شعب يجهل فن الحوار لا يستحق استنشاق حرية الثورة


شعبنا اليمني عظيم. كشفت ثوراتنا العربية عن الكثير من الحقائق، حقائق جميلة وأخرى قبيحة كقبح حكوماتنا الدكتاتورية. ثورتنا في اليمن كشفت الغطاء عن الكثيرين، وجعلتنا نميز المثرثرين بالقابهم الكثيرة وبمنصاتهم الشاسعة التي سئمناها، ورفعت الستار عن عباقرة كل الذي ينقصهم منصة ومكرفون، والعباقرة لا يبحثون عن منصة ومكرفون، وهذه مشكلة. أحلم كما يحلم الملايين بنجاح هذه الثورة، وحلمنا لابد له أن يتحقق وإن طال انتظارنا. تعلمنا الكثير خلال الشهور الماضية ولكن لم ندرك شيئا واحد بعد. شئ واحد يفصلنا عن النموذج الغربي المتقدم والمتطور بإقتصاده وتعليمه. للأسف ما يزال الكثير يجهل الآليات والأساليب المثلى لإدارة حوار. الحوار علم يدرس في جامعات العالم المتقدم ولا تمنح هذه الجامعات شهاداتها في كل التخصصات بدون هذا العلم. ورشات عمل ودورات تدريبية بميزانيات ضخمة تتم يومياً حول العالم لنشر هذا العلم. ونحن لابد ان نتسلح بعلم كهذا لإنجاح ثورتنا. وأذكر بأن هدف ثورتنا ليس محدوداُ بإسقاط رئيس بحكومته. هدفنا هو التغيير وعلينا الإلتزام بمتطلبات هذا التغيير.
آداب الحوار هي كالقوانين التي لا يجوز اختراقها وإن جهلها البعض، وعلى الثوار احترام القوانين فهم القدوة. والغريب اننا بساحتنا ومكرفوناتنا ننادي بالمدنية والديموقراطية ولكن لنقف للحظة ولنفكر. لماذا نثور؟ ولماذا نرفض الديموقراطية التي قدمتها حكومتنا السابقة؟ (نعم، لقد اصبحت "سابقة"). فما هي الديموقراطية؟ من المؤكد انها ليست مجرد كلمة تلصق بإسم الجمهورية اليمنية! الديموقراطية هي سلوك حضاري لمواطنين اختاروا الحوار وسيلة وحيدة لتمثلهم. 
شعبنا شعب عظيم بمن فيه من متعلمين ومثقفين وقبائل وشباب يفتخر بأفكارهم العظيمة. ولمن يشك في ذلك أنصحه بأن يتجول في خيام ساحة التغيير. لكن على الرغم من كل هذا الزخم في الساحات، إلا أن أفكارا عظيمة أهدرت بسبب فوضى الكلام. الأفكار التي لا تجد آلية أو وسيلة مناسبة تحسن تقديمها، تظل هذه الأفكار مجرد كلام لا يعمل به ولا طائل منه. 
وفروا طاقاتكم لمقايلكم الترفيهية وجنبوا الشباب مضيعة الوقت فشبابنا يعيد بناء ما اهدرتموه لسنوات. 
الكلام هو الرياضة التي يلعبها الجميع لكن القليل جدا من يتقنها. والمثير للشفقة ان مثقفين/ات نسوا او تناسوا كيفية الحوار، وكل منهم يبحث عن منصة. ماذا عن " الرأي والرأي الآخر"؟ اقوال لاتدعمونها بافعالكم وكم كثرت اقوالكم. لن اطالبكم بأن تكثر افعالكم كما تكثر سياراتكم واراضيكم، وانما اطالبكم بأن لا تنسوا الشباب الذين أخذوا حديثكم واحلامكم على عاتقهم ومضوا بها في 
ثورة ومن هؤلاء من من حملكم أنتم وأحلامكم إلى حدّ الشهادة. يا عيباه!!



By the voice of Aseel Hawi

Hope in Yemen


If you are at home..
In dark night staying alone..

Thinking about future..
Making plan in picture..

Waiting for something coming..
But it is just the beginning..

If you are patient you are going to win..
But do not give up because it is not the end..

Try many ways..
They will work next days..

Anywhere you will face light..
That’s you if you are right..

Do not forget you are just a human..
And there are many people who are mistaken..

Remember that you have HOPE..
What ever happened to you never STOP





By the voice of Mahmood Al-Matari .

Leave With Your Hideous Face!

