A Wedding & 84 Funerals

 Dance, when you're broken open.
Dance, if you've torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance when you're perfectly free.

- Rumi

Six months after Friday of dignity, when 50 peaceful protesters were killed, another brutal attack began resulting in over 100 deaths and over 500 wounded.  A 10 month old baby boy was killed by a stray bullet while in his car, over one hundred martyrs, tens of bodies were shattered to pieces by mortars, and others killed and wounded by snipers on rooftops, amongst them two people I know. The gruesome images I saw made my stomach turn. How can people resort to such horrific measures against their own people.

The attacks left me shocked, horrified with uncontrollable tears. Not only because I am sad, but also because I was worried of what will become of this revolution. I worried that some people who joined the revolution solely for personal and political gains will drag the it to hell. Most people told me not to worry too much, we will deal with this at a later phase.I am not convinced.

In the midst of this sadness, anxiety and worry, we had to celebrate our cousin's wedding! As customary in Yemeni tradition, men and women have separate weddings. The bride's wedding was on Tuesday and the groom's was on Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning, instead of waking up to music celebrations for the wedding, we woke up at 3:30 a.m. by loud explosions and gun fire that continued until noon. Our windows were shaking from impact. We live around 2 km away from the Zira'ah entrance to change square. I couldn't help but wonder how the people there were feeling. Will they be ok? how many people will loose a loved one? how many children will be orphaned? how many wives will be widowed. I spent my time making frantic phone calls to change square to check up on people I know..

I called my aunt at noon to check if the wedding was still on.  She informed me that they changed the venue from the wedding hall to the house, and that it will start around 4 p.m.  The earlier the better for security reasons. She told me that the bride was crying the night before, after all, a very important day of her life was mixed with explosions, death, and injury. In addition, they lost all the money for the hall as it is non-refundable! They also had added expenses because they needed to rent a tent for the guests coming to the house.

When I got up to get dressed I felt strange. How can I dress up, put make up on, and go to a “celebration” when people are dying. Torn about what to wear, I decided to wear a black dress as a sign of mourning.

As I got there at 4:30 p.m., I expected that many people won't show up. I was surprised to find the tent FULL of women in sexy clothes, with full make up on. The singer's great voice made the room clap in unity and many women got up to dance.

As I sat there listening to the music and watching the women dance I felt that I was in the twilight zone. Naturally, my mind was confused. I couldn't comprehend how I can go from fear and depression to happiness and celebration in a short period of time. To give you a better picture, listen to this 20 second clip, the first 10 seconds is what I was hearing all morning until noon; the second 10 seconds is the sounds from the wedding in the afternoon.

The dramatic shift was hard to comprehend.  Except for myself, everyone seemed to naturally make a quick switch in mood. The women took breaks and talked about the ongoing violence, many recapped how hard it was for them to leave the house, but despite that they insisted on coming anyways. The bride and the family surely appreciated that.

At first, I judged them, how do they have it in them to dance when people are dying?!! how can they not think about the people giving up their life for change?? Then, I remembered something I read somewhere that suggested that in war torn countries, nightlife thrives. Despite the war, people always partied at night. I found it odd at that time, but I now finally understand how that can happen.  In the midst of anger, frustration, fear and sadness; dancing becomes a great way to eject all these feelings from your body. I myself love to dance, so I understand the power of it.

When I accepted that, I was finally able to celebrate one of my favorite cousin's wedding in an appropriate manner, but at the same time remember the martyrs who's faces will never be forgotten. For them we will keep the peaceful movement alive, and for them we will continue the struggle.  For them, we will also live, so that we can honor their memory in every place we go.

By the end of Tuesday night, there were 84 deaths, and at least one wedding that I knew of.  We don't know how long this conflict will last, so as hard as it is, we must make life happen even in the midst of death, or else will become zombies walking this earth but not really living it or contributing to our cause. 

Drawing the line between career & ethics, a personal letter to journalists

This post is a letter addressed to some journalists in Yemen. At the outset, let me admit that this post is SO trivial, especially in light of what's currently happening in the country. I blame frustration and fatigue for this piece. Nevertheless, the subject was making me upset, so I decided to write about it and hear your thoughts on whether I'm justified in feeling this way or not.

