Karen Dabrowska
People who have never visited Yemen and are unlikely to do so are buying water and oil paintings from Hadramaut because they are fascinated by the region's unique charm and beautiful scenery.
That is what Caroline Lees discovered during her recent exhibition at the Rafael Valls Gallery in London.
Yemen, especially Hadramaut, featured prominently in the exhibition "London and the Orient", in which approximately 100 paintings were on display. The gallery was positively surprised by painted scenes from Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries, including Oman, Jordan, Libya, Syria and Tunisia and has asked Lees to hold another exhibition at the venue in two years time.
Lees, 61 year old, first started visiting Yemen in the 1970s where her husband, a defense attaché in the British Embassy in Jeddah, also covered North Yemen. Her first solo exhibition was held in Oman in 1986. She returned to Yemen in 1998, 1999 and last year, and was planning to take six British artists on a painting tour to both the North and the South in January 2002. But the trip, although postponed, will go ahead sometime in the future.
Last November she was one of the organizers of an exhibition of Yemeni art held in London's Kufa Gallery.
"September 11 has definitely put a slight damper on things - what else can you say?" The 61-year-old grandmother of five is planning to make a trip to Morocco with another artist in early spring, while the Far East and Spain are also on the agenda.
She only paints when she is attracted to something. "It has to catch my eye and spark something in me." Some paintings can be finished after two visits to the site while others are completed from sketches or with the aid of a photograph. But Lees insists on being there before picking up her paint brush. "A photo on its own is not sufficient."
Painting in Yemen can be easier than painting in London where permission often has to be sought. "The locals watch fascinated and my smattering of Arabic is just enough to pass the time of day and exchange a few words with them."Her works from Yemen, among them Shibam in Wadi Hadramaut, Sif in Wadi Do'ane, the Palace in Seiyun and the grand mosque in Sana'a are exquisitely framed. Lees talks of Yemen as "my big love" and has developed a fascination for the rich variation of light and landscape of the Middle East.
Born in Shropshire, Caroline Lees comes from a family of artists and her daughter has followed her footsteps.
She studied at The Corcoran Gallery School of Art in Washington, DC and was selected for master classes in oils at The Slade School of Art, London. There have been several one-man shows and she has been on exhibits widely in the United States, the Middle East and the UK, including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, the Mall Galleries, RSMA, and The Mathaf Gallery, London.
She has also had one book published: "Caroline Lees' Watercolors of Shropshire" and her work has appeared as prints, cards and illustrations. It can be found in many collections, including that of the National Trust. In 1986, she was commissioned to paint a watercolor for HRH Prince of Wales' visit to Oman.
Her latest exhibition was sponsored by a private bank, Adam & Company.

The Island of Wonders

Saleh Abdulbaqi
Yemen Times
Socotra is the biggest island administratively belonging to Aden. It is a very fascinating and charming island that has attracted local as well as international interests. People call it an open natural museum.
The remains of some churches in Socotra Island make researchers believe that Christianity was known in the island. This issue still requires more studies. The great touristic and economic potentials of the island have throughout history lured great powers such as Greece, the Roman Empire, or Persia which all tried to control it.
Great importance has been attached to Socotra since the discovery of Cape of Hope. It was occupied by the Portuguese who were using it in their quest reach India. Despite the island's significant strategic location, it has been kept away for a long time from any direct attention. Yet, it remains the island of wonders capturing the hearts of the visitors.
The island and others like Abd al-Kuri, Darsah, or Samhah were no more than volcanic islands inhabited by wildlife. A few people were scattered here and there on the shores and in the mountains of Socotra. They were split into two groups, the fishermen and the shepards, which rarely met. No people were living in the other islands but, in the course of time, fishermen started to shelter and rest on them using a very old Himiary language to interact with each other. Social development began to be more apparent in the 19th century. The number of inhabitants in these islands significantly increased with the arrival of people from neighboring areas along with increasing marriages among the native inhabitants. Socotra's population are families which came from different areas, such as Hadhramaut, Maharah and other places in the Gulf countries and Africa. They mingled with the island's native people forming a new rich and diversified identity.
The island is culturally very rich. The semi-cosmopolitan environment has helped so far to enrich and color its culture. The colorful cultural dimension can be clearly seen through the island people's traditions. Despite the spread of education in the island, Socotri unique language is still the most used by its inhabitants.
The culture and folklore found in the island are not less unique and amazing than the nature of the island itself. No wonder that a Russian orientalist called Socotra the island of Spirits. An Italian traveler in the 13 century mentioned that the most powerful magicians lived there. He added that they could create winds to drive back hostile ships, or other natural phenomena. Even in the present time, people in the island still believe in supernatural powers and superstitions. Such creatures are believed to be capable of harming human beings. These beliefs are considered to be part of Socotra's culture. Interestingly, women are involved in these superstitions. People believe in cannibal women that follow men at night time for their dinner. They attach great abilities to women devils ("jinns") and think that they have the ability to cure sick people and to give new lives to the dead. 'Yethami' is a typical evil woman found in the superstitions of Socotra people. She is very tall, ugly and has long teeth and lives on men's fresh meat.

