By the time the Saudi Arabia-led coalition began bombing in Yemen on 26 March 2015, I had been working in the media for nine years, six as a journalist specialised in science. I didn’t realise that day was a turning point that threatened to undermine everything I had accomplished in my career.
A year into the war, I lost my most important source of income. The place I worked was raided and closed. Soon after, government salaries were cut off, and I lost my other source of income.
Through these jobs I had carved out a space for myself in science journalism. I travelled, built a good name for myself, and saw success.
By 2017, I was desperately holding on to my only remaining links with science-focused meida. I kept in touch with outlets outside Yemen and worked remotely as a freelancer. But with time, this space began to narrow. Science publications filled up with the pain and suffering of the Yemeni people, and politics and war eventually dominated the media scene.
I found myself inside the largest prison in the world: Yemen. Inside that was another prison: The part of the country controlled by the Houthis. They imposed severe restrictions on my work as a correspondent for foreign media. I was accused of espionage, my phones and accounts were monitored, and I was prevented from receiving money transfers from abroad. I lost my only remaining source of income.
I can’t communicate with sources or travel anymore. The internet is my only link to my former colleagues.
Over the past two years, I have been pressured to work in political media for one side in the war. But I refused. After more than eight years of war, I am now completely cut off as a science journalist. In order to provide my family with their basic needs, I’ve been working in calligraphy, drawing, and design.
The war destroyed everything I achieved, and there seems to be no end in sight.
The people planning and funding wars, devising aid plans, and trying to negotiate peace all too often fail to talk to the people living at the centre of it all.
Long before Gaza hit the headlines, the term “world’s worst humanitarian crisis” often referred to Yemen. Its devastating war and economic collapse, which began nine years ago, has left hundreds of thousands of people dead from violence, disease, starvation, and a lack of healthcare. Tens of millions more have been caught up in Yemen’s conflict, but its story has mostly been told by journalists, aid groups, and politicians. Until now.
What has it really been like to live through all this? To find out, The Yemen Listening Project asked Yemenis one question: “How has the war impacted your life?”
More than 100 Yemenis – from inside the country and across the world – answered. They sent emails and WhatsApp messages, voice notes, videos, poems, and pictures.
They include testimonies of loss, life in exile, and what it is like to live through bombing and ground battles. But there are also tales of love, family connection, and personal and professional persistence in the face of impossible-seeming obstacles.
When Yemen does make the news, it's too often reduced to faceless narratives. Close this window for a look into the lives behind the headlines, and to listen to Yemenis as they tell their stories, in their own words, in Arabic and English.
*The New Humanitarian cannot independently verify the details of each individual story. They have been edited for style, length, and clarity.
How did The Yemen Listening Project collect stories?
We asked people to submit their stories, in Arabic or English, on an online form, via email, Facebook, or a dedicated WhatsApp number. Once the submissions came in, we asked local journalists to gather stories from some parts of Yemen that were not yet well represented in the submissions.
Why wasn’t every story published?
Unfortunately, we did not have the space to publish every story, but we did read every entry.
Were the stories edited?
Stories were edited for style, length, and clarity. We did add a little context to some stories to help readers who are not familiar with Yemen’s war. Translations between languages are not always word for word.
What’s next for The Yemen Listening Project?
The Yemen Listening Project will be hosting online and in-person events about the project, about Yemen, and about inclusive journalism. Click here to receive updates.
I have an idea for my own listening project. Who should I contact?
Email yemenlistening@thenewhumanitarian.org with the subject line “listening project idea”. If we have enough takers, we will invite you to future workshops about what we have learned in the process of making The Yemen Listening Project, and help connect you with other people who are interested in the same things.Where can I learn more about Yemen?
Houthi rebels, officially called Ansar Allah, took over Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a in late 2014. In March 2015, a Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates-led coalition began bombing Houthi-controlled parts of the country, as part of a military campaign to support Yemen’s internationally recognised government.You can find all of The New Humanitarian’s coverage of Yemen’s war and humanitarian crisis here.
What is The New Humanitarian?
The New Humanitarian is a nonprofit newsroom that puts quality, independent journalism at the service of the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world. We report from the heart of conflicts and disasters to inform prevention and response.
| Direction and editing: | Annie Slemrod |
| Project coordination: | Nuha al-Junaid |
| Translation: | Suha al-Junaid and Natakallam |
| Design and web development: | Marc Fehr |
| Audience production: | Whitney Patterson |
| Events: | Matt Crook |