Yemeni women are some of the fiercest women I have ever met. Through conflicts and famine, many have had to struggle for the survival of their families. The abject poverty afflicts Yemeni women in particularly harsh ways, yet they carry on and persevere. Still, their pride in their culture and love for their beautiful country always shines through. But in spite all of this I was still surprised when I saw footage of the protests that rocked the capital Sana’a in 2011.Women - side by side with men - in the thick of battle, openly protesting in the central city space that came to be known as “Change Square.” Despite numerous failed attempts to prevent women from joining the demonstrations, they stood firm. In fact, some took on leadership roles during the revolution, while others marched the streets or helped organize a field hospital, treating wounded demonstrators.On one of the many videos that spread through the internet and gave the outside world a window on events, one woman expressed her feelings after marching in the “Friday of Anger” demonstration on February 18, 2011 which saw thousands of Yemenis gather in major cities: “Women are risking everything to get rid of the oppressive regime. We feel that for the first time men and women are coming together – we participate as Yemenis first, with our gender being secondary.”
We invite our users to read the complete article published May 16 2013
Yemeni women are some of the fiercest women I have ever met. Through conflicts and famine, many have had to struggle for the survival of their families. The abject poverty afflicts Yemeni women in particularly harsh ways, yet they carry on and persevere. Still, their pride in their culture and love for their beautiful country always shines through. But in spite all of this I was still surprised when I saw footage of the protests that rocked the capital Sana’a in 2011.Women - side by side with men - in the thick of battle, openly protesting in the central city space that came to be known as “Change Square.” Despite numerous failed attempts to prevent women from joining the demonstrations, they stood firm. In fact, some took on leadership roles during the revolution, while others marched the streets or helped organize a field hospital, treating wounded demonstrators.On one of the many videos that spread through the internet and gave the outside world a window on events, one woman expressed her feelings after marching in the “Friday of Anger” demonstration on February 18, 2011 which saw thousands of Yemenis gather in major cities: “Women are risking everything to get rid of the oppressive regime. We feel that for the first time men and women are coming together – we participate as Yemenis first, with our gender being secondary.”
We invite our users to read the complete article published May 16 2013