A Yemeni and American intercultural moment [Archives:2007/1109/Community]

By: Ammar Al-Hawi
English teaching assistant
Taiz University
On my way to the Faculty of Education in Taiz, where the American Cultural Days program was being held jointly by Bridges, a U.S. organization for international communication, which recently visited Yemen, and the Student Affairs Deanship at Taiz University, I was too excited and anxious to be present throughout the various activities of such an interesting event offering a great personal life experience.

However, the spontaneous overflow of my feelings of excitement and anxiety suddenly were interrupted by the large overcrowding of hasty and thoughtful speculations on the contemporary universal debates of culture v. identity and East v. West in the clumsy shadow of Arab, in this case Yemeni, and American intercultural discourse.

Caught in the narrow middle of the fierce battle between opposing thoughts, I continuously strove to escape influence by any false or negative representations about either Eastern or Western culture.

Although, for awhile, I doubted whether the two nations could establish better cultural understanding and stronger ideological communication, I immediately rejected the validity of my presumptions and quickly restored my trust in our mutual ability to draw closer to each other against all cultural or societal discriminations, to transcend national and geographic boundaries and increase the chances for direct and constant contact between the peoples of the world.

Consequently, I soon felt more comfortable and hopeful as I thought deeply about the significance of the distance I was crossing in order to attend this cultural program. Such distance manifested a clear example of the many bridges established daily between the two cultures by several great individuals on both sides as a concrete means of connecting and asserting their own international identity.

Having emerged from this battle with self-realization and self-assertion about the cosmopolitan spirit of all cultures, I finally found myself standing in front of the function room door.

As I stepped into the room, I was fascinated by the wonderful scene of intercultural togetherness between a brilliant cluster of American presenters and the wonderful audience of Yemenis, all of whom seemed to enjoy being together in one room and under one roof. “What a joyful and unforgettable moment this is!” I whispered to myself, surprised.

Every corner of the room practically was engaged in echoing the Americans' vocal articulations and visual representations of the various aspects of their culture, joined by the sonorous applauses and claps of appreciation and enjoyment by the Yemeni attendees.

The pleasures of discovery and recognition drew forth an extremely charming smile of oneness upon their lips, inspiring the room to wake up and engrave the uniqueness of the moment on the calm silence of its walls.

While the American team wholeheartedly invited attendees to explore and identify numerous aspects of American culture and society through a variety of oral and visual presentations, the Yemenis reacted by listening attentively and watching curiously, allowing their imaginations to tour America's rich cultural heritage.

The customs and habits of marriage and weddings in American society, the magnificence of their local songs, their interesting achievements in literature, particularly poetry, their splendid newspaper and journal publications, their distinguished sports and preferences, and above all, their marvelous advances in industry and technology – all garnered considerable interest and great appreciation by the Yemeni audience.

Like the other attendees, I was thoroughly delighted to witness the Bridges team's group spirit clearly displayed throughout the various aspects of their program; for example, the same individual often would present, sing and act.

In short, the Bridges team ended their three-day cultural program at Taiz University and returned home; however, they left behind unforgettable memories of oneness with Yemeni people. Such memories forever will grow into lasting monuments of understanding and harmony in the minds and souls of these two friendly nations.
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