5 Cultural Producers Shaping Yemen’s Creative Landscape

With its long sea border between eastern and western civilisations, Yemen has long existed at a crossroads of cultures with a strategic location for trade. Large settlements have existed in the mountains of northern Yemen as early as 5000 BCE. In current times, the on-going conflict in the country has resulted in one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, with more than 17,500 civilians killed and injured on record since 2015. In the face of great trauma, Yemen’s creative community are still pushing hard to be heard, sharing their work through the Internet, publications, and via the burgeoning cultural platforms, foundations and galleries which have emerged in the country over the very recent years. Through diverse mediums, the nation’s artists depict an honest and nuanced reflection of life in contemporary Yemen, offering a multidimensional perspective on their reality. To learn more, Something Curated takes a closer look at the practices of five Yemeni creatives.

Asim Abdul-Aziz, Filmmaker

Asim Abdulaziz is an experimental filmmaker and visual artist based in Aden, Yemen. His work has been exhibited locally and internationally, across his home country, the US, and most recently, the UK. Last year, the young filmmaker received a grant from the British Council, facilitating the production of his short film, 1941. The compelling work is a 5-minute experimental short, which reflects on the idea of distraction, specifically in the context of crisis and war. Through its rhythmic and repetitive movements, Abdulaziz places his audience in the present moment, distracting us from mulling over the past or fear of the future. Among other accolades, 1941 was awarded the Best Experimental Film and Best Cinematography prizes at Canada Short Film Festival last year.

Ibi Ibrahim, Artist & Curator

Behind Arsheef, Yemen’s first contemporary art gallery, launched in 2019, artist and curator Ibi Ibrahim has most recently founded the Romooz Foundation. Located in the city of Sana’a, the independent, non-profit foundation is dedicated to the promotion and development of Yemeni art and culture. Through local and international exhibitions featuring the work of Yemeni artists, music production, trainings, residencies, workshops, literature events, conferences, film festivals, artists talks, and public programming, the foundation aims to contribute to the development of a pluralistic, democratic society in Yemen. Through the organisation, Ibrahim aims to promote art as a means for conflict resolution, peace-building, learning and social development.

Somaya Abdulla, Photographer

Yemeni photographer Somaya Abdualla’s evocative images, which span portraiture, documentary photography and still life, among other genres, capture intimate moments across Yemen’s diverse regions and landscapes. With an eye for colour and light, Abdualla’s works can appear dreamlike at times, with a feeling of softness inherent in her images. From bucolic scenes of rural life in the green hills of Al-Mahwit, and striking representations of local architecture, to very personal insights into the routines and daily rituals of Yemeni families, with a focus on their matriarchs in particular, Abdualla’s compelling visual output offers a fascinating and distinct perspective on life in current day Yemen.

Sana Uqba, Poet & Journalist

A professional journalist, in recent years, writer Sana Uqba has turned to poetry, gaining a cult following online among Yemenis and the diaspora for her pertinent words. Poetry, for Uqba, is also a way of processing collective trauma. Following the publishing of her debut poetry collection, War & Love, speaking with The Guardian back in 2019, Uqba explained: “Poetry is given a lot more value and honour in Yemen [than in the west]. So when writing my book, I knew it had to serve a purpose – a peacemaker but also an unconventional newspaper to inform readers of what is happening in Yemen in a more artistic and creative way. I’m a firm believer in art being a form of resistance.”

Muhammad Al Hejry, Musician

Instrumentalist Muhammad Al Hejry’s practice seamlessly bridges the past and present, embracing innovation and tradition in equal parts. The talented Yemeni musician has a keen interest in preserving, and ultimately reviving, the ancient songs and melodies of his native Sana’a. Hejry is one of the few remaining champions of the turbi, an ancient, oud-like instrument now made only by one remaining craftsman in the Yemeni capital. Bringing the instrument into the modern day, Hejry collaborates with international artists and has even modified the turbi itself, adding more strings to the instrument to be able to play a wider range of music.

Feature image: Still from 1941, 2021. Directed by Asim Abdulaziz. Photo: British Council