There are many obscure poets in the Yemeni cultural arena who enchanted the people with beautiful and expressive poems. Thus, we shall commit ourselves to remember these creative people and honor them whenever possible in memory of what they have produced. The poems of Nassir Abdullah depicted the real life of the Yemeni society in all its aspects. Undoubtedly, the sensitive folklore poetry, which is one of the highly demanded genres of art in Yemen, plays a vital role in the life of the Yemenis. Nassir's poems are vigorous and diversified as they tackle different issues. Nassir Abdulah treated in his poems the issue of the British occupation of the South and criticized the despotism practiced against the people under this ruthless occupation. Nassir Abdullah was sent to prison due to his zealous poems instigating the people to rebel against the colonizers who accused him of inciting the population against the government of Her Royal Majesty Queen of England. Later on, the English authorities released him on the condition that he should not use poetry that could encourage people to resist the British occupation in the former South Yemen. However, Nassir did not stop writing poetry against them as he became fiercer in condemning the British occupiers which caused him to be detained several times. Nassir Abdullah was so active in calling for the strike of the cotton workers because he was himself a farmer. The strike was made against the much too low prices demanded by the British for cotton production. Indeed, cotton cultivation was brought in to Yemen by the British colonizers in the wake of the World War II in an attempt to substitute its losses in the protectorates, particularly India, that had gained independence after the war. Nassir Abdulah expressed his indignation over the British manipulation of cotton in one of his poems and asked how the colonizers would make huge profits from buying cotton for so low prices.
It is clear that Nassir Abdulah was one of the prominent figures in the society, who contributed in the struggle of the nation through his poems and who tackled several issues pertinent to the people's active life in South Yemen.

Nabila Al-Zubeiry's Novel, 'It's My Body,' Published
On October 29 2001, the French Cultural Center organized a lecture focusing on the presentation of the new novel ("It is My Body") written by the novelist and poetess Nabila Al-Zubeiry. The discussion focused mainly on various aspects of the novel such as its main theme and its cohesiveness to Yemeni society. Some well-known women writers, like Ibtisam Al-Mutwakil, Arwa Abduh Othman, and Ameena Al-Nusairi, attended the discussion. The Deputy of the Researches and Studies Center, Mohammed Hussein Haitham, gave an outline of women's' literature in Yemen along with an historical background. The novel, "It is My Body," is not only characterized by the artistic unity but expresses also the creative talent of women's wit in Yemeni society. The poetess, Ibtisam Al-Mutwakil, dealt with some literary aspects of the novel and its language.

Geographical Varieties and Popular Costume
Within the framework of the joint activities among the Yemeni Authors Union, the Cultural Center organized last Sunday a symposium entitled "The Geographical Variety and its Influence on the Yemeni Popular Costume." The female Manager of the Sanani Life Center, Dr. Amat Al-Razak Gahaf, delivered a lecture on this regard and talked about various costumes and their traditional styles. It was attended by a number of writers, men of letters and people interested in the folkloric art.

Cultural Publication
The sixth edition of Al-Towasol Magazine was released by the High Studies and Scientific Researches Deanery, Aden University. It contains various literary texts, researches and scientific topics.

Al-Dhaheri Honored
The Chairwomen of the Arab Pioneers Festival, Sameeha Ayoob, recently informed its Director, Fareed Al-Dhaheri, that he is to be honored in the upcoming festival. The festival will be held from October 27 to October 29. However, the festival delayed its second meeting as it coincides with the Arab League Day.

Plastic Art Symposium to Be Held in Aden
The Women's Forum for Studies and Training organizes a symposium focusing mainly on Women's media and plastic art, from November 6 to November 7 in the Crescent Hotel in Aden. The symposium will deal with some important working papers. The first working paper, "The Approach of Non-discrimination against Women," will be presented by Dr.Salah Al-deen Haddash. The second one is to be presented by the plastic artist, Mohammed Abduh Dael, the third by Asma Rymi and the fourth by Dr. Naser Abduhlkwy. The symposium is to be accompanied by launching of plastic art exhibition. In a statement to YT, the Chairwomen of the Forum, Suad Al-Kadasi, pointed out that participants will come out with some suggestions for a media which deals with women's problems and her relation to development.