Alright, for all you men out there I'm sure you're getting tired of my increasing emphasis on the female population in Yemen, but the women here are amazing on so many levels that I have to add a little more on the topic before slowing down.
Its no secret that the lives of women in Yemen are severely limited by their male counterparts, and sometimes by the female population itself. What is secret and in many ways, sacred, is how they persevere in a culture that refuses to acknowledge them as unique and capable individuals.
I was invited to a birthday party this weekend for a very progressive and well traveled Yemeni woman, but a Yemeni woman nonetheless. Her background was the reason for the diverse crowd that attended (all were young women living in Yemen, but originating from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Turkey, and Hungry, just to name a few), however, all the other details of the event could have been found in an isolated room in the family home of any Yemeni woman.
Men are not allowed to these kinds of gatherings as they are restricted only to women. The presence of the opposite sex is a main motivation for young women in the States and I assume throughout much of the western world, to look their best and cut loose at social gatherings. There have been many times where I remember my female acquaintances backing out of an invite because the anticipated crowd was not up to their standards in terms of the male population or the like.
Women in Yemen put on their finest dresses, show skin (frequently lots of skin), wear make-up, and dance and sing for no one, but themselves and the other women in attendance. Smoking sheisha, chewing qat, and eating goodies are usually at the middle of these gatherings along with, of course, the privilege of allowing themselves to say what they want and do what they want without the same kind of restriction that normally intervenes in their lives.
The birthday party that I attended was a costume party. Kim (my eternal partner in crime when it comes to navigating Yemen) and myself were given last minute notice and seeing as neither of us had a costume on hand nor the money or the will to put one together in such a short time frame, showed up as our foreign selves. When we arrived, we were greatly outdone by the rest of the women there and I was impressed how, with the few resources available, they were able to put together such detailed costumes. Another testament to their appreciation for moments such as these.
There is no great climax to this blog entry so I won't pretend to end it with one. It's simply a testament to the humanity of women and the strength that it takes to find happiness in a society where life evolves around the basics of survival, where the woman under the robe blends into the background as an exotic picture on a postcard.
Its no secret that the lives of women in Yemen are severely limited by their male counterparts, and sometimes by the female population itself. What is secret and in many ways, sacred, is how they persevere in a culture that refuses to acknowledge them as unique and capable individuals.
I was invited to a birthday party this weekend for a very progressive and well traveled Yemeni woman, but a Yemeni woman nonetheless. Her background was the reason for the diverse crowd that attended (all were young women living in Yemen, but originating from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Turkey, and Hungry, just to name a few), however, all the other details of the event could have been found in an isolated room in the family home of any Yemeni woman.
Men are not allowed to these kinds of gatherings as they are restricted only to women. The presence of the opposite sex is a main motivation for young women in the States and I assume throughout much of the western world, to look their best and cut loose at social gatherings. There have been many times where I remember my female acquaintances backing out of an invite because the anticipated crowd was not up to their standards in terms of the male population or the like.
Women in Yemen put on their finest dresses, show skin (frequently lots of skin), wear make-up, and dance and sing for no one, but themselves and the other women in attendance. Smoking sheisha, chewing qat, and eating goodies are usually at the middle of these gatherings along with, of course, the privilege of allowing themselves to say what they want and do what they want without the same kind of restriction that normally intervenes in their lives.
The birthday party that I attended was a costume party. Kim (my eternal partner in crime when it comes to navigating Yemen) and myself were given last minute notice and seeing as neither of us had a costume on hand nor the money or the will to put one together in such a short time frame, showed up as our foreign selves. When we arrived, we were greatly outdone by the rest of the women there and I was impressed how, with the few resources available, they were able to put together such detailed costumes. Another testament to their appreciation for moments such as these.
There is no great climax to this blog entry so I won't pretend to end it with one. It's simply a testament to the humanity of women and the strength that it takes to find happiness in a society where life evolves around the basics of survival, where the woman under the robe blends into the background as an exotic picture on a postcard.
Really interesting...Thanks for sharing!
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