The Year 2000 In the Eyes of Yemeni Children [Archives:1999/47/Last Page]
Nada Al-Shamiri
Sanaa University
One may presume and say that children are still a question yet to be answered. In the advanced countries children’s skills are being developed in a gradual and step-by-step manner. Their children are living in an atmosphere of high-tech achievements, and so are they.
Considering the child in Yemen, he is standing in the middle. His parents are unable to pursue his thoughts and opinions, neither is he able to follow up theirs.
How does today’ s child think? How does he look at the third millennium?
By interviewing some Yemeni children that talked about the year 2000, by words and drawings, one can infer that a good future is awaiting them.
* Fatema Al-Ahdal, from Yemen Modern School, said, “Today’s child is not the same as yesterday’s. Computers and satellites have changed most of his behavior.
I look at him in a good way and I’m sure that he will help spread peace that has become a message sent to him and it is his duty to do It.The earth always needs someone to protect, to defend and to take care of it.
As a child, I say: The earth will always be there, the sun shines every morning, birds fly everywhere, the sea will keep its own pureness and clearness, even though there will still be some shortcomings in our lives.”
* Alia Al-Rasheed, from Yemen Modern School, said, “I feel optimistic for the year 2000. We will do something useful for the world, because we have the ability to change.We will never agree with the events that happen around us, and I’m really sorry for the Iraqi children who are suffering from bad circumstances. I hope all the problems end by 2000. People should be happy.
* Shadi Saif, from Pakistani school, “When I start to think about the year 2000, I guess that there will be developments in technology as well as less development in the human social relations. In the next century the earth will be like a migrating man, it will travel or stay like a sick man in a sick world.”*Mohammed Al-Dorani, from Pakistani school, “What I know is the problem of computers in 2000. I mean nothing will happen or maybe nothing important will happen.”
* Grami Doner, from Pakistani school, “I want peace because I love it. I hate wars and all those bad destructive events. How wonderful to be secure. Pollution is eating the color of our earth. We must take care of it much more. The year 2000 will be happy with it.”
* Mohammed Najeeb, from Pakistani school, “I hope that in 2000 violence among people will stop. What I want to say is, ‘Don’t kill animals!’ Animals are creatures. It is not easy to delete something very important. I have two cats. They are my friends, and I will never accept to be away from them.”
* Asma’a Habeeb, from Pakistani school, “No nature means no life. Don’t cut trees to build houses or factories. We still need oxygen to live. What I really need to see in the future is a blooming earth, full of colorful plants and clean air. In addition, a developed education is increasing day by day. But I notice that today’s child has lost the desire of being a student because he prefers to spend his time by the satellite and play station, and that takes him away from his studies. So I would like all of us to work hard to be able to receive 2000 as it should be.”
* Lamia, from Yemen Modern School, said, “The past will be better than the future. The earth in this epoch is eaten by a spider called POLLUTION. Day by day the danger is increasing. In the year 2000, an unknown hand with gloves will definitely come and rescue our earth.”*Nada Zaid, from Yemen Modern School, said, “The child looks at the year 2000 in a white color, not black, or even gray. I encourage this optimistic vision, and I feel that what isn’t here now, will be there in 2000. Peace will spread. If it was in my power, I would be a mediator among countries. This suppressed world must get rid of this state I see the earth has two opposite parts. A split part, dry and useless. And a bloomy part, with water, fish and good life. What separates them is a tear that has become a language to express sadness. And that I hope it will be a language to express happiness in 2000.”
* Inas Abdo, from Pakistani school, “I love flowers and rainbows. Sometimes I feel sorry for the future and nature, but then I tell myself that people will take care of nature. Inas’s mother said, ‘I have a daughter and a son. There is a big difference between them. My daughter is interested in nature and flowers. My son is interested in rockets, cars and speed. The child is hard to understand. He is brought up by the epoch he is living in, not by us.
Satellites, computers and playstations are not suitable for us, but they must be available for today’s child. This is out of our control. We used to take permission from our parents. We were not used to discussing, we used to agree with everything. Today, the child has his own independent personality. It is somehow good, but we can’t deny the risks that come because of the adventurous and daring personality of him.”
That was the opinion of a mother about the child approaching 2000. How do other members of society look at him?
* Najeebah Al-Haddad, the General Manager of Education Management of the Child, at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said, “Today’s child is difficult to evaluate as long as he is still living at a time of conflict of technology, the internet and modern educational means. Until this moment, we are still confused how to deal with him. What are our duties as mothers, fathers, adults and specialists? How to help him achieve his future plans in the year 2000 and later. Every child has his own dreams, ambitions, opinions and thoughts. He is the world’s mystery for all the teachers, doctors, consultants and journalists. It is not easy to understand what is going on inside the child’s mind and soul like his feelings, dreams and problems. He lives among wars, explosions and earthquakes. What we can do is compare between today’s child and yesterday’s. Few years ago, the child was not the same as he is now regarding the contemporary concept of civilization. Now he is discussing every thing with his teachers. He likes, hates, accepts, refuses, dreams, hopes, settles emotionally and gets annoyed. The world has changed and so has he, in both the developed and non-developed societies. A child is a child but he is affected by the conditions he lives in.
* Badria Tariq, a teacher, said, “What a difference! Today the child has become the parent and we the children.We are learning many things from him. He is discussing everything with everyone. We used to be ordered by our parents, but now he can not accept being under our control.
Now we should talk to his mind and persuade him. He is more intelligent, more active, but not flexible enough. He knows more than he should. Technology controls him until he has become like a machine, his life has become merely keys. The mind is working. What about the body? It has became inactive; no reading, no sport, no social relations. He spends his time watching cartoon films and he gets bored. Then he turns to play computer and gets bored. At last, he sits and asks, what next?
* Dr Ahmed Al-Nahari said, “First of all, today the child is living in a technological and scientific house. He has the ability to know more about the future. He is not afraid of contracting some dangerous diseases. I’m pleased that we could get rid of epidemic diseases like smallpox and infantile paralysis. So, children of the 3rd millennium must be in a good health, they will not suffer as we have. The society and the family are interested in taking care of his health.
When I talk about his health conditions, I will relate it to all the modern technological scientific means that invaded all Yemeni houses. The child spends his time sitting in front of a computer and a satellite. What is the result? From the health point of view, it causes headaches and eye strain, in addition to laziness and fatness.
Some programs can destroy spiritual relations with bad ideas about family problems and can easily change his pure mind to a complex one that can become depressed, then frustrated, and later perverted. The satellite should be under control so that it will not give our children other concepts contradictory to our moral, social and religious beliefs. He suffers from fear, nightmares and many kinds of worries.
All this is caused by science fiction, horrible programs that children watch. In addition, some problems can be related to busy parents who are always outside, so the child will lose the feeling of concern, interest, and care towards them. His education will go down and his behavior will be bad.
I feel optimistic about the president’s wise decision on banning qat chewing. Parents will spend more time with their children. They will be able to take care of them the way the should.
Finally, we asked a few children if they expected the chewing of qat would continue during the year 2000.
* Rua’a Abdul-Kawee, 13, said, “I suppose that no matter what the government does, it will not be able to stop the chewing of qat by Yemenis. On the contrary, I think that people would not acquiesce to the government decision and that people would even stage demonstrations to make the government withdraw its decision. However, I still wish that this ugly phenomenon would completely disappear from our country”Today’s child is optimistic. He gives his aims and hope to the world. He dreams of reform and a better world. He makes a colored world by his own way. The question is, WHAT WILL HE GET FROM THE WORLD?
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