The Republic of Yemen lately became infamous for its long-lasting humanitarian crisis. Yet, on the ground, UNESCO and partners continue to invest in cultural heritage, creative industries and intercultural dialogue in an inspiring effort to promote human rights by innovative means.
Ask anyone about contemporary Yemen. Sadly enough, your counterpart will probably think first – if not only – about the country’s dramatic civil war, which started in 2014. UN organisations tirelessly raise awareness about what became the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. On 1st March 2021, one of the latest failed again to gather sufficient support, raising only some $1.7 billion of the $3.85 billion appealed for in 2021.
With famine looming, Yemen should not be forgotten in diplomatic fora – but it should also be remembered for its extraordinary civilization, once home to Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba and her legendary Kingdom. Its centuries-old heritage and strong regional traditions are to be found in places such as the historic town of Zabid, in Sana’a’s tower houses or in the impressive verticality of Shibam’s fortified walls. All three sites joined UNESCO’s World Heritage in the 1980’s and 1990’s and are now on its endangered list. These testimonials of a fantastic urban civilisation have been enfeebled by the conflict and should urgently be safeguarded.
Culture – although often labelled as “non-essential” in the current pandemic and in most emergency settings – remains an essential foundation for Yemenis’ identity and dignity, a cornerstone on which the future of the country will be rebuilt.
Supporting livelihood through heritage projects
Working beyond the huge needs of Yemen’s humanitarian emergency, 91鶹Ʒ partnered with the European Union on a 10-million-euro project to support Yemeni cultural industries and heritage. Significant funds have already been invested in urgent interventions in the field of urban rehabilitation: over 8,000 historical buildings have been surveyed and about 130 have been stabilised or rehabilitated. Moreover, these interventions have enabled the enrolment of some 1,300 young workers – hence supporting both Yemeni heritage and its people’s fundamental rights through livelihood opportunities. Youth employment perspectives – most affected by the conflict, and made even grimmer by the pandemic – can, hence, represent a strategic investment for stabilising entire communities.
Rehabilitation of a tower house in Shibam. Young Yemeni workers under 35 perceive daily wages to support rehabilitation works. December 2020. © UNESCO
This “Cash for work” approach also applies to the other workstreams of the EU-UNESCO partnership, relating to youth engagement and the cultural industries. Income-generating and dialogue-opening opportunities merge into innovative contributions to reconciliation, paving the way to recovery with handcrafted mortar. Eight small grants have been distributed to boost income-generating projects in the creative sectors, with a focus on training and peer learning. One of them was submitted by ’s Youth of the World Together (YWT) Organisation.
Working from California since the foundation of YWT in 2015, 29-year-old Nasser and his fellow founders convinced several high-level donors – such as the National Endowment for Democracy, Germany’s Aid Agency GiZ, the European Union and UNESCO – to invest in Yemen’s cultural industries and filmmaking. “I discovered so many creative opportunities in California, I felt a social responsibility to share these with my friends back in Yemen”. Now hiring 15 full-time staff in Yemen, YWT focuses on four sectors – art, culture, media and technologies, and entrepreneurship – with the aim of bringing social change, innovation and economic opportunities to Yemeni communities by empowering youth, and connecting them with promising job or leadership opportunities. “We firmly believe in the power of art and culture to promote social change and make a difference”, summarises Nasser.
In 2018, YWT notably launched the country’s first-ever human rights film festival, called . Its latest edition, organised online, proved a big success: its free tickets were sold out over a few days. “It shows how hungry for movies and culture Yemenis currently are”, comments Nasser. Programming content from Yemen and the West – but also from other countries of the region such as Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – the festival’s team was not afraid to act as pioneers. “Someone needed to pave the way for the future and let Yemenis get used to the idea, as they tend to get used to anything – be it the war, the politics or the electricity shortages.”
Let willpower triumph: A Film Factory for Yemen
Besides YWT’s annual “Mentorship and Grant programme”, designed for intermediate filmmakers, Nasser and his team wanted to develop a project for beginner or emerging Yemeni filmmakers. Partnering with the New York Film Academy, their proposal – The “Yemen Film Factory” – combined a six-week online training programme with production, networking and broadcasting support. With only USD 45,857 granted by UNESCO o EU funding, the project allowed 12 participants (six women and six men from various regions of the country) to develop and produce short documentaries on little-known aspects of Yemeni culture. The results showcase an extraordinary variety of talents and topics – from the art of tea- and coffee-making to contemporary practices such as dance and fashion design. Shot in four cities confronted with different political rules – Sana’a, Aden, Zabid and Shibam – these 12 short films act as a compass to rediscover Yemen’s creative and cultural diversity. They also prove to be a great way to travel in pandemic times, and to recall what contemporary Yemeni culture stands for beyond the sufferings of the war. From various cardinal points of the Yemeni map, each documentary sets a very personal and touching tone.
