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.
