 | Yemen for a Younger Audience
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| | Yemen for a Younger Audience
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Yemen's unique identity is amply illustratedin the books and articles that scholars and travel writers produce atan unfortunately rather slow pace. It is not hard to find materialsthat adults can read for learning more about Yemen. But what aboutthe younger audience, starting at about middle school level? Thatquestion can now be answered with a recent publication on Yemen in aseries about "Cultures of the World." The author, Anna Hestler, is aprofessional writer who has never actually been to Yemen. However,she has done a good job in bringing together useful and relevantinformation about Yemeni culture without the journalisticexaggeration that characterizes much that is written about thecountry. Despite the inevitable minor errors one might expect in apublication of this kind, this is a book I would be happy for my ownson to read.
This very readable volume combines a concisesurvey of Yemeni history and culture with an attractive range ofphotographs and a map that actually represents Yemen afterunification (lots of books on library shelves lead people to thinkthere may still be two Yemens -- at least in a strict geographicsense). The chapters, as shown in the box, cover just abouteverything with a level of English that should be accessible tomiddle schoolers without turning off adults. There is not a lot ofdepth here, nor would it be warranted, but there is a respectableoverview that portrays Yemeni culture as unique in its own way andnot just the wild, khat-eating, rhino-depleting tribesmen so oftenencountered in "popular" newspaper and magazine articles. Thetopographic map (pp. 122-123) includes Socotra, but is somewhatstingy in listing major towns or identifying the major wadis. Asection on "Quick Notes" is the bare bones of a general encyclopediaentry and the glossary mentions less than two dozen Arabic terms(although most of these are genuinely Yemeni terms and not justcommon Arabic words). The index is ample and user-friendly, but thebibliography is awful. Of the six works mentioned, three are not atall appropriate for a younger audience. As much as I admire TimMackintosh Smith's recent travel account, I think it is far toosophisticated for a pre-adult audience (I refer to the prose and notto Tim himself, of course). Nor would I recommend the self-servinglyslick Motoring with Muhammad to teen or adult. I am not surethat most teens could wend their way through the Serjeant and Lewcocktome, if anyone could in fact find it outside a university library.That said, I must admit that there are few books on Yemen I can thinkof that would be useful additional reading for a younger audience.This, in itself, speaks well for the need the present volume fillsfor our nation's library shelves.
Whenever an American or European encounters and writes about Yemen, the tendancy is to focus on the exotic. For Yemen this is most often the chewing of qât, which tends to be negativized as some not-yet-in-America narcotic or romanticized as the golden fleece of organic speed. Hestler first discusses qât under a section on agriculture, following a discussion of the decline in viable household farming and growing dependence on imported crops. She states (p. 41):
"Another reason is that more qat, a shrub whose leaves are chewed for their stimulating effect, is being grown at the expense of food crops. A great deal of controversy surrounds this crop. Although women chew qat, it is more prevalent among the men. Many men spend a large portion of their income and a fair amount of their time chewing qat. This habit used to be confined to the rich elite, but it became affordable to the rest of society when incomes rose. Because of the high local demand, a large number of farmers have converted their land to qat."
This is a straightforward discussion that isreasonably accurate. It is also important, in my own experience, torecognize that production of qât has its advantages forsmall farmers and traders. And it was not just the rich who used tochew, as a visitor to cosmopolitan Aden earlier this century couldwell attest. Illustrating the discussion is a photograph of aqât field. Unfortunately the accompaning caption isludicrous! (Qât is the Yemeni substitute for alcohol.When chewed for a long time, it induces a state of happinesscomparable to the effects of alcohol.) Obviously, the writer of thecaption has not chewed qât or has a very idiosyncraticview of what the effect of alcohol is. If the author means that bothare social in nature, I can see the point of a better wordedcomparison. But anyone who drinks alcohol as a stimulant is in for asurprise. Indeed, it is the anti-stimulant nature of hard booze thatsome Yemenis choose to counteract the qat. At any rate, aphoto (p. 63) of Yemeni men chewing has a caption that notes thatYemeni men chew "because they believe it can give them strength." Nota very strong argument, I am afraid. It gives endurance, but surelythis implies something more than mere "strength" even at the middleschool level. Under a section on leisure, "men's gatherings" arediscussed as follows (p. 104):
"The afternoons are quiet in many towns because men often attend qat parties, which may last for as long as four hours. The parties take place in the mafraj of a house, and everyone takes turns hosting it. The custom is to bring your own qat. Information about where the gatherings will take place on a particular day is exchanged in the market or at the mosque.Since Yemenis love verbal banter and jokes, the afternoon parties usually begin with the exchange of good-natured insults and jokes. Afterward, weighty subjects such as politics, business, religion, and the economy might be discussed in smaller groups, or in pairs. Important business decisions are sometimes made at these gatherings. Quite often poetry is composed and recited. On a special occasion there might be dancing, music, and singing. But there is usually some quiet time at the end of the gathering for enjoying the view or simply meditation."
