The Ambassadors - NATIONAL PROFILE - Vol.5, Issue 2 (July 2002)

T. I. Farag

A. S. Toughan

In the three previous issues, we tried to present our experience in Yemen four decades ago. It was difficult for both, a community doctor (TI Farag) and a journalist (AS Toughan), to be in Yemen during the early '60s, a time that coincided with both the Cold War and a local civil war. We both consider ourselves fortunate to have observed the birth of a unified Yemen. What we witnessed was a national transformation. A true success story of modernity, an uneasy yet wonderful transition from tribalism to nationalism, instigated by a dedicated population of Yemeni men and women. Having read all the old published books on Yemen written by diplomats, historians, doctors, traders, adventurers and travelers, we noticed that their content was sometimes contradictory or even unsubstantiated. One book mentioned that the train system in Yemen before the 1960s was very comfortable. Since a rail system never existed at the time, the statement is a confirmation that the author did not actually go to Yemen! In the previous issues, we reviewed the two interesting books authored by the German doctor Eva Hoeck and French doctor Claude Fayein. One of the earliest accounts of progress in old Yemen came from a 18th century Danish mission.

For those who are interested in reading a thoughtful and meticulous description of lifestyle in old Yemen, they have to trace the journey of the first scientists sent to Yemen by Danish King Frederik V, 240 years ago. The team of five researchers left Copenhagen onboard the Greenland in early 1761 and arrived on the coast of Yemen on December 29, 1762 (Niebuhr C. 1772 - "Troubles Through Arabia and Other Countries in the East"). They vividly described the country, architecture, markets, fashions, food, and people. They also wrote about the infamous plant Qat (Catha Edulis) which some referred to as the flower of Paradise!! (TG Kennedy 1988 - The Flower of Paradise, Reidl Publishers book). One of those assigned to the team was an artist, Baurenfeind, whose drawings and many portraits include one of a Yemeni rural girl. This is the oldest known artistic representation of a Yemeni female (Thorkild Hansen 1964 - Arabia Felis).

My book entitled, "Konto Tabeeban fi Al-Yemen" (translated as: "I was a doctor in Yemen"), which was published in 1973 a 1975 included a description of my memoirs as the first community pediatrician to arrive in Yemen in the early 1960s. My work in Sanaa, Taiz and Mocha hospitals and my medical visits to Radae, Yareem, Zamar, Al-Hogariya, and Ibb put me in the position to report my observations from a country whose infant mortality rates exceeded 300/1000 live births.

A new edition of the book is under preparation in English and will include the illustrations and portraits of Mr. Toughan, which can be particularly useful for any research studies on the developmental marathon in Yemen. It is notable that infant mortality rates dropped in the 1980's to 131/1000 live births and in the 1990's to 75/1000, a leap from those reported in the 60's. There is now an immunization project in collaboration with the UNICEF and WHO against the six fatal diseases (tri-vaccine, polio, measles and hepatitis vaccines. Life expectancy was 35 in the '70s and rose to 47 in 1998. There is now a good number of well-trained Yemeni doctors in most specialties. More recently, I enjoyed reading the PhD thesis of Dr. Nagiba Al-Ghani entitled, "Danger Factors and Mortality Among Mothers Visiting Hospitals in Yemen". It is a truly instrumental contribution to the literature on medical progress in Yemen.

Also cited in my book is a discussion of the ongoing battle of between the country's top two products, coffee and qat. Unfortunately, the outcome was not in favor of Yemen's economic progress as coffee production dwindles while qat grew exponentially. This has left Yemen, which was once the primary coffee producer, out of the top 10 list of producers in the world (Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Guatemala, Ecuador, Cote d-Ivoire, and Vietnam).