The horrifying scene of Yemen is nothing more than a reflection of your disgusting soul. That is the way that I address my honorable president, Ali Abdullah Saleh. I am saying this from the bottom of my heart.  Every part of my soul supports this statement. With every cup of tea I begin my morning with, with every ounce of sunshine shining through my window, with every patriotic song I hear, I say leave. Leave with your hideous face. I am tired of the violent images, of seeing my home destroyed building by building, human being, by human being.  I feel the pain in every single word I hear from my father. Countless and fruitless are the moments he tries so desperately to make me feel that the situation is not that bad, and  that he and my family are doing great. Sorry to admit this father, but I do not believe you, because the tone in your voice says otherwise. I wish I could go home at this moment and do something that can help remedy the situation, but I quickly realize just how powerless I am. I try to write, but I cannot see the words, because of the tears that fill my eyes and soak the pages.

I continuously recall my childhood, when I would head to school to listen to a patriotic Arabic teacher that I was really inspired by. He used to teach me songs about the beauty and greatness of Yemen. From a very young age, I began questioning the real definition of home. Was it the red, black and white flag that ruffled gracefully from the school courtyard? Was it the national anthem and patriotic songs I learned from my teacher? Was it the books that were read by a young child striving to reach the top of her father’s library, or is it the name of my country that blows me away every time I hear it. I thought about all these definitions, and I realized that home is comprised of all that, if not more. But that was the definition of home in a nave questioning mind. I grew physically, but that child remained, and the definition did not change, but rather became a wider definition, whose meaning has been lost by the sad reality of Yemen’s current situation.

Home is no longer the paintings drawn by small fingers. Home is no longer the songs I learned from my teacher. Home is no longer the majestic flag hanging overhead. Home is no longer the books that I stretched so high to reach in my father’s library. Home is now a new painting, drawn no longer by my small fingers, but rather by my incessant tears. Home is no longer my father’s library with its opaque windows, but rather an entire country with its demolished buildings and terrorized people, which is still beyond my reach. As my little hands could never reach my father’s books, I can no longer reach out to Yemen, to my family, and to its citizens. I am in a different land trying to read a completely different book, a tattered book, with ripped pages. I read the sadness and suffering, I read the hardships and pain, yet I read it with hope, that its ruined pages will become repaired and the future of my country will become brighter. It is this hope that motivates me and encourages me. It is this hope lets me wake up every morning with a smile on my face. It is this hope that pulls us through in hard times, and that is what we truly need. It is hope which the greatness of Yemen, has taught me to believe in.

100 days of the Yemeni Revolution


Exactly one year ago, I was in Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong. On movie night, we watched Hotel Rwanda. It is a movie that talks about the civil war in Rwanda during 1994. It was very good at depicting all the horrific scenes of murder, more appropriately referred to as mass murder. The movie brought me to tears at many scenes, every scene for a different reason. One of the scenes showed the preparation for the massacres and importing the weapons. This scene struck me the most, because it created a strong link to what is happening in Yemen. Yemen at the time was going through a war in the north, and fighting against a secessionist movement in the south. Yet the regime was not reluctant to repress every call for reform. Back then, I thought that  a civil war scenario was very possible. Yemen needs no weapons to be imported as the number of weapons in Yemen is triple the number of the population.
Today, however, I am amazed by the protestors, the tribes men, the Houthis all of whom have left their weapons behind and with bare chests fight against the regime. Today, I look at more than a 100 days of peaceful struggle that have only been faced with all kinds of brutal repression. The protestors were killed, imprisoned, bodies of dead protestors were kidnapped, and the lucky injured protestors were denied entrance to public hospitals, and the less lucky, were kidnapped from the public hospitals and beaten harshly. All that and the whole world is watching. The Gulf initiative that is supposed to be signed today by the president gives him immunity against the wishes of many Yemenis, yet it provides the only solution so far. Yet, the question that poses itself strongly right now is what is next. The Yemeni people are patient, but I am not sure for how long will they stay be patient while they are being killed.
One of the excuses that have hindered the revolution strongly is what comes after the revolution. Many were afraid of the rise of fundamentalist groups, yet looking at the program of the Joint Meeting Parties; let me assure you, that will not be possible. The reforms that will be introduced include mainly three essential actions: firstly, a proportional representation system, second, a parliamentary system and last but not least federalization, all of which ensure that power is not concentrated in the hands of one person.  The proportional representation system ensures that no one person is elected due to their tribal descents but rather based on their agendas. It also ensures that every vote is counted.  As such, it is usually harder for one party to get a majority, and a coalition is more likely to be needed. This leads to the second change we will witness, a parliamentary system. The parliamentary system gives the parliament the right to appoint and dissolve the government, this will force the coalition of parties to abandon fundamentalist ideas and come to a common ground on many issues. With the variation we have in Yemen, this will give parties as varied as the Islah and the Socialist parties the chance to be active and tamed by one another. Finally, comes federalization that is a solution that will pacify the secessionist movements in both the south and the north as they will be able to govern themselves. This will give the country a chance to prosper as they will be more conscious to the needs of their own regions.