Benefiting from the expert mentorship of the New York Film Academy, along with the expertise of Award-winning Yemeni director Mariam Al-Dhubhani, participant Entesar Al-Duais was excited about this lifetime opportunity: “It was great for us to learn about storytelling and editing in a very different way than what is taught at the University. We are now truly able to build a story from scratch and to put our skills into practice.” Her documentary on traditional silver jewellery was shot in old Sana’a. “I wanted to show the world the beauty of Yemen. But I’ve also learned a lot about other regions’ cultural diversity by exchanging with other participants.”
Entesar Al-Duais, a participant in the Yemen Film Factory, chose to dedicate her documentary to traditional silver jewellery in old Sana’a. © YWT
Challenging stereotypes – both as a result of the film production and as an integral part of the process itself – the training brings hope for the future of Yemen. “Most diplomats focus on stopping the bloodshed, which is crucial. But the war will end someday, and we want to be ready when it does – by creating an openminded dialogue, educating Yemeni youth about their human rights today and bringing positive projects to light amidst an area of closure,” explains Nasser.
In this context, art is no luxury: it is generating income but also social change, hence paving a more solid way for peace. Entesar herself is enthusiastic about promoting her film and developing other documentaries showcasing Yemeni diversity in the coming months. “After this training, we can do anything”, concludes Entesar with a great, confident smile.
Discover the 12 filmmakers talking about their motivation in joining the project:
Conference on “Restoring Livelihoods Through Culture in Yemen”
UNESCO and the European Union are organizing an international online conference on Yemen on 26 and 27 May 2021. This event aims at sharing progress made, discussing challenges and lessons learnt in terms of urban rehabilitation and support to creative industries. It will also outline priority interventions for 2022 and beyond. The Conference will involve the Government of Yemen, UNESCO’s main implementing partners, beneficiaries from youth and cultural organizations as well as high-level experts. Side events will shed the light on projects funded by the project in support of cultural and creative industries. The 12 short films developed by the Yemen Film Factory will be available for on-demand viewing from 26 May 2021 onwards.
Follow Youth of the World Together Organisation – YWT on social media:
, , and .
The 12 filmmakers on social media and their documentaries:
- – “Jalsat Bukhari”
- – “Adeni Incense”
- – “Silver”
- – “Aqeeq”
- – “The new old”
- – “Mawaz”
- – “Blessed nets”
- – “Tehami’s Muqla”
- – “Durar”
- – “Amer’s House”
- – “Dream of String”
- – “Sharh Hadrimi”
© YWT
Based in four cities confronted with different political rules – Sana’a, Aden, Zabid and Shibam – the Yemen Film Factory’s twelve talented filmmakers each developed a short documentary on little-known aspects of Yemeni culture. © YWT
Article by Julia Dao for the UNESCO Art-Lab for Human Rights and Dialogue
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Art-Lab Talks are part of the . This is a UNESCO initiative which aims at mainstreaming the arts and culture across humanitarian and development programmes. It aims to highlight the crucial role of artists in defending human and cultural rights, and is currently coordinating a literature review on existing policies, alternative voices to the dominant cultural narrative, ethical practices and charters that promote human rights and inclusion of the most vulnerable through the arts.
The of this review were presented during a virtual event organized by UNESCO on 10 December 2020, in commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - adopted in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly.
Under the umbrella of the (2013-2022), Art-Lab participates in spearheading global efforts to leverage dialogue for development and peace.
Through a comprehensive programme of coordination, research, capacity-building and advocacy, Art-Lab underscores UNESCO’s role as the leading authority on intercultural cooperation for peace.
Art-Lab’s ambition is to consolidate a portfolio of ethical practices; produce training tools for cultural and humanitarian operators; sensitize policy-actors; train cultural, humanitarian and development workers; develop its multi-stakeholder platform, including UNESCO Chairs and international experts, art activists and development operators; and enroll over 100,000 people living in places of hardship in artistic initiatives.
