Written by Abdulhakim Al-Ansi
Three years of war have left Yemen damaged and paralyzed. Nowadays, everything you hear about Yemen is conflict, division, food crisis, and cholera. People around the world are wondering how Yemenis are still able to cope with this multiple crisis and how life is going on in this country.
According to UN reports, Yemen is experiencing a critical humanitarian situation, and the number of people in need is still increasing. Despite the fact that more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, people are still surviving and fighting to defeat the harsh circumstances of the current crisis.
Social life and division:
The war that started in March 2015 forced around three million people to flee the conflict zones, and as Yemen is a blocked country, people have to move within the Yemeni borders. As a result, most of the families came to cities like Sana’a, which is considered as one of the calmest areas, considering the frequent airstrikes and fighting on the ground happening in other governorates. The conflict has brought Yemenis from different places to the capital city in greater numbers than ever before. Many families that used to be separated across the country are living in one city now. In the neighborhoods of Sana’a, you feel that the diversity of the society is being championed after the war has damaged people’s lives and filled their hearts with hatred. In one residential building, you will see dishes of desserts coming out from an apartment going to another one. Friends who belong to different Islamic sects are having their Iftar together during Ramadan. Colleagues who have different political views are still working for the same goals while accepting each other’s opinions. Although the war undoubtedly has a negative psychological impact on each and every person, we can find a wide segment of the society trying to keep the beauty of having their hearts united.
Fire Up & Fire Down:
If you are having a night drive in the streets of Sana’a and you stopped on one of the hills, you would see the city is drowning in the dark; there is no electricity at night since the war started three years ago. However, you will definitely notice so many fireworks going up to the sky from different area. These fireworks will make you feel that national day is being celebrated around the city while the truth is there is many wedding parties beautifully lighting up the gloomy sky of Sana’a. Surprisingly, these colors don’t stop even when the military crafts are hovering above or even hitting some areas of the city; the party continues and Yemeni people will keep dancing till the very end.
“Where is the bomb?”
Imagine yourself hearing the sound of bombs coming from different places around you; there is no electricity to turn on the television and it’s too late to call people and ask what is happening. This is what the situation of Yemenis used to be like during the first months of the war, and, from here, the idea of “Where is the bomb?” was developed by a group of social media users. This is a group on Twitter and Facebook in which you can find information about where the explosions are occurring. This group has rapidly been followed by a large number of social media users who wouldn’t only read the news but rather would update the page with instant photos, videos and information from where they are living. Such an initiative made the internet the fastest source of news and led people to adapt to sharing news through this interactive medium. The most interesting part of this, to me, is that the older generation finally broke the barrier between themselves and technology in large part due to the use of social media in spreading the word about this conflict. They started learning the ways of using smartphones, how to use mobile data, and how they can dive into social media world. Nowadays, you will see people above 60 putting their reading glasses not only surfing for news but also downloading books, watching YouTube, and listening to their favorite music.
Read more about CARE's work in Yemen.