Last of the Dictionary Men exhibition launched in Taiz

A significant and historic exhibition entitled, Last of the Dictionary Men, sponsored by the British Council, in collaboration with the Al-Saeed Foundation for Science and Culture, opened on October 28th, 2009 at the Al-Saeed Foundation’s premises in Taiz.

Over the course of more than a hundred years, thousands of Yemeni sailors have settled in the small town of South Shields, in northeastern England, to work in its well-established maritime industry.  Bridge & Tunnel Productions decided to document the lives and memories of these Yemenis who established the UK’s first Muslim and Arab community in South Shields, Tyneside.

In a three-year project, the company worked with the immigrant community to create Last of the Dictionary Men, an exceptional, multi-faceted exhibition that highlights the complexities of modern British identities.  The captivating exhibition not only brings attention to this particular small community, but also offers new insights into understanding the complexities of Muslim identity within Britain today.

The exhibition’s combination of a prolific oral history and photographic and film, contributions by artists Tina Gharavi and Youssef Nabil, delivers a charismatic picture of this small, yet significant, community. Today only thirteen men are still living from the first generation that settled in South Shields.  Their stories are told through this collection of works, compiled by Bridge & Tunnel Productions, in an effort to record their rare experiences and present them to the world.

From the accounts of 800 Yemeni men from Tyneside who died at sea in World War II, to the misinterpretations of the Trade Union riots at the Customs House in the 1930s, to the long forgotten wedding of Muhammad Ali in 1977, Last of the Dictionary Men tells the legacy of the Yemeni community in South Shields and the important role it has played in Tyneside history.

British Council Director Michael White shared his feelings about the exhibition, saying, “I am very glad that the British Council has been able to bring this exhibition to Yemen. I hope that many people will have the chance to come to the exhibition and learn about this inspiring and unheard story of vital importance.”

Mr. Faisal Saeed Fare’a, the General Manager for the Al-Saeed Foundation for Science and Culture, expressed the foundation’s delight to host the exhibition, especially in light of its significance for British-Yemenis.

Tim Torlot, British Ambassador to Yemen, gave the opening speech for the exhibition to an audience which included such notable persons as Mr. Ahmed Hayel, Mr. Abdulrahman Hayel, and Mr. Shouki Hayel from the Hayel Saeed Anam Group, as well as the General Manager for Taiz’s Culture Office, Mr. Ramzi al-Yousfi, and the General Manager of the Taiz Security Office, General Major Yehyia al-Haisami.

The Last of the Dictionary Men exhibition was previously presented in Sana’a in January of 2009, and was at that time visited by the Yemeni Minister of Culture, Dr. Mohammed Abubakr al-Maflahi, as well as Mr. Tim Torlot.  The exhibition was offered once again in Aden during July of this year, and is now available to visit in Taiz.

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