In studying the history and progress of women in Yemen, we could admire the phases of modernization through the portraits of distinguished artists depicting women in different eras. Fortunately, we have unearthed the illustration by Baurenfeind, which was drawn 240 years ago depicting a rural girl. This can be compared with the two portraits of tribal women painted Toughan in 1964. Toughan also represents women in modern Yemen in his portrait of Ms Gameela, a journalist who graduated from the American University in Cairo (AUC) and who is a distinguished figure in the Yemen's embassy in Cairo.

Yemeni rural girl (Baurenfeind 1762)

Yemeni tribal woman (Toughan 1964)

Yemeni woman (Toughan 1964)

Yemeni journalist (Toughan 2001)

The Yemeni ambassador in Netherlands, Mrs. Amat al-aleem Al-Soswa BA (Cairo), MA (Washington, D.C.), was the head of the Yemeni Women's Union and author of many books including, "Yemeni Women in Figures" which was published twice in 1996 with the help of UNICEF and the Netherlands embassy in Yemen. She has published many interesting studies on Yemeni society including:

In one of her books, she discussed how Yemeni women now participate in the political system. Yemeni women have been granted suffrage rights and the right to be electoral candidates. It is clear they are exercising these much-appreciated rights:

Amat al-aleem Al-Soswa's book also includes other very figures emblematic of the gradual progress in women's welfare:

Unified Yemen will always remember two national days: 26 September 1962 and 22 May 1990. When they celebrate the 40th anniversary of Yemen's delivery (by cesarean section), they will look to their past and future. Today there are two universities in Sanaa and Taiz in addition to Arwa University are factories where thousands of Yemeni youth of both sexes get the chance to pursue their studies. In their celebrations, it was found that the best way we can salute them for their achievements is by inviting Mr. Mohamed Al-Asadi, a young Yemeni journalist, who graduated from Taiz University, to contribute in this series of "One thousand and one nights in old and modern Yemen."

Prof. Talaat I. Farag, MD, FRCP(Edin), FACP, FACMG, is a community geneticist and syndromologist. He is the founder of The Ambassadors Research Foundation in 1998. Email: drfarag@ambassadors.net

Mr. Ahmed S. Toughan is an international cartoonist, journalist and political analyst. He is one of the founders of Al-Gomhorriya daily newspaper (1953), Cairo, Egypt. Email: toughan@access.com.eg

By Mohammed al-Asadi
Deputy Editor - Yemen Observer (www.yobserver.com )
International correspondent for The Ambassadors Magazine
Email: alasadi@yobserver.com

Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Between the 12th century BC and the 6th century AD, it was part of the Maenian, Sabaean, and Himyarite kingdoms, which controlled the lucrative spice trade, and later came under Ethiopian and Persian rule. In the 7th century, Islamic caliphs began to exert control over the area. After this caliphate broke up, the former north Yemen came under control of Imams of various dynasties usually of the Zaidi sect, who established a theocratic political structure that survived until modern times. By the 16th century and again in the 19th century, north Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire, and in some periods its Imams exerted suzerainty over south Yemen. The north of Yemen obtained its independence from the Imams's rule in 1962. The south of Yemen, by the way, was occupied in the meantime by the British colonizer. After the 1963 revolution, the government adopted the socialist system. The two parts witnessed several border clashes and troubles up to May 22, 1990, when Yemen was reunified.

Geography & Topography

The Republic of Yemen lies at the southwestern corner of the Arab Peninsula between longitude 12 degrees and 20 degree north and between 14 degrees and 54 degrees east. The country's total land area is about 460,000 km2 and is bordered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the north, the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean in the south, the Red Sea in the west and the Sultanate of Oman in the east.

Diversity of both landscape and seascape shape a particular character to Yemen. The country features low lands and coastal plains and green valleys of running water during rainy seasons. The vast desert of Yemen extends to the east and north (especially northeast) of the country. The natural topography of Yemen is divided into five differing regions; the coastal region, the highlands, the mountains, the Empty Quarter and Yemeni islands.

