A postcard labeled “Femmes Djerbiennes” and published by Misscoui Mustapha, Fabrique de Couvertures – Houmt – Souk.
Category Archives: Photography
Photographs from Yemen: Raiman al-Hamdani
Market on road to Tihama from Hajja
There are a number of promising young Yemeni photographers. Today I highlight the work of Raiman al-Hamdani, from his Flickr site. My thanks to Raiman for permission to post these photographs.
Nagil Haraz, leading to Wadi Surdud in Al-Mahwit
Qat market in ‘Abs, near Hajja
Street Art in Sanaa
Pasted photography on wall, Sana’a 2012; photograph by Jameel Subay
From Street Politics to Street Art in Yemen
By Anahi Alviso-Marino, Nafas Art Magazine, July 2013
In January 2011, demonstrations inspired by the contentious mobilizations taking place in Tunisia and Egypt started to be carried out in Yemen. Gradually, anti-governmental demonstrators came to modify old repertoires of contention, such as the demonstration or the sit-in, into what became a permanent camp and a new space of contention in Sana’a named “Change Square.” Among the self-proclaimed “revolutionary youth” of a sit-in that lasted until April 2013 were a number of visual artists. Their presence in the Square contributed in giving political demands an artistic expression, alongside using artistic practices as a means of contention. Contributing to the symbolic aspects of this mobilization, artistic practices developed inside and outside the tents. As a continuation of street politics acquired in the Square, certain visual artists incorporated dissent, transgression, and civil disobedience in their artistic practices. Among such cases, street art techniques such as graffiti, free writing, mural painting or stenciling participated throughout 2011 in reproducing political slogans that aimed to overthrow Ali Abd Allah Saleh’s regime.
In 2012 this contentious street art underwent certain changes. Continue reading Street Art in Sanaa
Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland, #4
While surfing the book treasure site of archive.org, I came across an interesting account of a brief tour of duty of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland. This covers the years 1902 and 1903. This is continued from a previous post. …
Continue reading Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland, #4
Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland, #3
While surfing the book treasure site of archive.org, I came across an interesting account of a brief tour of duty of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland. This covers the years 1902 and 1903. This is continued from a previous post …
Continue reading Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland, #3
Agricultural policy in Yemen’s highlands and lowlands
Terraced fields below al-Saraha in valley of al-Ahjur; photograph by Daniel Martin Varisco
by Zaid Ali Alwazir, La Voix du Yemen, June 9, 2013
Agricultural policy describes a set of laws related to the local farming and imported agricultural products from abroad. These laws are supposed to be implemented to get certain results such as utilizing the land, operating it or stabilizing prices of imported and local products.
Since the start of the “youth revolution†in Yemen, talks about the political and economic reforms got increased without focusing on “the agricultural economy†as if it was not part of the general “economyâ€. Therefore, no attention was paid by reformers to this issue since their talks had been focusing on “the material economy†such as “taxesâ€, “Zakat†and others.
“Agricultural economy†is not given the required attention despite the fact that agricultural development would feed the budget with more income, boost up farmers’ capacity to give more and optimize their living standards to ensure their welfare. Continue reading Agricultural policy in Yemen’s highlands and lowlands
Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland, #2
While surfing the book treasure site of archive.org, I came across an interesting account of a brief tour of duty of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland. This covers the years 1902 and 1903. This is continued from a previous post. …
Continue reading Dublin Fusiliers in the Aden Hinterland, #2
Poster Orientalism
The most recent (April) issue of IMES (Issues in Middle East Studies), the new digital version of the former bulletin of MESA, features an article by Jonathan Casey on posters and old photographs in the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Among theses are two early 20th century era French posters on Algeria, as shown above. The poster on the left is a prime example of the Eurocentric colonialist gaze. Not only is the Algerian pressed into service, but he has a proper nuclear family of wife and child. Of course, as the donkey in the background serves to remind, Algeria is a backward country in need of being civilized. The poster on the right needs no ethnographic context; come to Algeria and be as free as the wind, where the Algerians ride their steeds resplendent in flowing robes. This right one could easily serve as a poster for the 1921 Valentino film, The Sheik.
Of the various photographs, the one that struck my attention was of a British soldier named George Mackenzie. This shows the young Lieutenant with his “chums” on the train from Beirut to Damascus. Once again the “Orient” is civilized via the gun. A world war (that did not unfortunately end all wars) that was not caused by anything in the Middle East would change the shape of the region in a dramatic way that is still playing out. To talk of an “Arab Spring,” it is important not to forget the wintry blast that carved up the Ottoman Empire into colonial pieces before oil and the modern state of Israel entered the mix.
