The Role of Organizations and Institutions in Supporting the Literary Field in Yemen

Alia Mohammed – Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope)

Literature has always played a vital and active role in shaping the cultural identity of Yemeni society throughout time. It has expressed the experiences and struggles of individuals in the community, raised their issues in different ways, and served as a tool and means to promote human values and spread social awareness.

Local and international organizations that focus on the literary field play a pivotal role in preserving and developing the Yemeni literary heritage, supporting creators, building bridges of communication between writers and the public, and strengthening the cultural movement in society.

However, as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country, the literary scene in Yemen has witnessed a noticeable decline due to the difficult political, economic, and social conditions. Cultural and literary institutions have faced several financial, administrative, security, and economic difficulties and challenges, and some have become unable to provide any literary or cultural activities. Conversely, many local institutions and literary societies have been able to play vital and effective roles in supporting Yemeni literature.

Effective Institutions in Supporting Literature

Many local literary institutions aim to enhance literary culture in Yemen. These institutions have directed their activities and effectiveness towards supporting Yemeni literature and have contributed to the development of cultural awareness by organizing literary events such as exhibitions, seminars, and festivals. They have provided authors and poets with the opportunity to express their ideas and share their experiences. Among the most prominent of these institutions is the Basement Cultural Foundation, one of the cultural and artistic institutions that contributes to supporting and strengthening the literary and artistic scene in Yemen. The foundation aims to provide a platform for writers and artists to showcase their talents and encourage cultural creativity in an environment characterized by challenges.

Basement has held cultural events that have allowed writers and artists to showcase their work and interact with the public. They have organized literary festivals and art exhibitions and held dialogue sessions that have discussed issues of literature and culture in Yemen, with the participation of Yemeni writers and critics.

In a related context, the Yemen House of Music has played an important role in supporting literature and culture in general. The Yemen House of Music Foundation has contributed to enriching the cultural scene in Yemen by promoting musical arts and supporting literature through organizing events and workshops related to songwriting and poetry and hosting poetry evenings and seminars dedicated to traditional musical arts in Yemen, such as poetry and folk music.

In addition, Aden Again Foundation is one of the cultural institutions that aims to enhance the cultural scene in Yemen through a range of different literary activities and programs. Most notably, they hold events that discuss a variety of literary and cultural topics and have provided a platform for many writers and thinkers to share their ideas and experiences. In addition, Aden Again Foundation has organized literary events that bring together writers and intellectuals and celebrate Yemeni literature.

On the other hand, Amad Cultural Foundation in Aden has played an active role in reviving the cultural scene in Aden and has worked to provide a literary and cultural environment that encourages artistic dialogue between generations. It has become a platform for local literary talent. Among its literary activities are organizing art and literary exhibitions, hosting poetry evenings, and conducting workshops in various fields, such as writing, visual arts, and music.

The Story Club in Yemen is also a literary platform that aims to support and promote the art of short stories in Yemen. The club works to provide an inspiring environment for writers and creators and is a gathering place for writers to share their ideas and experiences.

The Story Club, which has several branches in some governorates, aims to encourage creative writing and enhance the writing skills of members through providing workshops and training courses, organizing literary events, and hosting literary evenings and seminars that discuss topics related to the short story and the importance of literature.

The club highlights local writers by organizing events that support their work and introduce them to the public.

On the most important achievements of the Story Club in Dhamar, Nabiha Mahdhoor, Head of the Story Club, says: “The Story Club has contributed to enhancing literary culture in Yemen by supporting writers and creators and has worked to build an interactive and thriving literary community through its programs and events. Since its inception in 2006, the Story Club has implemented a number of annual cultural and literary activities, organized annual training workshops in the art of writing stories for story writers in the governorate, and hosted morning and evening storytelling sessions for story writers from inside and outside the governorate.”

She added: “The Story Club celebrated new literary publications by writers from inside and outside the governorate. It has implemented several festivals, such as the First Short Story Festival in 2016 and the Second Short Story Festival in 2020-2021. In addition, the club honored leading literary and cultural figures and writers in the governorate and published a collection of short stories titled Boh (“Disclosure”) by 20 writers from the club members (first edition) in 2021.”

Challenges and Difficulties

Writer and media personality Nabiha Mahdhoor believes that culture is crucial for any society or country, as it reflects its civilization and history. Unfortunately, in Yemen, there is a lack of attention to culture at the level of the Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for it. Following that are local organizations that support literature and writers. This is due to a lack of awareness of the important role literature plays in creating an educated and intellectually civilized society.

She added: “There are hundreds of cultural clubs and institutions in Yemen, some of which have ceased to implement literary and cultural activities due to the ongoing conflict and the repercussions of current political turmoil, which has had negative consequences for all aspects of social and economic life, among others. Many cultural institutions have been forced to cease their activities and leave their premises due to their inability to pay rent.”

She affirmed that few believe in the importance of culture and literature in Yemen, who continue to work steadfastly and through their own efforts. On the other hand, other international and local organizations have ceased providing necessary support for culture, focusing their attention on other areas.

In a related context, Amin Al-Alyani, Associate Professor of Yemeni Literature in Lahj Governorate, agrees with this view, saying: “Despite the existence of many local and international organizations in Yemen, Yemeni literature suffers from a significant lack of support. The efforts made by some local institutions to support culture, arts, and literature are limited and within specific frameworks due to the repercussions of the deteriorating political, economic, and social conditions.”

He emphasized that the conflict in Yemen has occupied some organizations with providing humanitarian and relief aid, which has made literature and arts distant from their concerns at present. It has not received the same level of attention in other fields, which limits the ability of literary institutions and writers to produce literature and engage with the cultural scene.

On the other hand, a number of security, economic, and other difficulties have emerged that have negatively impacted the work of these institutions, contributing to a noticeable decline in the literary scene on the local front. It has also caused a halt to literary and cultural activities. Therefore, it has become essential to understand the needs of Yemeni literary institutions to ensure their sustainability and success.

On the other hand, Nabiha Mahdhoor stated: “Cultural institutions concerned with supporting literature suffer from a lack of funding and financial resources, and they lack the basic requirements to continue implementing activities and events. This limits their ability to organize literary events. In addition, cultural institutions need administrative and technical support, as well as training on formulating projects for donor agencies and networking with local agencies and partnering with them to implement activities.”

She added: “Society still needs to be educated on the importance of the role of cultural institutions, their activities, and their work in supporting Yemeni literature, supporting creators, and showcasing young people’s intellectual output, considering them a national asset.”

She stressed the need to activate the role of the Ministry of Culture to fulfill its duties towards cultural institutions and clubs, supporting them morally and financially so they can implement their activities. In addition, Mahdhoor emphasized the importance of opening avenues of communication on an internal level in implementing cultural activities, as well as externally to introduce Yemen’s civilization and cultural heritage.

Literary and cultural organizations play an extremely important role in enhancing the status of Yemeni literature and its impact on society. However, organizations working in the field of literature in Yemen face many difficulties and challenges that hinder their efforts to provide sufficient support for creators and the literary scene in general. To overcome this, many reports point to the importance of working harder to strengthen cooperation with international organizations to obtain financial and logistical support, build partnerships with the private sector to attract investment in the cultural field, leverage digital technology to disseminate literary works and connect with audiences, and organize awareness campaigns about the importance of literature and its role in society.