I couldn’t agree more with Kofi Annan when he said in his interview with the Financial Times “It takes lots of energy, persistence, for them [the youth] to stick with it. And not only stick with it, but they need resources, they need determined leadership to be able to go all the way, before the revolution is hijacked by the organised who may not necessarily share their dreams.” [1] The need for monitoring and accountancy in the new period in the Yemeni history can’t be denied.  There are many ways things can go wrong, yet there are many opportunities ahead of Yemen, and the help of the international community will be needed.
I am very hopeful as I see that the activists understand that their role doesn’t stop with the transfer of power, it only starts then. I’m also optimistic to see that the youth don’t consider the GCC initiative the end of the revolution, and understand how more action is needed right now more than ever.  As this revolution seems to come to an end, let us stop for a moment to admire how it has changed many and made the Yemeni people leave their weapons behind. the Yemenis now has practiced their right to express their opinions, their right to organize themselves and their right to ask for change and as they revolt against a dictator they will also ensure that they don’t replace him with another. Yemeni’s have learnt a lot from this revolution, and it is time for the international community to understand the importance of the power of the people.

By the voice of Mona Mohammed

Home...

Here I am home. This is the place where I wanted to be for the past two months since the revolution begun in my home country. After few hours of arriving Sana’a, my city, I found myself standing in the change square surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands or even millions, of protesters listening to the chants “leave, leave and leave”. Yes! It is the revolution fever! My feelings and thoughts are indescribable. I don’t know if this supposed to make me feel happy, sad, overwhelmed, excited, optimistic or frustrated.
My concern is that people here became consumed with the revolution and the change movement. Unlike Egypt, sense of humor is forgotten and smiling became a burden because this is way too serious. The revolution took a long time and people here are on their nerves. The hope of overthrowing the regime became the only thing that runs life here. At the beginning I thought that this massive energy will eventually run out, but I realized that most of the people here are who lost someone, a member of his/her family or a friend, or unemployed young person who considers the idea of protesting much more entertaining than sleeping and …sleeping. The protester here defined as a person who suddenly discovered that his life was denied. This is the place where you basically get your anger and frustration out in a more justified mess. Or even worse, the protesters have no other option; win the revolution or be ready to die because it is too late to step back. Oops!!
I like the mixture of protesters in the change square. There, I found young and old people from different backgrounds with great determination to get their country back. It is the first time for me to see men and women talking in public. Tents are all over the place, where people get to know each other. Some do sleep in those tents. I admire the simplicity of those people and I regret that I could not be part of this from the beginning.
It is time for our parents to realize that the years of their life were an illusion or just an introduction of a real life that will start only by the success of this revolution. Their and our dreams are not allowed to be postponed any longer. Zero tolerance…
Standing here is challenging; mentally challenging. It is a place where I realized that my inherited morality and the defined set of principles that I was taught became an old-fashioned approach to face such tremendous changes. My previous knowledge and experiences are not enough to tolerate the shocking facts that are thrown into my head. However, this is a valuable experience lo learn.

What are the risks? Basically anything and everything. I am not exaggerating at all. Many protestors, especially writers, have been tortured, missing, threatened and even murdered. It is enough to live the psychological pressure of a revolution to be in risk.
I am optimistic. There are also many positive perspectives in all this mess.. I can summarize them in one hint; finally the Middle East found its way to end its misery and found the right tool to show the west and the developed world how to fight terrorism. Killing Osama was accomplishment that nobody can deny, however, as I mentioned before terrorism is not limited in Osama and Alqaida because many Osamas can be created. The concern of the protesters about Osamas news is that killing Osama may make him a hero and a model for some that would take more than ten years to fight.
The Yemeni president, Ali A. S., has realized that he is in a trouble and found himself already subjected to an endless list of crimes that would prosecute him anyway so killing 25 million makes no difference for him. His current plan is to make life in Yemen as hard as possible. Cooking gas and vehicles’ gas are almost impossible to find. Electricity power is cut most of the day. Most of the roads are closed, driving around became a burden because of the countless checking points, blocking websites, poor internet coverage..etc. At the same time, he is trying to manipulate the protesters!! He announced that the government will provide 6000 jobs in every Yemeni city as well as free health insurance for 500,000 merited assuming that people will stop protesting. He is illiterate enough to not realize or may be choose not to realize that this will slaughter the sluggish Yemeni economy. Basically, this man is going insane.
This message may sound too emotional. The truth is this is just a tiny fraction of the feelings caused by my trip from the richest country in the world, where my greatest concerns was waking up at 8:30 in the morning for my first daily class, to the revolution fever in my home country.