Dear journalists,

I was shocked when I found out that some of you attended a party at the palace last week. I understand that working in Yemen is different than other countries, and that in order for a meeting to take place, you have to have many informal meetings first. In addition, lunch or a qat session often count as “meetings” here. But to me, going to a party at the palace (during this time), where public money is spent to provide your entertainment, food, and drinks was crossing the line. It can not be considered a meeting, even in the very informal atmosphere of Yemen.

Of course journalists need to meet both sides, and of course you have the right to meet with the nephews and the sons of the president if you please, but a party does not constitute a meeting. (note, in Yemen, unlike other countries, it's SUPER easy to meet any top government official, so please stop showing off about how you met them, it doesn't reflect your journalistic abilities, it just reflects the friendly country you live in).

Going to a party at the palace is surely a great way to build your contact network, and a good way to make friends with the government for “protection purposes”, but isn't it against journalistic integrity to attend these parties? Surely if your bosses know they might be upset? (or at least I hope so!).In addition, where would you draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not, what is ethical and what is not.

If you were based in Libya, would you attend a party thrown by Saif al-Islam? And if you did, would you understand why the revolutionaries would be quite upset about that?

I know that socially, there are very few things to do in Yemen, and maybe it was curiosity that drew you there, but please note that your actions have consequences on your reputation in Yemen. I also hope that you can think about this action more deeply and see it from different perspectives. 

Maybe I'm too idealistic, but I also know that reality is often not black or white, most of the time things are in the grey. 

Finally, I'm sorry if I offended you, it is really not my intention.   If it was any other time, I wouldn't be as critical. In the end, you have the right to do whatever you want, and I have the right to feel anyway I want :)   To the journalists who's profile doesn't fit this description, I apologize about this post, and I obviously don't mean YOU by it. 

Sincerely,

a concerned citizen

p.s writing this out did make me feel better, so thanks!

Images from Friday of "Sincere Friday"

Like every Friday since February, thousands of pro-democracy protesters went to the street today to call for change.  As usual, they prayed Friday prayer on 60 road and a group of youth were engaged in a project called "messages to the world".  Protesters reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful resistance by hand painting on a white fabric 300 meters long.  This idea was initiated in Taiz, and is now being repeated in the capital Sana'a.  See some images from today below, and if you want to see more images click here

Sacrifices of a revolutionary

Samir, a protester in Sana'a who has been camped at the square for seven months looked quite upset today. I asked him if like many of us, the current situation is making him depressed. He said: "a little, but it's more the personal problems".  "Like what?" I inquired. he responded:

"well, recently  my parents stopped talking to me, my wife left me and took the kids with her to the village, and on top of that I lost my job.  All of this because I've been camped at the square for seven months now.  My family and everyone in my village are pro-government.  They are upset about my involvement in the revolution.  I tried to go see my wife and kids in the village, but the sheikh of the village promised to detain me and take me to the security forces if I ever showed up.  

The revolution has to succeed or else all this was for nothing"

The revolution must succeed for Samir,  for hundreds of martyrs, for thousands of wounded, for children who lost their parents, and for parents who  lost their children. The revolution must succeed for oppression, tyranny, and injustice to end and for freedom, justice, and equality to prevail.

Freedom and Slavery, a desert awakening

After seven months of constant protests, electricity cuts, water and fuel shortage, price increases, regular political discussions, and constant worry, we decided to take a beak and sought refuge in the western Egyptian oasis of Siwa. An oasis with numerous springs in the midst of a sea of sand. It's simply a piece of heaven.

The first time I visited Siwa was in May of 2009 and I was in awe at its beauty (I wrote this piece after I returned). This month, I returned to the desert and I was struck again by the silent beauty of the sea of sand. I was also struck by the freedom I felt there.

For months, we have been struggling for freedom from oppression and dictatorship in Yemen. To be free is a human need, but are we all completely free?

Sitting on the soft sand without my "essential" items such as my phone, internet, music or black eyeliner, I realize that we are all enslaved to some thing. Whether it's the news, or to what people and society may think of us, or to fashion or or or...the list can be very long. Maybe as human beings, we tend to accumulate things because we are in search of filling that void inside us.

At the desert, I felt liberated because I was able to enjoy my days without any material possessions, instead I was connecting with my inner self. In my daily busy life, there are many external voices always hovering around me, like an annoying bee. This makes it very difficult to hear anything else or to connect with what your body and soul really need. The silence of the desert allowed me to connect to my soul. Time stood still and my mind and body took a moment to relax.

