Student Perspective

 

Before departing from Yemen Kenneth  sat down with us and shared his feelings about the year he spent at YCMES.  During his stay Kenneth became a valued member of an organization which serves the needs of Somali refugees in Yemen. Kenneth was able to gain an advanced level of  proficiency in Arabic while staying at the college and we wish him the best in his educational pursuits.

Current Political Situation

The last 72 hours have brought about  unforeseen change and momentum to the Yemeni opposition movement.  While clashes between the Republican Guard and protestors have consumed the attention of the city, the altercations remain localized to an intersection dubbed Kentucky, due to its proximity to a certain fried chicken restaurant.  The recent events have stunned many Yemenis.  Graphic scenes of the violence inflicted by the Republican Guard are replayed by independent news agencies which run counter to reports issued by pro-Saleh,  state news agencies.

Despite the civil unrest, the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies remains operational and unaffected. The last 6 hours have brought a much needed  level of calm which had been absent over the previous 12 hours.

New Winter 2012 Course Offering: Anthropology of Yemen

Winter 2012 Classes (January 7- February 06)

Anthropology of Yemen (50 contact hours),Dr. Thomas Stevenson, Anthropology, Ohio University

Among the key questions to be addressed are what is Yemen and what makes someone Yemeni? How do these ideas differ throughout the country? What is a tribe? Why is tribal identity important? What are other forms of identification? How is gender conceived in Islam, within the tribe, and within different regions? How is gender performed? Are notions of identity and gender the same in rural and urban centers?

Course Description:

Like any society, Yemeni culture is too complex to be analyzed in a short course. To get as wide an understanding as possible, this course has two main foci, examination of some central components of social organization in contemporary Yemen and the intersection of cultural ideas with development programs. Among the key questions to be addressed are what is Yemen and what makes someone Yemeni? How do these ideas differ throughout the country? What is a tribe? Why is tribal identity important? What are other forms of identification? How is gender conceived in Islam, within the tribe, and within different regions? How is gender performed? Are notions of identity and gender the same in rural and urban centers? What are the aims of development projects? How do these goals intersect with local cultures and aspirations?

Application Deadline: October 15, 2011

Student Perspective

Despite the current political situation in Yemen students continue to choose the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies as their preferred study abroad destination. Luca Nevola, a PhD candidate from Italy, has had a long history of living and studying in both the cities and rural areas of Yemen. Before arriving in July, Luca had expected to find a Yemen much different from the one he has come to know. During a brief interview Luca was asked how the picture which media outlets have depicted differs from the reality of daily life here in Sana’a.

Putting Yemeni Politics in Context

It has certainly been a fascinating time to be living in Yemen and the Middle East as a whole. Last Thursday, YCMES students were invited to the offices of the Yemen Times, the country’s largest English language newspaper, to learn more about the current political situation as well as the ways in which journalists have been addressing it.

Nadia Sakkaf, president of the paper, treated us to a wonderful afternoon. We first toured the facilities and learned how the 70,000 twice-weekly issues of the paper are printed and distributed throughout the country. We then settled into a question and answer session with herself, managing editor Jeb Boone, and the director of the government’s Tourist Police, Dr. Musaid Az-Zahri (who kindly answered questions about travel and visa issues). Below is a small sample of the wide-ranging topics of discussion.

With Dr. Az-Zahri

Can you elaborate on the current security situation in Yemen? Is it safe for people to travel and visit?

Yes, the majority of Yemen is incredibly safe despite the current protests. We have a map on which you can clearly see the security situation in different provinces.

A map of the security situation in Yemen's provinces

In more unstable areas, we require that you travel with a couple armed guards. This service is provided without charge by the Yemeni government (although we suggest you buy the guards food during the day). We do our best to accommodate your needs, so even if you were intent on traveling to say, Marib, it would be possible to arrange an escort.

What is your vision for the future of tourism in Yemen?

We are currently enacting a 5 year plan. Our bureau considers a tourist anyone who stays for more than 24 hours but less than a year, so we are in reality in charge of both tourists and short term residents. We are hoping to move beyond the antiquated image of Yemen as a dangerous country, a haven for terrorists, and focus on the myriad of attractions Yemen holds for tourists. We have 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Socotra, the Old City, and Shebam. We have mountains, desert, and miles of oceanfront. Our history stretches back over 10,000 years. Yemen is one of the great untapped tourism jewels, and we hope to expand on this in upcoming years.

With Nadia Sakkaf

Everybody is wondering, politically, is Yemen “next”?

I don’t think so. Libya is a country of 5 million. Yemen has 25 million citizens. In Yemen we have relative freedom of the press and marginal political freedom in the form of opposition parties. This lets off some steam.

What was your impetus to publish in English rather than Arabic?

Yemen Times started as a change agency, not as an unbiased paper. Because we are published in English, we have greater influence with potential donors and other outsiders who could contribute to building Yemen’s infrastructure. We acknowledge that our audience is invariably more educated and international – if we wanted to reach into rural areas, for instance, we would have used radio. In addition, we have more political freedom when working in English. Writing in English fills a gap and acts as a bridge, making Yemeni affairs accessible to the wider world.

How free are you really in your reporting? Are there any ‘red lines’ you can’t cross?

We say a lot of things, and we say them quite strongly. But we are in English, and our president is female…this perhaps stems some of the most potentially harsh repercussions. We also make sure that, when taking a stand on an issue, we are employing constructive criticism. We need to make sure that we are not associated with any political party, because we are not, and simply bashing the current system could make us appear partisans.

