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Salmon Fishing in The Yemen
Last Night I caught an early screening of the upcoming film SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN which opens March 9th in the US. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, and staring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, the movie is based on the novel written by Paul Torday.
Before visiting Yemen in 2010, I had scoured the bookstores for literature and books about Yemen, but there was very little. One book that came up was Salmon Fishing in Yemen, but it had looked pretty cheesy and ridiculous so I had quickly passed over it. However, when I saw the movie coming out, I thought I’d give it a chance.
The movie, the tale of a Yemeni Sheik (Amr Waked) who dreams of financing and creating Salmon fishing in Yemen, approaches a consultant (Emily Blunt) and Fisheries Expert (Ewan McGregor) to get the project together. The Expert thinks the project is a joke and will ruin his reputation in the field, and were it not for the Prime Minister’s tough and snarky press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) who needs a “good news from the middle east” story to distract from a recent bombing, he would not sign on.
SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is filmed in the UK and Morocco (obviously not Yemen) and there is of course some stereotyping, but not the worst kind out of Hollywood. At least in this film the stereotype of the middle east is personified in a kind. respectful, gentle and knowing mystical man with a love of salmon and who looks like he is wearing too much makeup to make his skin dark and eyebrows darker. Plus then again what movie isn’t full of stereotypes.
Emily Blunt is fabulous, and so is Ewan McGregor, and Kristin Scott Thomas has a nasty sharp wit that is quite funny throughout. Sure enough, the film is as implausible as you would think, but it is based on a novel after all – i.e. it’s fiction. What’s more, it is a satire, and the media spin to create a buzz feels spot on. All in all the film does have many funny moments, and of course, is another one of those feel good movies.
The Movie opens March 9th. in the US
Elections in Yemen, but what is an election when there is no choice to make?
This image of the Yemeni ballot belongs to freelance journalist Tom Finn, sent out via twitter today @tomfinn2 ”For those of you wondering this is what a one-man ballot paper looks like. #yemen pic.twitter.com/pGVmDX1F
Elections are taking place today in Yemen to replace Saleh. However, there is only one candidate on the ballot: Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
A great piece in the FP reminds you why you should care about Yemen’s Election. Danya Greenfeld writes “While on the surface the election might seem like window-dressing at best, the psychological impact for Yemen of moving into the next phase is powerful. At a minimum, the election turns the page on decades of disappointment, despair, and disillusionment. And definitively removing Saleh from power could pave the way for opening new space for real political competition and accountable governance. He is a man who has ruled Yemen for 33 years, in his own words, “by dancing on the heads of snakes,” through masterful skill in manipulating tribal alliances, political allegiances, and patronage networks.”
Some responses, both optimistic and pessimistic, to the elections:
Abdulwahab Alkebsi @Everywhereistan
Sources: #Saleh expected in #Yemen Thursday. Will help inaugurate #Hadi and move to newly renovated, refurbished home in #Sanaa
Today’s election is a pivotal step for the people of #Yemen. We stand with them as they look ahead to the next phase of their transition.
RT @azelin:
The leader of Huthis ‘Abd al-Malik statement on today’s election in Yemen, calling them a farce http://bit.ly/wPCMyN (Ar)
Now that Mr. Hadi is #Yemeni Pres, ending the butcher Saleh’s 33 year tyranny, I wish him every success in solving Yemen‘s issues.
Abdulwahab Alkebsi @Everywhereistan
#Yemen Votes to Formally Remove President [#Saleh] nyti.ms/AfyNBe
At the Al-Tabara School polling station in #Sana‘a today, met a woman in her 80s volunteering as an election observer .. Inspiring .. #Yemen
“Removal of the head does not, however, change the body of the snake.” // Yemen‘s Election Might Matter bit.ly/yWn7ol@FP_Magazine
#Yemenis have been voting in high numbers for a new president | aje.me/lvLnbE
Yemenis on their way to democracy, #Elections in #Yemen , with @kasinof nytimes.com/2012/02/22/wor…
nytimes ME: Yemenis Vote for Successor to Saleh: After a year of conflict, voters in Yemen went to the p… nyti.ms/xT6mfH #israel
Desert Saltscapes – Mirages from a Tunisian Salt Lake
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Tunisia: After the Revolution – Excerpt from World Policy Blog
Below is an excerpt from a post that appeared on worldpolicy.org on Jan. 18 2012
Rushing out of the car, cellphone in hand, our driver Rafik doesn’t waste any time snapping photos of Tunisia’s newest monument to Mohamed Bouazizi. Some 50 kilometers outside of Tunisia’s capital, the memorial to Bouazizi—the fruit vendor who lit himself on fire, igniting the protest that toppled Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and kicked off the Arab Spring—is a giant pushcart with a row of polished marble spheres, like anonymous faces looking up at it. In the distance, a giant poster reads, “Revolution of Freedom and Dignity.” Above it, a three-story photograph shows Bouazizi striking a pose in a bomber jacket with fireworks exploding behind him. It looks like a gaudy concert advertisement, but Rafik’s excitement reveals genuine depth to the optimism regarding the future of the country that the poster represents.
