A videotape by Walther Grotenhuis. 40minutes. Olympic Films, 1993. Distributed by Filmakers Library. 124East 40th Street. New York, New York 10016. Rental $55. Purchase$250.

Drawing on symbolic opening of Bab al-Yamanin Sanaa, this cinéma vérité montage portrayssocioeconomic change through contrasting images of daily life. Thedialogue, shown in subtitles, is between the people interviewed andthe director's translator. There is no commentary; the viewer is leftto interpret the images presented. This is both the video's strengthand its weakness. The photography shows Yemen's stark contrasts: lushgreens and dry browns. Viewers familiar with Yemen will recognize theplaces and identify with the people. They will also appreciate thatthe issues and themes Grotenhuis presents are part of the dailydiscourse on traditional and modern Yemen. However, the lack of thisinsider's background distinguishing between the old and new may bedaunting.

The old characterization of Yemen as ArabiaFelix was based partly on the availability of water for agriculture.It is fitting that water, in particular its uses and shortages, is arecurring topic in the video. The opening scenes are of men manuallydeepening an old well in Sanaa. The workers explain rain shortfallsand new wells outside the city have lowered the water table. Thiswell must be at least twenty meters deeper to again drawwater.

Water remains the topic in a village wherethe shaykh explains how he distributes seasonal water. Unrolling a300-year-old document, he describes how long each parcel of land iswatered. He also explains how conflicts sometimes arise withneighboring villages over shares of the water. In the midst of thediscussion of such traditional practices we get glimpses ofbelt-driven pumps spewing water from tube wells for women to washclothes and men to irrigate qat.

The rural setting provides an easytransition to discussion of tribal life. A shaykh's leadership andadministrative roles are explained briefly. The shaykh links tribalidentity to weapons. Tribesmen demonstrate rifles, automatic rifles,and rocket launchers as the tribal approach to defense of land andespecially fields of qat. Other scenes of tribal life includea zamil.

The director questions the use ofqat. A shaykh informs him that chewing is a customary practiceand that qat is a social lubricant. Chewers do not mention thecost of daily chewing, but several chewers, including the shaykh,comment critically on the time lost in qat sessions. These opinionsare familiar to researchers and it will not surprise them that evenas the criticism mounts no one abandons their leaves and charges offto the fields.

At a rural wedding, we see the exchange ofceremonial greetings between the armed men from the bride's andgroom's parties. Later we watch hosts and quests eating harősh andshafüt at the wedding feast. We also see the shaykh buying alarge amount of qat for the afternoon chew. Characteristicallyhe pays for this with wads of money carried casually in a plasticbag. There are some brief scenes of men testing their shootingability. This results in a comic moment when a tribesman laments onthe shooters' inability to hit the target.

At the wedding, Grotenhuis addresses men'sand women's roles. The expressed rural male view is that women shouldremain veiled, apart from men, and in the home. The directorcontrasts this opinion with images of an unveiled woman using aloudspeaker mounted on a car to encourage women in a Sanaaneighborhood to improve household cleanliness. The message ispresented as an Islamic duty; the health worker stresses that Allahcommanded women to maintain a clean house. We also see veiled womenbringing instructional videos into homes to show neighborhood womenways to improve family health. The lesson shown is on clean drinkingwater and proper hygiene.

The director asks women about the changes intheir lives. They comment on the importance of this education. Theyalso explain the importance of the veil and how they use it toconceal their emotions. The women give us a quick lesson the languageof the eyes. This segment concludes with a woman baking bread, not inthe traditional wood fired oven but a butagas fueledtannur.

The film maker's treatment of women's rolesand their influence raises questions of Western ideas. Men questionthe loss of customary ways, not they say because of its impact ontheir power over women, but because history has shown that traditionwas best. We get the feeling they are dissembling. Women call formore freedom, more decision-making, and more opportunity to be activeoutside the house. They expect the process of change to be slow.Scenes of praying men and veiled women reinforce the power and placeof tradition.

The closing scenes show contact with theWest. We see Yemeni men and a few women attending a performance ofthe East European circus. The performers shown are women. The malereaction seems akin to viewing a striptease; the female response,like the veil, is impenetrable.

Oil, Yemen's future, is presented throughimages of the CanOxy wells in Hadramawt. The commentary is sparse butthe size of the installation suggests the significant impact oil willhave on the Yemeni economy. Also, the remoteness of the site suggeststhe Yemen remains insulated from many changes accompanying oilproduction.

Fittingly, the final two scenes return toSanaa. Both portray aspects of change. In the first, a scoop loaderremoves garbage from the trash clogged sayl just east of TahrirSquare. Yemeni comment on the filth and remark that this would nothave been a problem under the imam when seasonal rains would haveflushed the largely biodegradable waste out of the city.

In the concluding scene, we are presentedwith Bab al-Yaman, its gates now permanently open. It is thisopenness that Grotenhuis focuses on. If the imam prevented trash itwas because there was no consumer economy. Yet, with these positivechanges come problems.

At the outset I remarked briefly on thedifficulty viewers new to Yemen may have making sense of what theyare seeing. For example, men and boys are shown enjoying rides at anamusement park. While this is certainly new to Yemen, Americanaudiences will view these rides as antiques. Although a publisheroffers the film with an introductory anthropology text book, I do notthink it is suitable for general classroom use. The lack ofcommentary and a clear story line may make it hard for students topiece together what is happening and understand the film maker'spoint of view.

On the other hand, for more knowledgeableviewers familiar, the videotape offers a refreshing, honest portrayalof the contrasts that are contemporary Yemen. This video has agenuineness that is absent in some films on the Middle East. Most ofus have experienced the events shown. We have heard the controversyover qat, listened to arguments for and against the veil and thechanging roles of women, are familiar with the rapidly decliningwater levels particularly around urban areas, and observed thegrowing consumer economy and the disposal problems attendant to it -in sum, the positive and negative consequences of Yemen's openness.Grotenhuis's images present the complexity of these issues and remindus of the contrasts.

The film is selective; it does not show manyfacets of Yemen. Although a few scenes include posters of 'Alő 'AbdAllah Salihţ and Saddam Husayn, understandably the video does notmention the government and shows no soldiers. Likewise, construction,traffic jams, blaring radios and televisions, schools, and childrenare absent. The emphasis is clearly on presenting a few imageswell.

In this video, as in our experience, Yemeniare so comfortable being themselves that they do not attempt to puton a show. The images also refresh our memories of what isdistinctively Yemen: rifles slung over pegs along the walls of themafraj, men squatting around plates of bint al-sahn and susi, thecheeks bulging with qat, the distinctive Sanaani veil, or aused sport coat seller at Bab al-Yaman. Viewers will enjoy hearingthe characteristic intonation and pronunciation of the centralhighlands and recognize the distinctive Yemeni sense ofhumor.

The issues Grotenhuis presents arecontemporary and pressing. It is on this level that the videotapeexcels. It is a welcome addition to the visual resources onYemen.

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