Yemeni islands are scattered along Yemen's territorial waters spanning the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. Such islands enjoy their own special weather conditions, environment, vegetation, landscape and natural set up. Most of the islands are in the Red Sea forming an archipelago along Yemen's coastal strip. The Island of Kamaran is the largest and most important island. It is inhabited and contains rare wildlife. To the north and south of Kamaran, there are many other small islands. Meyoun Island (Perim) controls Bab Al Mandab and divides it into two parts. Soctra Island is the largest and most famous, which enjoys abundant and rare fauna and flora. Around 35,000 people inhabit the island of Soctra. They have their own different language, tradition and culture. Recently, many infrastructure projects are being executed on the island.

The population of Yemen grows by 3.7% per annum, one of the highest growth rates in the world. Some recent surveys showed population growth at 3.5%, thanks to government efforts on family planning and increasing public awareness. Yemen's population is around 18 + million.

Modern Yemen

On May 22, 1990 Yemen was unified after extensive efforts started from early seventies after the two separate states of Yemen; the south and the north had realized their independence.

President of the Republic, Ali Abdul-Allah Saleh was able to bring the two differently ideologies closer. The unity of Yemen was a dream for the two peoples that came ultimately true. The newly emerged Yemen adopted democracy, multi-party governing system and freedom of press within its new policy. It paid due attention to human rights, poverty alleviation programs development and building a solid infrastructure bases for the modern Yemen and so on and so forth. Yet, the joy of people did not last for longer than nearly four years. In 1994 the Socialist partner in the establishment of Yemen called for separation again. People could not imagine returning to the isolation era; therefore they fought the separatists and got rid of them. The 1994 civil war caused the country huge losses. The country had to rebuild all ruined buildings, cities and military camps, etc. But due to the extensive efforts of the government and all concerned political parties the country was able to recover sooner than expected. The government adopted several developmental programs with the aids of foreign donor countries. The situation got calmer, safer and very encouraging. Investors came to invest and provide chances; tourists visit Yemen to explore the Arabia Felix.

Once the country went on shaping its new image, building its international and regional relations, it was hit by terrorists. USS Cole bombing at the coast of Aden in October 2000 had very bad results on the country. It did not only affect the political and security situations only, but also the economic as well. Investment and tourism were negatively affected. Yemen also suffered from kidnapping foreigners by tribesmen. They try to push the government to carry out essential schools, hospitals and roads in their districts. They resort to that alternative.

"Yemen believes that security forces and machines cannot ensure total and perfect peace," a high security official told the [Ambassadors Magazine]. "You know. The hungry man is an angry man. Only through development projects, foreign aids, job opportunities, poverty alleviation and the like, security can be totally ensured."

English in Yemen

Yemen's First International English Language Teaching (ELT) four-day Conference was organized and hosted by Hodeidah University in April 2002. The theme of the conference was "Old Borders, New Crossings: Thinking - - -Rethinking ELT in Arabia Felix." The conference aimed at providing a forum for university teachers and other educators to exchange views and strengthen ELT practices in higher education. Several English language scholars and intellectuals from several international and local universities attended the conference. The conference covered a variety of subjects including linguistics, phonetics, literature, ELT methodologies and curriculum. The participants presented a variety of papers, seven of which were presented by Hodeidah University students. International language scholars contributed significantly in this conference and their input hopefully will be taken into consideration.

H.E. Dr. Yahya al-Shoebi, Minister of Higher Education, described the conference as a major contribution to the development of ELT in Yemen. He added that this is a golden opportunity to exchange views and experiences with language scholars from all over the world. However, Dr. Qaism Berihe, University Rector, held a different view. He said that during a conference such as this one, all of us are bound to gain new, yet conflicting insights into the English language, its literature and ELT. But how we become wiser with such gained knowledge, Dr. Berihe argued, would be our individual responsibility. "We should remind ourselves that we are not mere teachers but awakeners," Dr. Berihe concluded. Dr. Ibrahim Omar Hugari, Dean of the Faculty of Education, praised the team who made this conference possible. He added that this conference afforded us a chance to hear internationally renowned scholars. Moreover, Prof. Dr. T. Balasubramanian, head of English Department and conference organizer hailed the presence of such scholars from distinguished universities who provided useful advice and suggestions. Dr. Balasubramanian concluded, "The conference, in my vision, is not a mystic [experience] but as a [teaching one], unveiling doubts about where we were, are and will be. [This is] an awareness that will benefit our learners in the end."