The desert not only taught me freedom but also appreciation of natural beauty. We spend so much time in front of "screens" whether it's TV, computer or a phone. I think we have forgotten how to look beyond these screens. We need to separate from that once in a while, and re-learn to enjoy nature and what it has to offer.

Appreciation of natural beauty can also be extended to our own bodies. Behind a sand dune and away from the four other people with me, I took off my clothes to go to the bathroom. I felt nervous at first but I quickly realized that I was completely alone. That 10 seconds felt like an eternity. I looked up, right, left, but no one was there except for the stars looking down at me. At the point, I smiled at the freedom of being "naked".

In the greatness of the sand dunes I also realize the insignificance of our own existence. The biggest event in my own history, the revolution, feels like a drop in the sea of sand. It's just one event out of many in this world. With time, things will change. The sun will always rise, and there will always be another day.

During this visit, I recharged by battery using solar energy. Then I became undone, I restarted, and refreshed.

For more photos of Siwa visit this page

Some thoughts on the media blackout

There is an ongoing discussion on why Western mainstream media is not writing or broadcasting enough material about the Yemeni revolution.

I was back in the US this summer, and many people I spoke to there, did not know that the peaceful protesters are still camped at the squares. They thought that the peaceful protests were over because the media had stopped giving them a voice.

In this post I will list some of the theories that people have regarding the media blackout. I don't necessarily agree with all these points, but I would like to list them all here in order to have a discussion about it.

Theories on media blackout:
1) People just don't care about "Yemen", after all they just recently found out this country exists. Same people knew about"crazy" Qadhafi for years, and Syria was also known especially for it's link to "scary" Iran. But, Yemen..it's still brand new for media. (of course Yemen is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world)

2) Journalists find it hard to understand Yemen due to its complicated history and various players on the ground. To them, the pro-democracy movement seems scattered and it is therefore very difficult to know who to talk to. Who is the spokesperson? Who can speak on behalf of the revolution? Etc

3) More analysis pieces need to be written to help everyone including the journalists with understanding Yemen, and yet editors are not necessarily eager to publish these analysis pieces. They are more interested in how many people died, where, and when. No depth, just fast facts. Why? Because everyone is obsessed with sending the story first, not enough people care about the quality of the story.

4) There are few western journalists in Yemen. However, there are many English speaking journalists in Yemen covering stories in all governorates. In addition, there are a lot more Western journalists in Yemen than there are in Syria, yet information from Syria is covered on a daily basis and not from Yemen. Why is that?

6) Mainstream western media is serving a specific agenda, that does not include promoting real change in Yemen. Without realizing it, western journalists repeat, like parrots, the standard government lines void of any analysis. How many times have you read the same exact information in different articles on the same day?!

7) We often hear about AQAP as the largest threat to the world, without proper investigation or analysis. Have we heard much about former Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair's analysis that the drone attacks are “not strategically effective. If the drones stopped flying tomorrow, Blair told the audience at the Aspen Security Forum, “it’s not going to lower the threat to the U.S.” This is not the story the west wants its audience to hear.

Of course each one of these points needs further explanation, and I will try to elaborate on that soon in another post. No matter what the reasons are, the reality is, information on Yemen is scarce. Of course other countries in the region, like Bahrain, are suffering from the same blackout.

More importantly than why, is how can we circumvent this blackout and push Yemen and other countries in the media? We need to really push independent media to disseminate information that's missing from mainstream media.

We can't constantly blame journalists for all of this, they are trying hard to do their job, but it's our job as citizens to push them to always do their best. So with that, my advise to the journalists in Yemen is the following: if editors are refusing to publish deeper stories on Saudi's role in Yemen, the humanitarian situation of the IDPs, or the impact of drones on ordinary citizens for example, journalists should still write the story. Don't wait until you find an editor who agrees, write the story and then find an independent source to publish it if needed.

Finally, if your goal is to serve a community through writing about the truth, it won't matter if your name appears on the best selling newspaper or an independent online one.

Songs for Change

She sang for change, hope & freedom, the Revolutionary voice of Miriam Makeba.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP6CdNVzjC8

The daily "boom" sound

As I've written in a previous post, living in Sana'a these days feels like sensory overload. Too much is happening, and too many sounds. Between thunderstorms, bullets, heavy artillary & fire works, it's often hard to differentiate between them all. I asked kids in my neighborhood to show me how to light a firework so I can get used to that specific sound. They only had a small type not the fancy loud one.

