Private sector should step in to save Yemeni TV drama [Archives:2006/940/Culture]

By: Yemen Times Staff
A symposium was held Tuesday, April 18, at Al-Afif Cultural Foundation to discuss the status of Yemeni television drama. A director, a screenwriter and an actor were involved in the event, which highlighted difficulties encountered by Yemen's emerging TV drama.

Television director Dr. Fadhl Al-Ulufi pointed out insufficient resources such as studios and cameras. “We produce with adventure, as we sometimes go to public places and it is very difficult to shoot there,” he said. Productions also don't have technical consultants like physicians or lawyers to consult about pertinent technical matters.

Another problem Al-Ulufi pinpointed is that of staff, saying that the poor quality of acting staff is a reflection of the poor status of Yemeni theater. “Whenever the theater is strong, television and cinema actors become strong. We can't say that we have really professional actors. They remain all year long without any work and when it comes, they return, having forgotten the ways of acting and requiring retraining. Their time is not dedicated to acting because of the low wages they receive.”

On the other hand, Mohammed Al-Hubaishi, a screenwriter with a good sense of humor, considers screenwriting a cultural activity requiring “full-time devotion and removal of obstructions, as well as appreciation.”

He said Yemeni screenwriters have many rich topics to discuss but the crux of the problem lies in how to treat such topics. Among the reasons for dissatisfactory Yemeni TV drama productions is “total dependence on the public sector. The private sector should participate, which comes after a suitable environment is prepared by finding public sector support.

“Because Yemen has only one satellite channel and another local one, businessmen who would finance TV series productions are likely to lose. This entails that they should get cooperation from the government to encourage them to continue and provide patronage for this type of artistic production,” Al-Hubaishi added.

The problem of dialect

He also pointed out another problem – the dialect actors use. Yemen has different dialects and television directors cannot decide which to choose and present their works. “We should agree on a specific dialect in which to discuss our problems and present our work to others, even outside Yemen,” Al-Hubaishi noted.

Another aspect of the issue is misplaced allotments. “TV serials production is costly. It requires big budgets, which sometimes, unfortunately, are misplaced. The bulk of the budget does not go to the main work crew but to other beneficiaries. Actors feel they are neglected and their enthusiasm erodes,” he added.

Popular comedian Abdul-Karim Al-Ashmori said a preliminary study should be done on the history of TV drama in Yemen and the most important factors that influenced it.

“I believe the most significant factor is dependence on a sole producer, i.e., the public sector,” he stated. “This leads to seasonal works meant for local consumption, which are shelved forever. The public sector does not mean to make a profit nor does it have the sense of investment or promotion; therefore, this does not result in improved quality.”

Al-Ashmori continued, “Works appeared as individual initiatives – some of them succeeded and others failed. The financial part of it is not addressed either, as it was some sort of routine task without even evaluation. Therefore, experience did not develop or accumulate.”

However, he indicated that experience matured in certain aspects, such as the fact that actors became seasoned as they participated in many works and directors gained experience in the art, etc.

Similarly, Al-Ashmori placed high value on the private sector, which is expected to “free Yemeni TV drama, as it depends on industrial concepts, unlike the public sector, which lies on routine functional basis.”

All of the symposium participants underscored the importance of investing in Yemen's history, heritage and nature, warning that if the private sector does not step in actively, foreign firms will come and pull the rug from under local producers and “Yemenis will remain passive viewers only.”

Scenario is crucial

There were many interjections, one of which was by critic Mohammed Al-Sharafi, who alerted the audience that as long as the theater is inactive, improvement in television is impossible.

“Theater is the fountain that feeds television and cinema,” he stressed, simultaneously underscoring the importance of scenario, which is the soul of TV drama work. “Scenario is a science that is studied academically. If we neglect it, how can we possibly get a good TV drama? I have perceived that no one has been sent abroad to study scenario, as if it is unimportant,” he concluded.
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