There
is no specific information on the life of Ahmed Abdullah Al-Salimi except
the information obtained from a radio interview with his brother, Mohammed,
in 1968. Al-Salimi, nevertheless, was one of the most famous singers of
his time.
We could find only three of his songs performed by some old Yemeni
singers. One of his famous lyrics was sung by Hussain Abdullah Soori in
an Indian musical style. Another song of his, "Mal Mahboobi Nasani"
(why has my beloved forgotten me), was performed by Jameel Ghanem, head
of the director of the Fine Arts Institute in Aden during the 1970s. It
was performed later by the Yemeni Local Band and recorded in the archives
of the Aden radio.
Early in his life, Al-Salimi was known as a poet and worked as a trader.
He travelled to Ethiopia where he learned singing and to playthe lute at
the hands of Sheikh Mohammed Dhafer in Harar. "Dhafer is my master.
He is one of the Yemeni singers who emigrated to Ethiopia," said Al-Salimi.
Al-Salimi travelled between Taiz, Ethiopia, and Mion. He used to go to
Otma, his home town, only every three or four years.
In his article published in Al-Hikma journal (issue no. 25, 1975),
Al-Baradoni wrote about Al-Salimi: "His moving from one area to another
shows how he was spiritually - unsettled. He has to move from one place
to another for some reasons like collecting zakah. Al-Salimi was a poet,
a singer and a deeply religious man."
Al-Salimi used to sing in wedding ceremonies and at the palaces of
the princes of the time. He used to go secretly to sing for Prince Ahmed
of Taiz, because sing-ing was forbidden by the Imam. Again Al-Baradoni
had full praise for Al-Salimi. "He was very much admired by both Abdullah
Al-Wazeer, governor of Odain, and the prince of Taiz. When Prince Ahmed
became the ruler of Taiz, he made Al-Salimi one of his special companions."Al-Salimi
learned by heart most of the traditional Yemeni songs. He presented the
old lyrics in a different and new style, which was greatly appreciated
by his fans. Beside writing poetry, he had a unique talent of composing
and a very nice voice, the thing that made him different from other artists
of his time. Infected by T.B, he died more than 50 years ago in Aden. Some
of his marvelous poems were collected in a volume by Hussain Bin Ali Al-Waisi.
Saleh Abdulbaqi,
Arts Editor,
Yemen Times
Due
to the hard economic and social situation, Yemen has begun to witness many
negative social phenomena such as child labor. This contravenes international
child rights conventions and agreements endorsed by Yemen. According to
World Bank estimates, the number of poor people in Yemen is about 2.6 million.
Moreover, studies indicate that 41.9% of Yemeni children work to support
their families. This is, I consider, a border line between poverty and
subsistence.
According to reports by the International Labor Organization (ILO),
one of the main reasons behind child labor is the inefficiency of the education
system, which leads gradually to unemployment. In 1991, studies showed
that 45% of Yemeni illiterate people are unemployed. This number rose to
65% in 1997, including a large number of children.
The widespread poverty and the widening gap between urban and rural
people causes similar problems. The parents make many children leave school
and take hazardous jobs to support their families.
For example, in Sa'ada governorate, about 50% of the children in the
Shawareq Razih village had already left schools and gone to work in quarries
and mines 1,000 to 2,000 meters deep. They go inside mines to search for
stones that can be carved and shaped as pots and pans or figurines. This
process takes many stages.
Mosleh, aged 12, explains: "An expert supervises the process of
taking out the suitable stones from the mines. Then we, the carvers, begin
shaping them into different things.
"Usually, we use an iron hammer to give the stone the basic shape
that we want. Then we use the chisel to improve the appearance of the object.
Finally, we use sandpaper to make the surface of the object smooth and
shining."
Mrs. Bint Saleh, 85, teaches children the right ways of carving. She
says that the pots made of stones are much better than those made of other
materials. They, she explains, give a good taste to food and keep it hot
for a longer time. "Moreover, they are rust and fire proof," she
explained.
Badr Mansoor, 10, says that he left school and works now carving stones
because he wants to support his family. He is paid nearly 2,000 to 2,5000
riyal every month, according to the amount of work done.
Despite the hot weather and the numerous hazards inside mines, these
children work and work. This is a sad story of the horrible loss of the
coming generations. What is really saddening is that these children believe
that education is of no importance.
Fouad Al-Mashraqi, 11, says: "The government employment doesn't
give you much. You will study all your life and finally you will get a
measly salary. But if I improve myself in carving, I will earn more money.
Employing children has begun to take place in many sectors of society and
this is a serious sign of an illiterate new generation.
By Mahyoub Al-Kamali
