A Glimpse of Yemen [Archives:1999/38/Law & Diplomacy]
By: Paul Junger
Isn’t it in Africa?” “Will you be safe?” These questions and slightly puzzled expressions, greeted my announcement that I would be travelling to Yemen for a month. Now that my brief sojourn has ended, I look back with amusement at the unexpected realities of Yemen. With a joyous spontaneity, the charms of Yemeni traditions and culture revealed themselves and contradicted many of my prior suspicions.
When we travel abroad, it is all to easy to accept the superficial; that which is handed to us through statistics, sound-bites, and the casual first-glance. Impressions of Yemen are easily dominated by the poverty, the chaotic traffic, the dust, news of tribal feuds and terrorist threats.
But with a diligent curiosity, one uncovers the sublime and unforgettable in Yemen. A boiling dish of Salta shared with grinning hosts, a rain-drenched hike through mountain villages, the fervent dancing at a wedding to the throbbing pulse of the tabla, or the glint of waving Jambiyyas in the midday sun.
One becomes enriched by the world of contrasts in Yemen. The rat-tat-tat of an AK-47 at a wedding party is followed by the haunting chords of an Oud player, heard on cassette while driving through the misty hills near Ibb. The shiniest Landcruiser passes by a crippled beggar, the crouched voice of the muezzin. But how do these sensations weigh against the prevailing image of Yemen in the west?
The image of Yemen today remains obscured by the twin misconceptions of dreamy exoticism (the “Land of Sheba”) and exaggerated fears of kidnapping and terrorism. Both the orientalist and alarmist versions of this great country need to be tempered by an active engagement with Yemen’s best kept secret – its people.
Through the openness and hospitality of my Yemeni friends. I have learned so much about their country. During my brief stay, our conversations have spanned a range of topics – from the parliamentary system and the effects of qat on economic development to the customs of marriage and the values of family life. Yemenis have confided in me their opinions, beliefs, values, and aspirations. And also their frustrations.
I remember one long drive with a Yemeni who protested frantically that the events of December in Aden were not Yemeni and certainly not Islamic. With his cheek packed with qat and his gaze wandering dangerously off the road ahead, he condemned those who had committed the kidnapping for besmirching the reputation of his country and religion. “Should we think of Hitler as part of German culture and tradition?” he asked. I could only nod in agreement with his frustration at the Western media for having provided a spotlight on such a miniscule minority of extremists.
The western media’s casual application of terms like ‘instability’, ‘fundamentalism’, ‘tribalism’, or ‘underdevelopment’ obscure the complexities of the challenges facing Yemen from truly appreciating the more positive aspects of the country. While Yemen certainly faces daunting political and economic obstacles on its path towards development and democratization, it need not suffer the additional burden of a poor public image.
My visit, while correcting many misconceptions and enriching my understanding of a unique culture and on important Middle Eastern country, leaves me with a fierce desire to return again. I once glimpsed, as a small boy, the painting of the Mona Lisa in the Louver. After about 15 seconds of peering through shoulders from far away. The crowd, shifted, and my view was blocked. My short stay in Yemen was just such a peek, hardly worthy of the country’s rich culture, colorful traditions, and overwhelming friendliness.
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