Yemen's First International ELT Conference, was a success at all levels and a dream come true for Hodeidah University. The recommendations were declared in the closing ceremony by Dr. Qasim Burihe, Rector of Hodeidah University who believes in mutual cooperation among the Yemeni Universities and in the implementation various updated ELT techniques. He argued that enhancing the participation of teachers of different sections at the universities and public schools level is very important. Finally, he stated that keeping in touch with the specialized organizations and institutions in ELT methodology is critical to using the best procedures in this field.

Yemen has adopted its constitution in May 21, 1990 the eve of the unity. It was formally ratified in May 1991 by the parliament. The legislative system is a bicameral legislature with 111-seat Shura Council and 301-seat House of Representatives. In Yemen, the constitution calls for an independent judiciary system. The former northern and southern legal codes have been unified. The legal system includes separate commercial courts and a Supreme Court based in Sanaa. From an administrative point of view, Yemen is constituted of eighteen governorates subdivided into districts.
As far as the political parties are concerned, the General People's Congress (GPC), Yemeni Grouping for Reform (Islaah), Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), Baathist parties, Nasserist parties, and Muslim fundamentalist parties are the most prominent one respectively.

Media/Press

Yemen has an official satellite channel and two more local channels in San E1a, the capital and in Aden. From the beginning of June 2002, Yemen is supposed to broadcast to the United States and some parts of Canada. There are also five radio stations operating in five provinces: Sana'a, Aden, Taiz, Hadhramout and Hodeidah. There is neither private radio nor TV channel.

Yemen has adopted in its policy as we said the multi-party governing system and freedom of press. Therefore, each party has its own paper. Besides, there are three government dailies published in Sana'a, Aden and Taiz. There are also a good number of weekly, monthly and periodically official magazines.

Moreover, the private sector has its share in the printed media. The only two English-speaking newspapers (Yemen Observer and Yemen Times) in Yemen are run by the private sector. Other promotional and yellow pages papers do exists but are not widely spread.

In general, there are more than 180 publications licensed by the Ministry of Information. Most of these publications stopped. Currently there are around fifty to seventy publications including newspapers, magazines and bulletins.

Yemen & Western Media

Frankly speaking western media does not always communicate the two sides of the story. Most of what they deliver is against the country. That they communicate distorts that image of Yemen. It became a hard duty on the local media to defend the misunderstanding about Yemen created by the western media. Not only this but also the September 11 attacks played a great role. Since the hijackers, who performed the attacks were said to be Arabs.

Economy

At unification, both parts of the country were struggling underdeveloped economies. Low domestic industrial output and a lack of raw materials made the country dependent on a wide variety of imports. Since unification, the government has worked to integrate two relatively disparate economic systems. However, severe shocks, including the return in 1990 of approximately 850,000 Yemenis from the Gulf States, a subsequent major reduction of aid flows, and internal political disputes culminating in the 1994 civil war hampered economic growth. Ever since, the government entered into agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to institute an extremely successful structural adjustment program. Phase one of the IMF program included major financial and monetary reforms, including floating the currency, reducing the budget deficit, and cutting subsidies. Phase two would address structural issues such as civil service reform. The World Bank also is active in Yemen, providing an $80-million loan in 1996. Yemen has received debt relief from the Paris Club. Some military equipment is still purchased from former East bloc states and China, but on a cash basis.

