Qat banned in Socotra

My fifth visit to Socotra

I decided to spend Eid in Socotra to enjoy the tranquility of nature. At Sana’a Airport, the security guards checked my luggage; I had a small quantity of fruits and vegetables, including spearmint and coriander, which I desired to deliver to my friend Adeeb, a adventure camp owner in Socotra. I asked the guards what they were searching for. With stoic expressions, they answered “Qat”.
 
The guards remarked that transportation of the mild stimulant to Socotra had recently been banned by presidential order. “Thank God,” I said to myself, as a fierce opponent of the plant.
 
Once in Socotra, I asked my taxi driver pick me up at 4 pm, as I wanted to go on an expedition around the island. The driver came right on time, his mouth full of qat. I asked, “Where did you get qat?” He replied that it was sold in the market, “at a very high price, since it was banned.” He explained that the sale of qat resumed, after a group of highway construction crews threatened to go on strike if qat was not once again made available

“Surprising! I wonder whether infrastructure development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the 70’s and 80’s required Yemeni workers to chew qat,” I asked myself, as I struggled to discover the roots of the habit.

I have reservations in attempting to believe that construction workers require qat to complete their jobs. Therefore, I implore our government to investigate the availability of qat on the island, especially since carrying qat to Socotra has been banned for the last six months by presidential order. I request the government to kindly begin strict observance and halt the flow of qat to this island before it is too late.


Health Care

I stopped by the new Hudibo Hospital. Every time I have the opportunity to come to Socotra, I make a point of visiting the hospital. The hospital has improved since the last time I visited. I hope the Ministry of Health will look for the required funds to buy the necessary equipment and furniture in order that both the building and equipment will improve simultaneously.

 
At times the hospital feels bleak, a situation that the planting of several trees would remedy, making the atmosphere more pleasant and comforting for the visiting patients and their families. I also feel that the hospital should be equipped with modern toilets in addition to the Arabic style; foreigners should also feel comfortable if they need to go to the hospital.

 
Hudibo and Kalansia streets
Last April, President Saleh ordered the pavement of ten kilometers of streets in both Hudibo and Kalansia cities, however no progression on these projects has transpired since his executive order. It is extremely necessary that the local administration act on the order and starts the process of paving, along with the installation of streetlights, as per budgetary plan for the year 2010.

 
The fish factory

For the past two years, the largest fish factory on the island has been closed. The island needs factories such as this to reopen, in order for people of Socotra to be able to provide for themselves and their family, and reap the benefits of a growing economy.

Mr. Adeeb Nursery House and Holiday Camp

The arboretum continues to progress and grow; there are roughly 17 thousand trees, eleven thousand of which are Dragon’s Blood.
 
It would be beneficial for the Ministry of Agriculture to embrace foundations willing to plant trees in the island. Dragon’s Blood trees in particular should be taken care of, as their number decreases every year. In fact, Dragon’s Blood trees need more than a hundred years to reach maturity.
 
Local livestock unfortunately eats other forms of shrubbery, such as bushes and small plants.  In order for the delicate ecosystem to continue to flourish, the Ministry must prepare fences in areas were the Dragon Blood trees grow. Likewise, the availability of water must be taken into consideration before planting any new young saplings.
 
The Holiday Camp on the seacoast continues to impress the weary traveler, with a rapidly developing fine cuisine dining experience, offering both traditional Socotrian and Yemeni dishes.
 
Summer Land Hotel
 
The Summer Land Hotel, a three star hotel located downtown, has been rebuilt and refurbished to accommodate the adventurous traveler. The hotel was first built in commemoration of Yemen’s unity.

 
Zahrat Socotra farm

This farm is located in Hajrrah, to the east of the capital Hudibo. Nashwan al-Mahdi, once an employee of the Yemen Bank, had an interest in Socotra Island, leading him to resign three months ago, and resettle on Socotra, establishing the agricultural project he had always dreamed of.  He has developed a 1,500 lebna (each lebna is 44.4 square meters) farm, where he has planted various vegetables, watermelon and cantaloupe (shamam). He has decided, he will quietly confess to anyone willing to listen, that if his initial farm is successful, that he will invest is many other parcels of land in Socotra.

 
Thanks to Nashwan and many like him, the residents of Socotra now have a more varied and balanced diet, enjoying fruits and vegetables that they did not possess before the Airport and the Seaport were built in 1990.
 
Thoughts on the Indian Ocean
On my way back to Sana’a Airport, while about 20 thousand feet above the Indian Ocean, I began to formulate an idea to train the Socotri youngsters foreign languages such as English, German and Italian, as well as teach them the fundamentals of tourism.

 
I implore businessmen, colleagues and friends to share in this endeavor with me. Together we will start a social fund where were 5-10 year old children will receive their training in Sana’a from April to September every year, when the tourism sector of Socotra ceases due to the monsoon season.
 
I ask all my good Yemeni countrymen to contact me at my email address and provide their feedback on this plan. If we are able to turn this endeavor into a success, we could expand the trainings to other sectors outside of tourism, and truly assist our brothers and sisters in the south.  It is my deepest hope that travel agencies will promote internal tourism in Yemen, and to this wonderful island in particular. My own painful realization has been that the majority of Yemeni’s have not visited Socotra, a small piece of heaven within their own country.

 
Perhaps this can change with your help. E-mail: titra@y.net.ye

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