What is your take on the role youth are playing in the current protests?

It is good, of course, and Yemeni society will never be the same. However, there are currently no formal representatives speaking on behalf of young people, and this may prove challenging when it comes to negotiating concrete changes. There are currently 5 student representatives who are meeting with the president today, but they are not formally speaking on behalf of others. Still, it’s a start.

You mentioned earlier that radio, not newspaper, is the most penetrating media in the country. Can you elaborate on that?

This is in part because of the difficulty it would take to distribute physical paper to the far flung parts of the country. It is also, of course, indicative of the fact that many cannot read but are still engaged in their country’s affairs. I remember one time there was a large birth control initiative in some rural districts that was failing miserably. President Saleh got on the radio and spoke in support of contraceptives. In the following weeks there was a noticeable move towards accepting and even asking for contraceptives, because ‘Saleh told me on the radio’.

The Sana’a Cultural House

Looking through the window and out onto the street in the Old City.

Yesterday a group of students traveled to the Sana’a Cultural Heritage House – an ancient home in the Old City that has since been turned into a museum.

The house is a fascinating glimpse into the long history of Yemen and Sana’a in particular.

The curator took a minute out of the tour to speak a little about the history of the house.

We climbed to the rooftop just in time to see the city awash in early evening light.

Bint as-Sahn: The Perfect (Yemeni) Dessert?

Bint as Sahn (“Daughter of the Dish”)  is a traditional Yemeni dessert         consisting of light, flaky dough topped with sesame seeds and honey. Yesterday students were treated to a lesson in how to cook this tasty dish, and now we can share the recipe with you!

• ½ Kilo of flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 large spoon of kreme caramel
• ½ spoon of yeast
• ½ spoon of salt
• ½ spoon of sugar
• ½ cup of sumun (ghee or clarified butter)
• A little vegetable oil
• Sesame seeds
• Black sesame seeds
• Honey, as much as you like!
• A large, round baking tray (we used metal)

1. Heat up the sumun until it liquefies

2. In a large mixing bowl, put in your flour, yeast, kreme caramel, sugar, and salt

3. Make a hole in the middle of the flour

4. Put in your two eggs and one cup of liquid sumun

5. Add enough water and begin kneading with your hands. Slowly add water as needed until your dough reaches a gooey buy firm consistency. After about 6 minutes of kneading, add a small palmful of vegetable oil.

6. Once the dough is suitable solid, cover it with a plastic bag and let it sit while you grease the baking trays with a little leftover sumun and flour

7. Take little fist-sized balls of the dough and place them in the pan until you have used up all the dough. Then roll the balls until they are smooth and solid. Cover with plastic when you finish.

8. With the back of a spoon, lightly spread a little vegetable oil over each one.

9. Take a ball and put it on a well-floured surface. Flatten it out with the tips of your finders. Then toss it back and forth like a pizza, widening and flattening the dough until it is very thin (much thinner than pizza would be!). If it rips a little, its not a huge problem.

10. Place the dough in an empty baking tray and spread it out, pinching the sides to the sides of the tray.

11. Repeat the flattening process with each ball of dough. For one tray of bint as sahn you want around 8-9 layers of dough.

12. After you have applied the second layer of dough, drizzle a mixture of liquid sumun and vegetable oil over the dough. Spread about and repeat for each successive layer.

13. Once you have reached your top layer, drizzle sumun and vegetable oil and then spread the sesame seeds over the top.

14. Bake in a hot oven for around 10 minutes, or until the dough looks cooked. You do not want it too crispy – remember, these are very thin layers and will cook quickly!

15. As soon as the bint as sahn is removed from the oven, pour as much honey on top as you like, cut yourself a slice, and enjoy a bit of Yemeni cuisine at its finest!!

A Week in Aden

In November the YCMES, like much of Yemen, took an official break for the Eid al Adha holiday. During this time, several students took advantage of their free time and traveled to Aden, the famous port city of southern Yemen.

The view of Crater, a district in Aden, from the site of the old Zoroastrian temple

Traveling to Aden from Sana’a, one is able to fully grasp the geographic and cultural diversity of the country. Aden’s history as a trading center and its almost 200 years under British rule have resulted in a a cosmopolitan center much different from the capital to the north. One is immediately struck by the wide streets, post-colonial architecture (the traditional ‘gingerbread houses’ of Sana’a are not to be found), and relatively laid back and liberal atmosphere.

Danielle hanging out with some new friends on the beach

During the trip, we made the most of our time by first exploring the old district, Crater. Evidence of its multicultural past could be seen in the numerous churches, Hindu temple and even a defunct Zoroastrian tower of silence. Afterward, we settled down for a cup of tea by the sea, climbed the famous Seera Castle (video above) and ate freshly-caught seafood. And of course, we spent plenty of time on the lovely, secluded beaches!!

Yemeni students head to Germany

Laila (featured in the video below) is participating in a Yemeni-German exchange program administered by the YCMES. Five German students arrived to the College a week ago and will remain here in Sana’a for 5 months. Today, our five Yemeni participants embark on their semester-long journey to Germany. In this video, Laila shares her thoughts about the upcoming trip.

My birthday party in a Yemeni household

-Mac (Houston, TX)
September 25^th was my birthday. A few of my Yemeni friends made every effort to ensure that I had the chance to make a wish and blow out candles just like I do back home in the States. In this video, you’ll hear both the English and Arabic “Happy Birthday” songs.