27 March 2011 (Author’s Note: The opinions and record of events expressed here are solely that of the author and are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. Comments are appreciated and welcome, an readers are free to share this with friends and colleagues. Hope you enjoy!)
I have written previously about the significance of my flat’s location in Sana’a over the last two months, and how it has offered many interesting experiences and opportunities. At the moment of this writing, Yemen is on the brink of a successful revolution and the end of a thirty-two year regime. Not surprisingly, then, now presents an even more fascinating and intriguing time period. Even as President Ali Abdullah Saleh visibly loses his grip on power and seems days, if not hours, away from hanging up his hat, Tahrir Square remains occupied and busy with his supporters. Change (Taghyir) Square, on the other hand is busier now than ever and has, based on my walks through the area on an almost daily basis, grown to its largest size yet.
On account of these two political strongholds remaining occupied, life in my neighborhood continues to feel like being between two different worlds. I especially recognize this polarity when I walk from one demonstration area to the other continuosly. Just like the midpoint between two magnets, the area between the two protests is filled with tension and an almost electric feeling of energy. This keeps a constant edge to life, as it seems something could happen at any moment. Both suprisingly and not, the people in Sana’a, including myself, have quickly grown accustomed to these changes and adapted life’s daily routines to fit the current situation.
One thing that I have not allowed these circumstances to change, however, is my love of walking through Sana’a, including the Sana’a University area and Tahrir Square. Since the massacre on 18 March 2011, the tension level has remained at an all-time high. Immediately following that day, it was difficult to know exactly how to act. People had difficult emotional responses that laid a collective weight over much of Sana’a. I myself had trouble sleeping for a few days and did not feel at ease immediately either.
By the end of that week even more things occurred that significantly changed Yemen’s future. General Ali Mohsen, a high ranking brigadier general, changed his position and took sides with the protestors, guaranteeing them protection from further attacks. This move started a windfall of resignations by various members of ministries, the military, and other government positions. Suddenly the opposition had gained much more muscle that could be used in their attempts to negotiate or force President Saleh to step down.
While all of these things were occurring, people tried to maintain life’s normal daily activities as best as possible. Some things reamain unchanged, while others have changed drastically. Although I avoided Change Square for a few days this past week, I have continued to use walking as my chief mode of transportation and still enjoy relative freedom in navigating Sana’a. This week, after my second failed attempt to fly to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjoro, I have had much more spare time in my days and have used this time as an opportunity to better understand what daily life is like at the protests.
Yesterday I used this opportunity to walk to the locale where last Friday’s shootings took place. This was the first time I had been to this site since the shooting, and the first time I had been to that area in several weeks. While I was on the scene, I spoke with several men about details from the incident including which buildings were used by the snipers and where the dead and injured were during the attack. In the process I learned two Arabic words for massacre, madthbaha and majzarah. One of the men I spoke to had excellent English and was there the day of the shootings. He took me on a walking tour of the area and did a great job explaining the events to me. He even pointed out a spot where one of the victims was shot and explained that it was his headband that still laid there, surrounded by rocks in improvised fashion. This helped me better understand the incident and was, despite its sadness, fascinating.
At present, this site is still part of the protest area and is blocked off from traffic. Near the center of where the violence occurred that day is a makeshift memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives. The area, as well as the whole protest area, is adorned with pictures of the departed along with words to help remember them by. Despite the tragic loss, these men are being thought of as martyrs and for helping stimulate what seems likely to be yet another toppled Arab regime. Although it is on a much smaller scale and not official, this memorial reminded me of the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial and the feeling I had when I visited it.
Not long after visiting the site of the shootings I made my way towards my apartment, but made a stop at a CD shop on the way. For the past few weeks I had been trying to find music similar to what I hear when I walk through Change Square and had had limited success. My Arabic teacher had given me the name of one singer and also told me I would have the best luck looking in the area near the protest. With greater optimism than in previous attempts, I went into a shop and proceeded to explain to the men working there that I had heard some music while walking through the protest and wanted to buy some cds that were similar. Not only was this great Arabic practice, but was completely successful! In fact, when I later listened to the cds I heard at least two songs that I recognized from Change Square. It may seem small, but this was a huge win for me.
To sum up, the area around Change Square is more lively than ever and holds a level of excitement indicative of a win in the near future. Tahrir Square, on the other hand, lately has begun to feel like the losing team’s side of a stadium at a football match. The fans (or Saleh supporters) have not completely given up on their team (Saleh) and are still cheering and wearing their apparel, but there seems to be a sudden realization that this game may be out of reach for a victory. There remains enough hope, however, that the people and the tents remain, while President Saleh, from the countless pictures, continues to stand guard from nearly every angle imagineable. Watch out what you do, someone is watching you!
With nearly two full months of protests behind us, it remains difficult to tell what the immediate future holds for Yemen. Much like the heavy sandstorm that recently fell upon Sana’a and much of Yemen, there remains a large cloud of uncertainty over all of Yemen and its political dilemma. Will Saleh tap out and thrown in the reins, making way for a new political system? Or will he continue to grip the reins tighter and make his already white knuckles whiter? Only time will tell.........
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