I lived all my life outside of Yemen. I longed for the moment I would land there for the first time, to see the soil, the sea, and the land of my imagination. I was always talking about my country, even though I had never been. About its beauty, and its openness to the world; especially the city of Aden, where my father is from. I spent my nights gazing at the stars, then closing my eyes to dream about Yemen.
When the war arrived in Aden, it tore the city apart, and it tore my heart into pieces. With every bullet that hit the city, I fell apart a bit more. I felt such sadness for the city. When the fighting stopped, I felt normal again, too. It was like we had one soul.
In 2017, my father and I decided to finally visit Aden, the place I call the "city of stars of dreams." I was so excited. But the shock of what things were really like broke me. I’m still in pain from what I saw there. The war had brought out the worst in Aden. It was depressing, defeated by corruption. It was ruled by village and tribe. Law, order, and culture had been replaced by fear, death, and gunpowder. The city that I thought would be young forever had grown old. My heart ached.
My father and I went looking for the city’s ancient heritage sites, but we found only remains. What was still standing had been neglected and looted. History had been destroyed. I searched for historic religious sites, because Aden is a city that never used to distinguish between sects and religions. But they were shuttered. Aden was a city we didn’t recognise. It was like the history books had been written about an imaginary city, not this Aden. Like my father had been telling me fairy tales.
It was even worse for my father, because he had lived through Aden’s splendid days and starry nights. He could not bear what he saw, and left. I stayed, searching for myself in the city. I insisted on it. I tried to walk through its long roads and narrow alleys, but I got lost. And Aden was lost to me.
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 |