There are many different types of fireworks here. "Al-Gummally", who sells fireworks in the old city, has become famous these days for selling the best fireworks, or as my cousin said "fire weapons". He has all sorts of things form really tiny fireworks, to major independence day-like fireworks. It all depends on how much you are willing to pay. Fireworks were illegal at one point, but now that they're legal and encouraged, his business really profited. At least one business has not plummeted during this economic crisis!

Yemeni Macarena Dance?

Video Taken at the Square in Sana'a on August 14, 2011 at 12:30 a.m.

The newly formed National Governing Council, will it govern in a new way?

Today, August 17, Yemen's opposition groups met in the Grand Hall at Sana'a University, amidst tight security, for the formation of a national governing council to unite various groups in one legitimate opposition voice. The 1,000 members could only enter the Grand Hall after checking their ID's and obtaining their name cards.

Video of organizer handing out name cards to registered national assembly members

The Join Meeting Parties (JMP), Yemen's main opposition coalition, began circulating the idea for the governing council for a couple of weeks, and discussions have been underway between various forces. Initially, two of the largest groups outside the JMP, the Houthis and southern secessionists had agreed to join. However, at the last minute their position was unclear. Houthis announced their rejection of the council the night before due to a number of reservations including unfair representation. (for a list of reservations by the Houthis click here). The southern secessionists announced that they wanted 50% representation but it was unclear at the meeting whether they had fully rejected the council or not. Media inaccurately announced the presence of both the Houthis and the southern secessionists in the council.

Today's meeting was the first step in the forming of a legitimate opposition group that comprises many different political affiliations. More than a 1000 people gathered at the meeting today from various governorates and backgrounds. High ranking members of the JMP, independents, youth representatives, members of civil society and women's rights activists were present. For this council to be truly effective it will need to include the Houthis and the southern secessionists as they represent a large number of people and have a strong force. As stated in the meeting, the general assembly will remain open for any individual or group to attend.

Inside the Grand Hall during the National Council meeting

Structure:

With over 1000 people present, today's gathering served as the first meeting for the national assembly. From this national assembly of 1000 members, a national council was created of 143 individuals, of which 23 will serve as the executive committee, and will elect a president for the council. (click here for a list of the 143 names in Arabic)

As usual, there was lack of organization and insufficient time to have a real deep discussion on the issues. In today's large meeting, people were expected to give their comments, questions, and suggestions on a three page draft, in only two hours (since we started two hours late). It almost felt that organizers were doing this only as a formality. A more effective way would have been to have smaller working groups/focus groups meetings prior to this large meeting and then the 1,000 members can come together and discuss findings & suggestions at the meeting.

Nevertheless, it is a good first step for unification of the opposition. In addition, a group was tasked with drafting the blaws, plans, and tasks which will guide the council. Creating a process and ensuring transparency is key for legitimacy of this council.

Reactions:

A facebook survey results show that a vast majority of Yemeni facebookers strongly support this national council. While the majority of youth seem to accept this initiative as a step in the right direction, many feel hesitant about the intentions of the JMP. Some youth even rejected this idea, saying that the JMP is hijacking the revolution. Distrust between the independent youth and the JMP must be overcome for real collaboration to take place.

Three protesters at the square holding signs against the national council and in support of the previous youth led transitional council

People were feeling very tense for the past two days, especially after yesterday's speech by Saleh's and after Abdu al-Janadi, deputy information minister said that that the decision by the JMP to form a national council was "a declaration of a civil war." Nevertheless, the meeting went smoothly.

What next?

While this is a great first step, the legitimacy of this council will depend on the transparency of the group and on the internal democratic process. Many questions come to mind:

Will the national governing council govern differently than the previous government, given that many in the council members were part of the previous regime?

Will one political party be the key decision maker or will the collective group share in this responsibility? How will decisions be made?

Will there be oversight from the national assembly? how can members of the national assembly impeach members of the executive committee ?

How much collaboration will there be with people on the ground?

Finally, will the other forces including Houthis and southern secessionists be part of this council? the council needs to truly push for their inclusion in order to have a strong opposition united force.

I will say this again and again, the national council, is a great first step, but the success will depend on the way these questions are answered. The council fills me with worry, anticipation and hope at the same time. I worry that what if the independents are just used to legitimize a group that is identical to the previous regime? or could this be an opportunity to create a new democratic world?