By the voice of Aseel Hawi.

انا ،هي...... وانت


خانها امام كان يدعى بـ يحي حميد الدين ومن بعده أبنه .. سلب الاستعمار حريتها واغتصب ارضها .. .. فأنتفض اجدادنا واباءنا وارجعوا لها كرامتها وحريتها واستقلالها .. عاشت بعدها بسلام .. وأمان ..واطمئنان .. فأتيت انت تدوس على جثث الاحرار صاعداً لتنال حظك منها وتنهب خيراتها وكأنها ليست ملكاً لأحد ! .. تنكرت بقناع الطيبه والحنان والموده والسلام .. ولاكنك تخفي بداخلك الغل والحقد والجهل ونقص الخلق ومن الظلم اطنان .. استخدمت اسلوب " إفتن" بينهم و"اكذب" عليهم لكي تكسب حبها وحب من هم حولها لأنك تعلم انهم ضحوا بدمائهم وبأغلى ما يملكون لحمايتها .. فهي جوهره لا تقدر بثمن .. اغتلت من اغتلت سراً وقتلت من قتلت علناً.. لم تعلم يوماً ان لكل ظالم نهاية وان اجدادي واباءي سطروا لكل من ظلمها بالدماء حكاية ..

شاءت الاقدار وكتبت لي حياه في هذه الدنيا.. فتربيت على ارضها ومع اهلها واكلت من بساتينها وشربت من مائها وينابيعها .. فتعلقت بها شديد التعلق واصبحت جزاءً منها .. في العقد الاول من عمري .. علمتني كلمات مثل .. كبرياء .. كرامه .. حريه .. عزه .. قوة .. شجاعه .. ابداع .. امل .. طموح .. الخ .. ولم افهم معانيها الحقيقيه الا في العقد الثاني من عمري عندما تعرفت عليك ! وعرفت من انت وماهي افعالك .. فأنت من سلبتها مني .. بإعتباري جزء لا يتجزء منها .. جزء لا يتجزء من هذه الجوهره المسلوبه

هي نقيه .. طاهره .. حنونه .. جميله .. وتحمل كل الصفات النبيله.. وانت !! انت !! انت ينبوع الصفات الرذيلة ... معادلتان من درجات مختلفه ! ! ولأكثر من ثلاثة عقود لم يستطع احد ان يفصل ويزيل هيمنتك عليها وعلينا !! .. تعبت واصابني اليأس وقلة الحيله ..انت واقف امامي تصرخ وتضرب وتنبح.. وهي جالسة بجانبي متعبه مجهده من شدة الالم.. قاتلك الله كم عذبتها .!.. اصبحت كل نوافذي مغلقه .. وغرفتي مظلمه ..وفجأه هبت رياح غربيه .. هزت كل نوافذي وارتطمت ببعضها البعض ...فتحطمت ...فأستنشقت رياح الحريه .. حينها .. وقفت امامك ورأيتك امامي تتقهقر واصبح صوتي اعلى واكبر .. صوت الحريه .. صوت الكرامه .. صوت التغيير .. صوت العزة والقوه .. صرخت بأعلى صوت .. فلترحل .. فلترحل

انا : الشباب الذي صرخ في وجهك اليوم .. ورفض ان يعيش الارافعاً رأسه ..

هي : حبيبتي اليمن ..وقسماً بدماء شهدائنا اننا سنعيد لها كرامتها وحريتها وسوف نداوي جرحها .. فدمائنا فداء لها ...

واما انت : انت ! .. انت من اشعلت بداخلي شرارة الغضب .
وستخلد كزعيم سفاح قاتل خان شعبه ووطنه . 


By the voice of Malek Emad

لن استسلم



ماذا عساي افعل

وماذا عساي أقول

كل ما حولي شيُ

يستدعيني للذهول

غدرُ وقهرُ وقمعًُ

وقدرُ أصبح شبه مجهول

اشعر بالضعف ولا أريد

أن أكون شخص مذلول

فينتابني الغضب

وارفض المثول

أمام طاغية عن كل

جرح ينزف هو المسئول

فأبكي تارةُ واصرخ تارةُ

فالوضع أصبح غير معقول

لا ولن نستسلم والله شاهد على ما أقول

By the voice of  Zaina Albasha