of the Mahra sultans in 1511. Later, in 1886 it became a British protectorate, along with the remainder of the Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra. For the British it was an important strategic stop-over.
In October 1967, the Mahra sultanate was abolished. On November 30, 1967, Socotra became part of the People's Republic of South Yemen (later to become the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen). Today it is part of the Republic of Yemen.
The archipelago consists of the main island of Socotra (3,625 km2 (1,400 sq mi)), the three smaller islands of Abd al Kuri, Samhah, and Darsa, and small rock outcrops like Ka’l Fir’awn and Sābūnīyah that are uninhabitable by humans but important for seabirds.
The main island has three geographical terrains: the narrow coastal plains, a limestone plateau permeated with karstic caves, and the Haghier Mountains. The mountains rise to 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The island is a little over 80 miles (130 km) long east to west and typically 18–22 miles (29–35 km) north to south.
The climate for Socotra is classified as a dry desert. Yearly rainfall is light, and tends to occur during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Generally the higher inland areas receive more rain than the coastal lowlands, due to orthographic lift provided by the interior mountains. The monsoon season brings strong winds and high seas.
Socotra is considered the "jewel" of biodiversity in the Arabian sea. The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora (which may, therefore, be vulnerable to introduced species such as goats). Surveys have revealed that more than a third of the 800 or so plant species of Socotra are found nowhere else. Botanists rank the flora of Socotra among the ten most endangered island flora in the world. The archipelago is a site of global importance for biodiversity conservation and a possible center for ecotourism.
One of the most striking of Socotra's plants is the dragon's blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari), which is a strange-looking, umbrella-shaped tree. Its red sap was sought after as a medicine and a dye and today, used as paint and varnish. Also important in ancient times were Socotra's various endemic aloes, used medicinally, and for cosmetics. Other endemic plants include the giant succulent tree Dorstenia gigas, the cucumber tree Dendrosicyos, and the rare Socotran pomegranate, Punica protopunica.
The island group also has a rich bird fauna, including a few types of endemic birds, such as the Socotra Starling Onychognathus frater, the Socotra Sunbird Nectarinia balfouri, Socotra Sparrow Passer insularis, and Socotra Grosbeak Rhynchostruthus socotranus, many endangered by non-native feral cats. There is even an endemic monotypic genus of birds, the Socotra Warbler Incana incana.
As with many isolated island systems, bats are the only mammals native to Socotra. In contrast, the coral reefs of Socotra are diverse, with many endemic species.
The island was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a world natural heritage site in July 2008. The European Union has supported such a move, calling on both UNESCO and International Organization of Protecting Environment to classify the island archipelago among the environmental heritages.
The inhabitants are of Arab, Somali, and South Asian origins. They follow the Islamic faith, and speak Soqotri, a Semitic language. Their primary occupation has been fishing, livestock rearing and date cultivation. Almost all inhabitants of Socotra, numbered at 50,000, live on the main island. The principal city is Hadiboh (population 8,545 at the census of 2004). The second largest town is Qulansiyah, with a population of 3,862, followed by Qād̨ub, population 929. Those three main towns are all located on the north coast. 'Abd-al-Kūrī and Samha have a population of a few hundred people between them; Darsa and the remaining islands are uninhabited.
Traditionally, the archipelago has been inaccessible from June to September due to monsoon weather. However, in July 1999 a new airport opened Socotra to the outside year round, with Yemenia providing flights once a week to Aden and Sanaa. Socotra Island Airport is located about 12 km west of the main city, H̨adībū, and close to the third largest city, Qād̨ub. Electricity is widely available in Socotra with installations of diesel generators, but in Hadiboh there is no electricity from 5am until 9am daily. There are two excellent paved roads: one along the north shore from Quelensiyah to Hadiboh and then to DiHamri area, and another from the north coast to the south coast through the Dixsam plateau. There is neither public transport nor taxis available on Socotra island, but rent-a-car service is available. The former capital is located to the east of Hadiboh. On the western end of Hadiboh lies a small Yemeni army barracks. The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has a residence there as well.
The Semitic language Soqotri spoken originally only in Socotra, is related to other Modern South Arabian languages on the Arabian mainland such as Mehri, Harsusi, Bathari, Shehri, and Hobyot. It is also spoken by the Soqotri minorities in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.
Some residents raise cattle and goats. The chief export products of the island are dates, ghee, tobacco, and fish.
At the end of the 1990s, a United Nations Development Program was launched with the aim of providing a close survey of the island of Socotra.
As of late I've been beyond busy. I'm sure you're tired of hearing the same old song and dance, but I just posted some pictures of Socotra Island and wanted to let everyone know I just spent a beautiful week there. I led a group of the students from YCMES to the Island where we were met by two Yemeni guides who drove us from one place to another and provided general information and tips about the Island.
The week was full of camping, hiking, and swimming and presented everyone with a much needed break from the city of Sana'a. Socotra is hardly populated and the most you'll find of a city are a few very simple stone or wood buildings in close proximity to each other. Although the capital itself had a few larger and more modern buildings, using the word modern is stretching it. I tried to take pictures of the women here, whose vibrantly colored dress reminded me of how close we were to Africa. Unfortunately, women usually do not want their pictures taken due to their religious beliefs, so I was only able to take limited shots.
While on the Island we wanted to respect the locals which meant covering up, even when swimming, although we could get away with shorts and t-shirts when in the water (this is directed at the females on the trip of course). There were too many highlights to name, but seeing dolphins within arms distance on one of the boat rides was probably one of my favorite experiences. I also swam in water so clear and blue and with sand so white that I was under the impression such things only existed in pirate movies. Bathing in the fresh water pools by our camp sites each night under a sky exploding with stars was also a wonder. The camaraderie of the group that came made things all the more enjoyable with their laid back and ready for adventure attitudes.
Below was the schedule we followed if you're interested in exactly where we went:
Socotra Island: Dec.1-6, 2009
December 1
Arrive in Socotra at 11:25am
Drive to the capital of Hadibu (pick up supplies here)
Drive to Qalansiya and explore the beach
Camp in a valley about 15 minutes from the Qalansiya Beach
December 2
Take a boat ride (2 boats) to Ras Shu’ab
Drive to Diksan Plateau and Wadi Dirur
Camp at Negda (in the gorge of the plateau)
December 3
Picnic at Mafeef Cave
Go to Adhar/Arar Beach
Camp near Adhar/Arar Beach alongside a river
December 4
Drove across the Island and saw the mountainous region of the Island, stopping at a river in a town and to look at the trees from which frankincense is collected to make incense; we ended up near Hoq
Swim at the Dellashea Beach
Camp at Dellashea Beach
December 5
Hike to and explore Hoq Cave (2-3 hours and needed a guide)
Drive to Wadi Deferho and go to Dihamri from here
December 6
Catch a 9:55am flight from Socotra to Sana’a
Socotra Island is said to be the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean due to the unique plant and animals species that are exclusive only to Socotra. I'll post some general information for those interested following this post.
