Yemeni men, women and children filled a hall earlier this month in Sanaa that involved rebels, laughing and clapping as actors took to the stage with hilarious relief for the country full of war.
Yemen’s conflict has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the UN says, and the poorest country in the Arab world has also been hit hard by the coronavirus novel.
In an attempt to entertain the soft-spoken crowd, a group of struggling artists in the capital of Sanaa performed a play called Yemeni Film, which reflected the hardships of the country.
It has revolved around young people who want to make a film but face challenges, including violence, air strikes, lack of funding and a shortage of trained actors.
In an effort to avoid the areas of political fragility and any background, the actors turned to comedy to paint a picture of their image.
For the dozens of men, women and children who were packing the Sanaa cultural center, it was a welcome relief from their daily struggles.
They chewed, whistled and laughed openly, sitting side by side without a face mask, despite the dangers of coronavirus.
“We, as hardworking artists, cannot provide food support or stop the ongoing conflict,” said Mohammed Khaled, the play’s director.
“All we can do is provide entertainment for the people to get them out of their current situation and an artistic message that they can enjoy. “
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, were killed and millions killed in the Yemeni war, which erupted after Iranian-backed Huthis took control of Sanaa in 2014.
The conflict has deepened since 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened to support the government against the rebels.
After five years of war, malnutrition has reached its highest levels and pushed the country further to famine, the United Nations World Food Program warned in early December.
Despite an agreement from the UN reached two years ago between the warring parties, a peaceful settlement has not yet been reached.
No infrastructure
The conflict has affected everyone and everything in Yemen, Khaled said, and the art scene is an exception.
“This play is about me, and about the struggling artists and filmmakers in Yemen,” he said.
Before the war, Yemen had a small but young film and theater industry but few mobile cinemas featuring old films, and cultural centers or schools often provided a backdrop for plays. who spoke on politics or important moments in Yemeni history.
Over the years, some Yemenis-made films have made headlines.
Karama has no walls, a short documentary by Sara Ishaq, is a 2014 Oscar – nominated film that told the story of the 2011 protests in Sanaa.
The documentary I am Nojoom, Age 10 and Separation – the true story of a children’s bride – was submitted for consideration at the 2017 Academy Awards but was not selected.
Drama 2018 10 days before the wedding that told the story of a couple who tried to tie the knot during the war to choose Yemen as Yemen ‘s entry for Best Foreign Language Film next year, but it was not named.
“The biggest problem we face is that there are no movie theaters,” Khaled said.
Today filmmakers do their job but “upload it only online”, he said.
“There is no financial return and this weakens (our ability) to sustain the business.”
‘Yemen we miss’
But these are not the only challenges.
The Huthi authorities that control Sanaa – which has Old City as one of the four Unesco World Heritage sites – have imposed strict rules on dress, sex segregation and entertainment in the capital.
Although Yemeni society has always been conservative, it has traditionally allowed space for personal freedom and for cultural events, including entertainment.
Actor Ahmad Hilmy hopes such activity will return to Sanaa.
“We are actors and filmmakers who suffer a lot from the lack of infrastructure for the film and theater industry,” he said.
Sanaa resident Ayash Subai said cultural activities should be used to draw from conventional headlines that only feature Yemen as a war zone.
“This is what the country’s young people miss. These actions provide the beautiful and positive image of Yemen that we miss,” he said.
To make up for it, Subai said, young people follow the work of Yemeni artists online.
“But this is not enough,” he said. – AFP