Yemen Observer

Culture festival calls for cultural revolution

Sat, 03 May 2008 07:16:42 PST

Hail Saeed’s Cultural and Sciences board member, Abdul-Jabbar Hail, confirmed in Taiz that their group has successfully interacted with the community’s interests through the enhancement the community’s cultural and scientific standards.

Minister of Culture to translate book on Yemeni architecture

Sat, 03 May 2008 07:03:28 PST

Minister of culture, Mohammed abu Bakr al-Maflahi, gave credit to the British researcher of Iraqi origin, Salma Damlogi’s, efforts for documenting the Yemeni mud architecture in her research entitled, “Yemeni Mud Architecture Arts.”

Series of lectures held marking Intellectual Copyright Day

Sat, 03 May 2008 07:00:08 PST

The Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the General Publishers’ Association, organized a cultural lecture at Culture House entitled “Publishing Issues and the Writer’s Rights.”

Syrian Cultural Week announced

Sat, 03 May 2008 06:54:05 PST

The PM, with the Yemeni and Syrian Culture Ministers, announced that the opening of the Syrian Cultural Center in Sana’a will be on May 12 at Yemeni Syrian committee meetings.

Yemeni child declared “Million’s Poet” in UAE

Sat, 03 May 2008 06:35:57 PST

Aiman Nasseralal- Khulaifi al-Hilali, a child from Tho-khan area in Attaq district in Shabwa, won the Million Poet prize. The prize is organized by the UAE, where many children from the Arab countries contested in it.

Hip hop subculture gets spotlight in Sana’a

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:28:00 PST

An enthralling show performed by Arab youth was held Wednesday night at the Yemeni Center for Studies and Research. Enlivened by hip hop music, these students studying in Yemen competed to be recognized as the best dancers and singers in Sana’a.

Art House in Old Sana’a features young Yemeni artists

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:04:22 PST

In a vintage house, showing the soul and beauty of Old Sana’a, many youth artists show their art of joy and distresses. They are joined in paintings resembling the sincerity and mercifulness of Old Sana’a.

German plastic art exhibition in Aden draws to a close

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:49:46 PST

The German plastic art exhibition at the Fine Arts Institute in Aden wrapped up on April 21. Under the title of “Superb writing,” the show was jointly organized by the German House and the Ministry of Culture.

Yemeni descendants living in Asia to be captured on film

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:40:24 PST

Yemeni film producer, Khadija al-Salami, recently voiced her intention to shoot a new film this year.26 September quoted her as saying that her documentary will be dealing with the Yemeni community who settled in some south east Asian countries some centuries ago.

German life on display for the Yemeni community

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:31:37 PST

The German charge d’affaires and Dr. Mohammed Abo Bakr al-Maflahi have opened a German photo exhibition containing the works of six German artists at the culture house, entitled, “All Civilization”.

Trafficking of Yemeni relics increases by the hand of absentminded authorities

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:11:35 PST

Incidents of relic trafficking still obsess the minds of those participating in the business. With feelings of nervousness about the involvement of governmental institutions, their greedy nature compels them to sacrifice our country’s interests for a lump sum.

Twenty international archeological experts to discover Yemeni relics

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:06:29 PST

Qatar has announced to fund and manage a huge campaign for the excavation of Yemeni relics. The announcement came after a recent debate held in Doha for twenty archeological experts and the Yemeni minister of culture.

Amiriya Madrasa one of Yemen’s most beautiful monuments

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:58:46 PST

The Amiriya Madrasa (Amiriya School) located in southeast of Rada’a is one of the greatest monuments in Yemen. It was established by the last king of Tahirid Dynasty Sultan ‘Amir bin abd al-Wahab in1504.

The al-Husseiniah festival: Sporting tradition, al-Zaraneeq style

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:43:29 PST

Sporting games in the folkloric heritage of any civilization are regarded as one of most important aspects of a nation’s history that many generations take pride in. These old games are considered an essential symbol of individual and societal identity and are often maintained throughout the ages.

New engravings and sculptures uncovered in Raidan Temple

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:36:29 PST

New engravings, sculptures and drawings have been found recently in the Raidan Temple archaeological site in Dhafar. The temple was discovered last year, and the new findings were uncovered by a German mission headed by Professor Paul Yule, an archaeology expert from Heidelberg University.

Jadal caravan to make a national cultural tour

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 07:51:35 PST

A newly established youth forum called “Jadal’” is on a mission to reinvigorate Yemen’s stagnant cultural scene. The youth forum dispatched their cultural caravan which seeks to resurrect cultural life, and drag it back from the Stone Age.

Yemeni playwright Wajdi al-Ahdal’s ‘Quarantine Philosopher’ nominated for Arab literary prize

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:21:16 PST

Recently, the Kika website published a report announcing the nominees for the 2008 International Prize for Arab Novels, named the Arab Poker Prize, and mentioned that the novel “Quarantine Philosopher,” by Yemeni writer Wajdi al-Ahdal was among the sixteen works nominated for the prize.

Jadal Cultural League hosts literary evening in Aden

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:19:10 PST

The Jadal Cultural League organized a poetry and literature event on March 19 in Aden in honor of the arrival of Sana’a members, Khalid al-Syaghi and his companions.

German archaeological team discovers Sabaean Kingdom temple ruins

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:16:23 PST

The German Archaeological Institute in Yemen has recently announced that one of their teams has discovered a temple in Sirwah, located east of Sana’a.

BBC Arabic TV will Rock the Arab World

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:15:22 PST

I anticipate that BBC Arabic TV will overtake both al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera to become the No. 1 Arabic news television service in as little as six weeks – by May 1, 2008.

Yemen’s oral heritage heading to the grave

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:04:52 PST

Much of Yemen’s history is based off centuries of accumulation of myths, legends, proverbs and poetry. Each part of our history was passed from generation to generation through storytelling and other oral methods. Yemen’s rich verbal heritage takes the same significance as other, more physical, great sites of antiquity such as the Sun Temple, the Ghamdan Palace or the Pelquis Throne.

Symposium inspires admiration for Islamic architecture

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:02:47 PST

A symposium was held this week in Sana’a on Islamic architectural art. The conference was organized by the National Committee for Education, Culture and Sciences in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Mahari language documented

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:01:11 PST

A group of female researches from the “Mail al-Dhab” center are conducting field research in al-Mahara governorate to document the Mahari language in their effort to identify the different archeological remains in Yemen’s governorates.

French Cultural Center composes, paints in same quill

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 06:58:57 PST

The French Cultural center held a symposium from March 5 through 19, starting with a lecture entitled, “Photographs of Shibam and Prophet Hood grave,” by Architectural engineer Christian De Daral. Daral is a researcher at the center and a member of the archeological mission.

Yemeni artifacts documented in films

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 06:55:13 PST

The Yemeni Ministry of Culture will produce a number of documentary films about indigenous Yemeni talent who have inspired local and international communities, in addition to documentation of Yemeni artifacts and short tourist films.