Celebrating Yemeni photographers on Women’s Day
On the brink of civil war, Yemen is currently one of the most undesirable countries to visit due to the imminent threat of conflict. The closing of embassies and growing political, social and ideological separation may worsen the situation in the country. The future is uncertain and people are living in conditions that can badly affect them but the people of Yemen are not hindered by fear.
Despite the difficult situation described, the 8th of March was not ignored by the Yemeni society. Driven by motivation and sheer resilience, Women’s day, which was called “I AM A WOMAN” was celebrated in Sana’a. Many difficulties occurred and challenges were faced while deciding how and where to celebrate the event. But Yemeni women didn’t give up! A team of three women, photographer and women’s rights activist Bushra Al-Fusail, Nina Aqlan from SPARK and a female rapper Amani Yahya collaborated to put together an exhibition of photos hosted by a popular café among the locals, Coffee Corner. The photos of the gallery were captured by Al-Fusail, featuring work by Maha Senan, Arwa Al-Hubaishi and Rooj Al-Wazir as well. These talented photographers created work that expressed the struggle faced by women in Yemen yet simultaneously captured their strength and invincibility.
The event was organized in order to show that in spite of emerging crisis, the women in Yemen should not lose hope or allow it to diminish their spirit but rather rely on the support of the activists and encourage each other. Women’s rights are one of the main and most discussable topics that are taken into consideration by many groups of people in the Yemeni society. Women in Yemen are facing many difficulties but celebrating an event in honor of women is a promising sign towards progress in the future.