Moments later, two young locals stop us at the monument. They are less hopeful. “Where is the change?” one asks rhetorically, shrugging his shoulders. Bouazizi set himself on fire to draw attention to the fact that he was unable to find a respectable job. At the time, the unemployment rate hovered around 14 percent. Today, it has risen to 19 percent, one quarter of which, by some accounts, are university graduates.
Visiting this country during a transitional period, I found that people were eager to offer their unsolicited opinions about post-revolutionary Tunisia. Like my driver, many were confident, hopeful, and even euphoric for Tunisia’s future. While others, like the young locals at the monument, point to the still very serious problem of unemployment. But both optimists and pessimists agree—job creation is the key to revitalizing Tunisia’s economy. For that to happen, the nation needs to foster entrepreneurship, promote Tunisia as a destination for foreign investment, and increase government transparency and accountability. After a repressive government like Ben Ali’s, it’s a tall order.
Under the old regime, most entrepreneurs preferred to stay under the radar for fear of Ben Ali getting involved in their business. Small business owner Rekaya Ferid produces up to 100 kilos per day of makroud, a traditional Tunisian pastry. Although Ferid’s business is a small one, she tells me that under Ben Ali, all entrepreneurs had to be careful. If they became too successful, Ben Ali or his wife would come and take whatever they wanted. In Ferid’s case, Ben Ali did come once, but she got lucky. “He came, but he just ate a cookie, and then he left.
Damascus
Friday’s Damascus Bombing killed 26 people, the second deadly attack in two weeks. As I read the coverage of Friday’s events and looked at the photos, I remembered the amazing time I had in Damascus the last time I was there two years ago around this same time of year. I spent the holidays in Damascus and the city was full of colorful decorations, celebrations, energy and excitement. Even a Chinese Circus troupe was in town on tour, handing out leaflets and selling tickets in the Old Damascus Souk.
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Sunset with the Cool Kids
It is Sunset in Tozeur, Tunisia, and Belvedere Hill is hopping as we pass through the gateway (which reads “TEMPLE D’AMOUR”) to Tozeur Parc on Belvedere Hill, the popular hangout for kids, teens, women, men, and even hipsters.
Just before the New Years holiday, Belvedere Hill is packed with kids from Tozeur, a tunisian town in the interior of the country, with population of about 70,000. In the early 20th century, Belveder was used by the Tozeur poet Shabi, again made famous in 2011 when his poetry ”To the Tyrants of the World” inspired protesters in the Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions.
Ten years ago, Belvedere Hill was transformed into a playpark. Kids, Teens, Men, Women swarm the hill and walk hand in hand on the golf course behind it. At any moment, you are in danger of being run down by a couple of giggling girls on a camel or horse ride, or of stepping in the way of a small child who is making a dash for the jumbo-slide or mega trampoline. And if you haven’t worn your Trucker Hat, just go home, none of the cool kids are going to talk to you.
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Sidi Bouzid Hip Hop
On a visit to Sidi Bouzid, where fruit vender Mohamad Boazizi lit himself on fire, starting the arab spring, we stopped in at a sports arena to take a look at some colorful street art.
While there we met “The Black Eyes” hip hop dance group.
The Black Eyes dancers are between 15 and sixteen, the group leader who called himself “Dali Love”, and who was wearing a New Jersey Sweatshirt told us.
