Yemeni delegation attends Afro Arab Youth Council in Uganda

A delegation of Yemeni youth, consisting of 130 members from Yemeni universities and youth associations, has recently returned from the 2nd Afro Arab Youth Council in Uganda called ‘The Worldly Paradise’. Shora council members, Dr. Ahmed al-Asbahi and Ibrahim Sa’idi, accompanied the delegation and distinguished the participation of the Yemeni group.  

The Yemeni delegation actively participated in the conference’s different symposiums, debates, and lectures. They also took part in an Arab folklore night and photography exhibition. The folklore event marked International Women’s Day, and was attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni; ‘Mama Uganda’ Syda N.M Bbumba, Minister of Gender;  Minister of Youth James Kinobe; and Youth Chairman Abbas Agaba.

The Yemeni folklore performance was reported to be quite eye-catching to all who witnessed it and the Ugandan president praised it in his closing remarks. He also highlighted Yemen’s positive role in promoting agriculture, trade, and spreading the Arabic language and Islam in Africa. Gender Minister Bbumba also expressed her appreciation for the Yemenis’ cultural and artistic participation. She accompanied the delegation on some of their tours and also participated in their folklore dances. 

At the conference, Dr. al-Asbahi gave a lecture on the historical outline of joint Arab-African interests, Yemeni immigration, the country’s participation in the promotion of commercial links and maritime ties, in particular. He pointed out President Saleh’s efforts towards the peaceful resolution of political border disputes, as in the case with Eritrea.

He also noted the cooperation involved in joint Arab-African summits, such as the Sana’a Gathering, which aimed to resolve disputes between African countries through diplomatic channels while respecting the cultural diversity of each country.  He also spoke of the role of youth in Arab-African solidarity and using their resources. He gave the example of Sudan, which changed the slogan of the world food basket into a future reality. Dr. al-Asbahi also mentioned the many mutual Arab-African cooperative fields, which served the good of the peoples of both nations. 

Dr. al-Asbahi later gave a speech in which he thanked the Yemeni community for their hospitality and their responsible representation of their country, adding that the delegation would return to Yemen satisfied that the country is well represented in Uganda. He expressed his delight at the great grain mills project which represents a food security source not only to Uganda, but to the neighboring countries, reminding them that some areas of Yemen such as Mukala are in need of such plants.  He reminded them too, of the investment conference which will be held shortly in Yemen and would be attended by investors from all over the world, and from Arabia in particular.      

The Yemeni community living in Uganda gathered to the Ugandan capital city of Kampala to meet the Yemeni delegation. Their general secretary Hussein Ba Sabra gave a speech on behalf of the 3000 Yemenis there. He voiced their demands that a Yemeni embassy be opened in Uganda to save them the burden of traveling to neighboring countries to process their visas and other documents. He added that the Yemeni expatriates were the public ambassadors who consolidate cultural relations with the Ugandan people. 

Saeed Obeid Ba Zohair is a Yemeni expatriate from Sayoun in Hadramout who has been living in Uganda for 47 years now. He owns three restaurants in different towns, serving both Yemeni and Ugandan food and he employs 30 workers. Zohair is married to a Ugandan and a Yemeni and speaks Arabic, Ugandan, and English. He said that they are on good terms with the people here and have been offered permanent residence visas. He added that he last visited Yemen in 2004, yet his children have still not obtained Yemeni passports.

Engineer Ahmed al-Emad, who works at the MTN phone company, said that the number of Yemeni expatriates in Uganda ranges from 3000 to 5000, and that they usually are found working in the trades for anywhere from 20 - 50 years. 

Obeid Salim is a preacher at a mosque and a restaurant owner. He has been in Uganda for 50 years now. Three of his sons are working in petroleum companies in Yemen.  Faroq Obeid, who worked for one year in Uganda, noticed that the Yemenis there need a cultural center and a Yemeni curriculum to teach their children Yemeni language and culture. There is also a need for a Yemeni consulate and the establishment of a Yemenia air route to serve the Yemeni expatriates living there.

In his speech, Ugandan Youth Chairman Abbas Agaba expressed his admiration of the Yemeni delegation’s performance and congratulated them on their distinctive participation.  

The head of the Ugandan businessmen’s association said that he was in charge of the special Yemeni branch of the ruling party and explained that while many Yemenis had obtained Ugandan nationality, they continued to hold culture and language from Yemen. He finally wished the delegation at the end of their mission good luck. 

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