Petroleum industry

On the other hand, a total of 170,000 barrels per day were produced by Hunt Oil, an American company operating in Marib in 1995. A small oil refinery began operations near Marib in 1986. A Soviet discovery in the southern governorate of Shabwa has proven only marginally successful even when taken over by a different group. A Western consortium began exporting oil from Masila in the Hadramaut in 1993, and production there reached 420,000 barrels per day in 1999. More than a dozen other companies have been unsuccessful in finding commercial quantities of oil. There are new finds in the Jannah (formerly known as the Joint Oil Exploration Area) and east Shabwah blocks. Yemen's oil exports in 1995 earned about $1 billion. Marib oil contains associated natural gas. Proven reserves of 10-13 trillion cubic feet could sustain a liquid natural gas (LNG) export project. A long-term prospect for the petroleum industry in Yemen is a proposed liquefied natural gas project (Yemen LNG), which plans to process and export Yemen's 17 trillion cubic feet of proven associated and natural gas reserves. In September 1995, the Yemeni Government signed an agreement that designated Total of France to be the lead company for an LNG project, and, in January 1997, agreed to include Hunt Oil, Exxon, and Yukong of South Korea as partners in the project (YEPC). The project envisions a $3.5 billion investment over 25 years, producing approximately 3.1 million tons of LNG annually. A Bechtel-Technip joint venture also conducted a preliminary engineering study for LNG production/development. It is noteworthy that the second Oil Conference is to be held in Sana'a during June 24th -25th.

Yemen has a unique landscape and seascape that make it a worthwhile visiting destination. Due to the decrease in the tourists figures used to visit Yemen, the government was obliged to build a strong tourism strategy. A new ministry of tourism was established within the new cabinet. The ministry tries to beautify Yemen's corrupted image. They are proposing strategies, holding workshops and defining more strategic plans to draw the attentions of tourists. Moreover, excessive efforts are being exerted to develop the local and internal tourism. There are hundreds of archeological sites, historic cities, rich-cultural museums and traditions. The old city of Sana'a was nominated for the new world seven wonders project that was sponsored by UNESCO. The city of Shibam Hadhramout is the first skyscraper town on earth. Zabid, Hajjah, Marib, Taiz, Jeblah, Ibb, etc are also of the very enchanting places of Yemen. Foreign writers, visitors and even missions agree totally that Yemen in general is an open natural museum.

Foreign Relations

Yemen is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the organization of the Islamic conference. Yemen participates in the nonaligned movement. The Gulf crisis dramatically affected Yemen's foreign relations. Yemen enjoys very strong and long lasting relations with its neighboring countries and well as the rest of the world. Yemen foreign policy is said to be tremendous success in respect to the massive destructive character of the country that was shaped by western media. It plays a remarkable role in the national, regional and international issues. Yemen is a good ally in the international fight against terrorism. Yemen continues to maintain high-level contacts with Arab countries concerning the Palestinian case and the sanction on Iraqi. This hampered its efforts to rejoin the Arab mainstream and to mend fences with its immediate neighbors. As a clear evidence of the successful foreign policy of Yemen is for instance, the Omani-Yemeni border that has been officially and brotherly demarcated. Another historic evidence is that Yemen and Saudi Arabia signed an International Border Treaty settling a 60-year-old dispute over the location of the border between the two countries in the summer of 2000. Yemen also settled its dispute with Eritrea over the Hanish Islands in 1998 through peaceful means.
Currently Yemen keeps excellent relations with the United States. There is a wide scope of cooperation between the two countries in cracking down terrorism and uproot it from the region.

Much time has passed since the 7 Wonders of the World were last selected. Now on the threshold of the third millennium, our view of the world is characterized by a global consciousness. It is, therefore, an appropriate time to determine the new seven symbols of the most important human accomplishments of the last 2000 years. During the initial phase of the project we have received well over 5.5 million votes from over 200 countries. This global acceptance and the great success expressed in the number of votes received has been overwhelming and has strengthened our belief that we are on the verge of bringing about a meaningful dialogue between the citizens of the world.