Some substitute for alcohol, especiallywhatever odd ideas teenagers can develop today aboutdrinking!
There is much to speak well of in this text.It is good to see that Yemen is portrayed as a democracy (struggling,to be sure) and thus a political system "unique on the Arabianpeninsula" (p. 31). Also, the population is not just lumped into anamorphous group of "Arabs" but is recognized for the diversity ittruly has (p. 51) and for having tribesmen who are not Bedouinsnomads. The chapter on lifestyle is especially welcome; I appreciatethe attention paid to explaining the basic social values andhospitality of Yemeni society. There is even a discussion ofzâmil (p. 90)! Women's issues are also well represented inthis book, from the important role of women in agriculture (p. 43) totheir dress and social activities. A sidebar (p. 32) notes that Adeniwomen demonstrated before unification for fear that many of theirrights would be taken away by the more conservative religious climatein the north. Another sidebar (p. 36) discusses the role that womenplay in the Islamic party known as Islah. You can even read aboutsome popular children's games (p. 101-102).
Some of the information is a bit misleadingor just plain wrong. It may indeed be that date palms can grow up to92 feet high (p. 14), but I for one have seen none that tall inYemen. Would it not be better to give an average height? Mostcertainly there were no giraffes (p. 15) in Yemen a century ago oreven a millennium ago! It is surely a bit idealistic (as well ashistorically inaccurate) to assert that everyone in Yemen convertedto Islam around A.D. 628 (p. 22). The history chapter barely coversthe medieval period and concentrates most of the attention on recenthistorical contact with the West. Also, it is a bit too general tostate that women do not usually go to the suq in Yemen (p. 43); itdepends where you are. I also seriously doubt that "almost half thepopulation in Sanaa used to be Jewish" (p. 53). While it is indeedthe case that a number of English words derive from Arabic (p, 82),"checkmate" is from Persian, not Arabic! Those who savorshafût will remember the hot chilis, but search in vainfor the beans (p. 121).
This is still a book that I highlyrecommend. It would make an excellent gift to a later elementary orearly middle school age kid. And AIYS members can take a 30% discountfor a price of $13.93 (rather than the list price of $19.90): soorder online today from http://www.timesone.com.sg/te.
Favorite Foods and Drinks
"Every community has its favorite fare. Cityfolk enjoy fruit, honey, vegetable stews, salads, and rice. Along thecoast, people eat fish. The tribal people love their local porridges,which are highly nutritious.
Bread is to Yemenis what pasta is toItalians. Every day the women of the household will bake enough breadfor breakfast, lunch, and supper. There are all types of breads, andmost are made from local grains. Khubz tawwa ("KU-butz tah-WAH") isordinary bread that is fried at home, and lahuh ("LAH-huh") is afestive pancake made from sorghum. In the cities, modern bakeriessell oblong roti ("ROH-tee") loaves. The word roti was introduced along time ago by Indians who traded in the port of Aden.
The national urban dish is saltah("SAHL-tah"), which means soup. The favorites are lamb or thicklentil soup with vegetables such as beans. Sometimes refreshing greenyogurt soup called shafut ("SHA-fuht"), made with sour milk mixedwith chili beans (!) and herbs, is poured over bits of bread andeaten in the afternoon.
A typical desert is bint-al-sahn ("bintal-SA-han"), a sweet bread made from eggs. This is dipped in amixture of butter and honey.
The world-famous Yemeni coffee from the portof Mocha is not as commonly drunk as tea because it is moreexpensive. Instead, people drink a flavorful brew known as qishr("KU-shir"). The drink is made from ground coffee husks and ginger.For those who prefer a stronger coffee, there is bunn ("BUN"), atraditional coffee made straight from the beans. For Yemenis theperfect end to a meal is tea in small glasses, usually very sweet,and sometimes flavored with cardamom or mint.
Boil the lamb stock then add chopped meatand vegetables. Thicken the soup with a well-beaten egg. Then addcoriander leaves and bring to a boil again. Put the hilbah mixture ontop and serve immediately with rice, potatoes, or flatbread.
To make hilbah, pour a cup of boiling waterover fenugreek and let it steep for three hours. Drain off the water,beat fenugreek with garlic, tomatoes, onions, salt, and spices" (pp.120-121).
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