Sana’a is very decent, but could be better [Archives:2002/47/Culture]

Asia Ali Al-Saidi
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I’m a Yemeni woman, born in Yemen, raised and educated in the UK and eventually, fate brought me back to my homeland, where I have settled and have lived here for 16 months now.
The construction of my home began in 1999 and I moved in with my family in 2001.
Since I started living here in Sanaa, I can’t help but notice the stark changes in the city from 1995 to the present. The roads are much cleaner, the refuse collection is more reliable and prompt, more roads are paved, the bus service has improved greatly and the striking thing which has given me much pride in my country, is seeing the trees and beautiful plants and flowers that line the roads, from the 60 meter road, to Hadda, to Zubairi, to Tahrir, to Taiz street etc.
The water tanks are now a common site on their daily routine, watering the plants and trees, thus providing us with a pleasure to the eyes. The organization of the traffic is improving, as we see more and more traffic police on duty.
In addition to all this, the authorities have made special market places for people who wish to sell their goods off wheelbarrows, in an attempt to clear the streets of random, unorganized street trade, which was an eyesore. Yemen also boasts the finest markets and shops, which would put other countries’ markets in the shade. The arrays of goods sold, to suit all tastes, for all ages, are a wonder to behold. Walking through Bab Al-Yemen, one does not feel as if he or she is shopping, but on a day out!
A friend told me recently, that Sanaa has been awarded a prize, for the best general transport in the world!! I couldn’t agree more!
With regards to the Qat problem, there is now a lot of literature on the ill effects of Qat and there has been a distribution of caricature leaflets aimed at schoolchildren, warning them about the negative aspects of Qat. There is also a newspaper called “Yemen without Qat” which is an indicator of the seriousness with which the authorities are taking this problem.
There appears to be a lot more leisure places for families, such as the Horse riding club, which houses activities such as swimming, go-carting, pool, table tennis and a wonderful play area for little kids while the parents sit in the grassed area under the cool shade of the fruit trees.
The zoo on Taiz Street has undergone some remarkable improvements. There is also the famous Seventies Park (Hadeeqat As-sab’een) as well as the older, Thowra Park in Al-Hasabah. For those to whom money is not an object, there is no shortage of things to do and places to go to.
To summarize it all, I have witnessed, with my own eyes, a great deal of improvement in our environment in the span of just 7 years. I am happy in Sanaa, I feel that I am the happiest person alive (Al-hamdulillah) but for a few things, which blemish this happiness:
1) Since the government is doing its best to clean our streets and improve our neighborhoods, why is it then that people still throw their rubbish onto the streets? It breaks my heart to see drivers throwing out of their car windows, empty plastic bottles and bags, banana peels, tin cans, Qat remnants, even household rubbish!! Typically, its these people who complain about the state of our environment.
A famous U.S president once told his people: “To keep America clean, you must first clean outside your front door”. Yet in Yemen, we are so good at blaming others, for the misfortune we bring upon ourselves. We must realize, and make our children aware, that the streets are our own streets, if we don’t care about them, how can we expect others to?
2) The roads consist of one or more lanes going one way, and the same going the other way. Why is it, then, that I often myself face to face with people who are driving on the wrong side of the road, simply because they are in a hurry?
Why is it also, that some people drive over the intersections of the roads, thus crushing the plants and trees which have taken a lot of time hard work in order to improve our environment? Drivers in Yemen, have absolutely no consideration for their fellow drivers. The disgusting way in which most people drive would be unacceptable in developed countries, and would result in there being a life-long ban on most drivers. Since Islam teaches us manners and tolerance, why are drivers so inconsiderate? Are we still Muslims? Is Islam the predominant religion in Yemen? Or am I just being naïve?
3) Since we are a Muslim nation (aren’t we?) why is it that people do not hurry to the mosques when they hear the Adhaan? I was shocked to see that the people are unmoved by the sound of the Muezzin, calling people “hayaa ala Salah, hayaa alal falaah”. Even in the holy month of Ramadhan, people continue to go about their daily chores, seemingly in total oblivion to the call of prayer. We would kill anyone who ever defamed our religion, yet we are guilty of such hypocrisy, we cannot practice what we preach.
3) “Cleanliness is a part of faith.” These were the words of our beloved Prophet Mohammad over 1400 years ago. Since then, science has proved, without doubt, that there is a link between poor hygiene and disease.
Why is it then that food sellers continue to sell their goods (sometimes on the floor) in fly infested and dirty environments that are guaranteed to cause illness? Some food sellers are so unconcerned with hygiene that we are in danger of an epidemic disease. Its no use asking ourselves WHAT caused our illness, it as clear as daylight, that we are as unconcerned about our own safety, as they are about their own hygiene. Is Yemen in such a state of ignorance that we have not yet heard about bacteria and micro-organisms? Why is it that Yemenis are prepared to spend thousands of riyals on medicines for illnesses that are so easily prevented by good hygiene?
4) Finally, why is it that we cannot go into a shop and buy what we want without having to haggle our way to a price that may, in the end, be damned daylight robbery? Why do Yemenis find it so alien to put ‘set’ prices on their goods and tell the customer to ‘take it or leave it?’ Have we Yemenis not yet heard about competition? Could we not attract our customers by competing with others and making our prices lower? And why do traders have to shout to bring customers into their shops, why not try and entice them in, by displaying their goods in a professional manner?
In case this article has seemed like all doom and gloom, I’ll end it on a lighter note, by asking why is it, during the rainy season in Yemen, do we not see Wellingtons on sale?


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