Presenting skilled hands designing hearts [Archives:2005/850/Culture]
By Irena Knehtl
For the Yemee Times
Yemen is taking steps to collect and document its traditional heritage, the handcrafts. The Yemeni TV has an on going documentary series on handcrafts in order to preserve the culture they represent. This Yemeni TV documentary series won gold medal at the Cairo Film festival.
In the course of last two years, the Yemeni TV assembled, documented and organized a large collection of traditional crafts into – so far – in 30 documentary films, 5-7 minutes each long. The series has been researched, presented and directed by Samira Abdo Ali. They won Samira and the Yemeni TV gold medal at the Cairo film festival. Parts of the series were also shown on the Egyptian TV during the main evening programme. Samira is Yemens first female Cinema and TV Director holding a Masters degree from the prestigious Moscow Film Academy and a Doctorate due to be completed at Cairo University. She is also one of the finest Yemeni female artists.
Stirring Up Beauty
Yemeni traditional culture produces woven, wooden, leather and metal objects whose beauty sprang from their every day usefulness and the tastes of their makes. The aim here is to preserve some of the most beautiful achievements, which reflect vividly the artistic traditions of Yemen, high technical and esthetic quality in which artwork and artifact are one.
This revival of interest is developing just in time, in order to preserve the culture they represent. They also represent a vital role in the welfare of the family and a tangible link with the heritage of the Yemeni people. With certain places, regional and tribal identifications, and ultimately with their skilled hands and designing instinct who made them. Of pattern, symbols and colors, their lovingly worked articles. A symbol, unconscious though it may be, of the importance of their lifes and the society as whole.
Through various cultures and political systems of the world, the well has served as a universal symbol for that which sustains life and provides a constant, inexhaustible source of nourishment. For the life – force. Like the well, human nature is the same around the world. The passage of time cannot add to its essential dimensions, nor take anything away. Still, just as well can be deepened to produce clearer, cleaner water, so can we enrich our lives by delving deeply in our essential nature.
The text is beautifully narrated by Maha AlBuraihi. The potters, the weavers, the silver smiths, the boat builder of Yemen, glittering strands of super-fine metal thread and elaborate silver patterns. The boat builders at the Yemeni coast now use nail instead of string, their building methods have otherwise changed little since the days the Yemenis dominated the Indian Ocean supreme.
The craftsmanship is the key to recalling and understanding the old ways, and also the key to the future. Well researched, beautifully presented and directed documentary series on Yemeni crafts by Samira Abdo Ali and produced by Yemeni TV, is also an excellent promotion for Yemen. It should be made available to non-Arabic speaking audience and in the book form.
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