Sana’a Tourism Festival opens in a riot of color [Archives:2006/965/Reportage]
July 20 2006
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As the sun set on Sunday evening, Bab Al-Yemen saw its streets cleared and its shops closed up, as behind the gates of Old Sana'a some 1600 performers prepared to entertain their audience with a feast for the senses. Emotive music and evocative costumes set the tone of the celebration for the evening's entertainment. Beginning with a torch-light procession, the carnival offered an array of festivities, from traditional Yemeni group dances, to break-dancing, balloon dancing, drama, rap music, clowns and camels. Tourists from a number of countries attended the event, including some from America, Canada, Russia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Feedback from one the tourists as the celebrations were winding down hailed the evening as, “Just magnificent.”
The carnival leapt into action at 8pm, marking the opening of the Sana'a Tourism Festival, which will continue with many festivities taking place around the city until 24th July. Aimed at promoting the reactivation of tourism in Yemen, the inauguration carnival proved that the Sana'a festival has lots to offer in terms of both traditional and modern Yemeni culture. However, many of the tourists who attended Sunday's celebration merely happened upon the event coincidently, drawn in by the lure of the festive music which echoed around the walls of the Old City.
Tourists from Italy, Ranpoldi and Gabrielle Antonio, who are on an eight day tour of Yemen, said that they were delighted by the carnival, which they were very lucky to stumble upon in their favorite area of the city, “Old Sana'a is fantastic, like a fantasy.”
The gate to the Old City itself proved to be as much an attraction as every other element of the carnival, as many of the tourists commented on the excellent choice of location. “The architecture of the Old City is beautiful, perfect for a celebration of culture,” said Zoe, a tourist from New York, who is on her first visit to the Middle East.
Spanish tourist, Maria Hussein, is visiting Yemen with two of her friends. They are only spending four days in the country, but heard about the festival whilst they were shopping in the old Souq. They were excited to see the traditional Yemeni dancing, and insisted that the carnival was a very new experience for them: “We have never been to anything like this before.”
So it seems that for the tourists, the carnival offered a glimpse of Yemeni culture that they might not otherwise have had a chance to see. An American tourist, Tabatha, has come to Yemen to study Arabic for one month. She is living inside the Old City and heard the noise of the celebration as it swung into action. She squeezed through the crowds and soon found herself in the middle of the extravaganza. This was the first time she had been exposed to this kind of dancing: “I am suddenly seeing a completely different side to Yemeni life, it's wonderful!”
The Yemeni dancing seemed popular with the tourists, who were dazzled by the costumes and excited to see Jambias being put to use in the traditional dances. However, in light of recent events in Lebanon, the organizers of the festival, The Ministry of Tourism, have released a statement, cancelling a number of festivities for the following week, as they feel it would be, “Inappropriate and inconsiderate to proceed with any events featuring singing and dancing that had been previously scheduled as part of the festival.”
The carnival performers were a credit to Yemen, particularly the hundreds of immaculate school children who put on a fantastic show, complete with “beautiful smiles” and “the voices of angels” said one German tourist. The entire evening was a testimony to the richness of Yemeni culture and the artistic talent of its people.
“We Western Europeans cannot understand Yemeni culture, we just need to respect it”, was a comment from one English tourist, Chris Tripped. As a late arriver to the event, he was grateful to the Yemeni people who enabled him to reach the festivities: “I feel bad that the local people didn't get to experience the carnival, as it was a celebration of their culture, but I was touched by the generosity of the people who beckoned me through the crowds.”
Regarding the lack of international awareness about Yemen, Mr Tripped commented that, “People in the UK know nothing about this country, its beautiful old Sana'a, or its incredible culture. They think Yemen is dangerous; Sana'a is really safer than many big cities in England.”
The cacophony of fireworks that saluted the city as the carnival drew to a close, kept the audience perched tentatively on the edges of their seats. Chris Tripped, however, thought that the money might have been better spent elsewhere: “The fireworks were wonderful but I wish the money had been used towards building another much-needed dam.” Another complaint regarding the continuous stream of air-borne explosions came unexpectedly from the people of Sana'a. A local taxi driver related to me the widespread panic that the sound of the fireworks brought on in the homes of those people who had not been informed of the display. In light of the current problems in Lebanon, many people mis-took the noise of the fireworks for that of gun-fire, bringing back memories of the 1994 Civil War. The organizers of the event have since apologized on national television, for the lack of sensitivity in not informing people of the scheduled firework explosions.
However, the long-lasting riot of color that lit up Bab Al-Yemen at least offered entertainment to those thousands of local people that had been cleared out of the area for the duration of the carnival, and were waiting with anticipation on the streets outside.
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