Skateboard Artivism – PUSH Tunisia
Photo Credit: Evan Collisson, PUSH Tunisia
Through his organization, theBedouins.org, Nathan Gray brings together Tunisian youth, artists and professional skateboarders with PUSH Tunisia, a program aimed at inspiring peaceful resolution of conflict through human experiences that resonate across divides — like Skateboarding.
I caught up with Nathan Gray, founder of theBedouins.org as he had just wrapped filming PUSH in Tunisia. Nathan founded theBedoins.org after 9/11, he told me, “I decided I wanted to be doing something that would connect cultures and would bring about Peace given that there is a lot of tension after 9/11 especially in the Arab Region and the US.” Since 2001, theBedoins have produced documentaries to engage youth through skateboarding in India the Middle East, and most recently Tunisia.
This year, TheBedouins.org received funding from the US Embassy in Tunisia for the PUSH Tunisia project, to bring professional skateboarders to Tunisia to engage young Tunisians in Tunis, Hammamet, Matmata, Sidi Bouzid and Sousse. PUSH Tunisia also Partnered with Rise Up International, Elemental Awareness and Philadelphia Skateboards.
This group of multi-national skaters and artists traveled through Tunisia and put on Skate and art shows to engage with Tunisian youth. They even manage to renovate the pool in the back yard of a house which formerly belonged to the former regime, and turn this pool into an incredible skate park.
Stay tuned, up next the Bedouins plan to PUSH in to Egypt, where Nathan and crew will continue filming as they gather Egyptian youth around skateboarding events.
Lessons Learned while Jogging in Nigeria
I met Blair Miller in Senegal in 2001 in Dakar, Senegal, while we were “studying abroad” with the School for International Training. For each of us this was our first trip to Africa. Ten years later, Blair now works with Jacqueline Novogratz at the non-profit VC fund Acumen Fund where she has achieved enormous success developing the leadership initiatives such as the Acumen Fellows Program and has even captured the attention of David Brooks.
Blair travels regularly to all sorts of fabulously exciting places across Africa and South Asia. At any given time when I try to catch up with her, I can expect she is more likely to write back from Karachi as she is from NYC.
I did manage to catch up with Blair earlier this week, she had just returned from a trip to Nigeria. I wanted to share a piece she wrote on her latest trip. Below is an excerpt, and the full piece along with more musings from Blair’s fabulous travels to Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria, India are here on her blog http://dharmabem.wordpress.com/ Bridging the gap one moment at a time…
Excerpt from post ‘Reflections from Nigeria’
Blair Emily Miller
At first glance I felt as if I was in Mumbai. I arrived at the airport and was welcomed by the rains; heavy, deep, cleansing rains that spilled into the bustling streets and surrounding sea face. This rain brought a wash of excitement over me, something was happening in this country, and I was about to find out. Nigeria is a land of riches; riches of resources, riches of people, riches of culture, riches of tradition, and riches of poverty. In 10 days I had the opportunity to get a taste of all of them.
Lagos greeted me with a deep heat. After arriving at the apartment where I was to stay, I immediately put on my running shoes and took a jog to explore the neighborhood of Ikoyi. Lesson#1 There is nothing like an open road to clear your head and open your mind to what lays ahead.
Since I am not your typical vacationer (ie. I like to explore new places through people, experiences, and social development), I decided to tag along with a few friends who are doing some amazing work in the country. We visited the Co-creation Hub in Lagos an innovative community that is helping build the Nigerian entrepreneurship infrastructure by bringing together young people to co-create solutions to the challenges of government transparency, infrastructure, information asymmetry, and more. I also visited the Institute for Venture Design, funded by the Fate Foundation (an incredible Africa philanthropy) that is focused on finding and investing in innovative ideas that have the potential to re-imagine business in Nigeria. A few ideas; A Nigerian car, mobile money transfer, a culturally relevant Nigerian education platform, and mobile gaming the generates advertising revenue. Lesson#2: Entrepreneurship and passion flow like water in this seaside country.
From Lagos I went to Oweri, a small town in Eastern Nigeria, and the hometown of a friend. The domestic airport greeted us with the legacy of the poor infrastructure in which the country was so desperately trying to rid itself of. Yet once we braved the check in line and our airplane began its assent, the frustrations washed away and calm was upon us.
Continue reading this piece on http://dharmabem.wordpress.com/
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