Nadia Al-Sakkaf: See Yemen through my eyes

88,313 views ・ 2011-07-18

TED


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:15
Pat Mitchell: You have brought us images from the Yemen Times.
0
15260
4000
00:19
And take us through those,
1
19260
2000
00:21
and introduce us to another Yemen.
2
21260
4000
00:25
Nadia Al-Sakkaf: Well, I'm glad to be here.
3
25260
2000
00:27
And I would like to share with you all
4
27260
2000
00:29
some of the pictures that are happening today in Yemen.
5
29260
3000
00:32
This picture shows a revolution
6
32260
2000
00:34
started by women,
7
34260
2000
00:36
and it shows women and men
8
36260
3000
00:39
leading a mixed protest.
9
39260
2000
00:41
The other picture
10
41260
2000
00:43
is the popularity of the real need for change.
11
43260
4000
00:47
So many people are there.
12
47260
2000
00:49
The intensity of the upspring.
13
49260
4000
00:53
This picture shows that the revolution
14
53260
2000
00:55
has allowed opportunities for training,
15
55260
2000
00:57
for education.
16
57260
2000
00:59
These women are learning about first aid
17
59260
2000
01:01
and their rights according to the constitution.
18
61260
3000
01:04
I love this picture.
19
64260
2000
01:06
I just wanted to show
20
66260
2000
01:08
that over 60 percent of the Yemeni population
21
68260
2000
01:10
are 15 years and below.
22
70260
2000
01:12
And they were excluded from decision-making,
23
72260
2000
01:14
and now they are in the forefront of the news,
24
74260
3000
01:17
raising the flag.
25
77260
2000
01:19
English --
26
79260
2000
01:21
you will see, this is jeans
27
81260
2000
01:23
and tights,
28
83260
2000
01:25
and an English expression --
29
85260
3000
01:28
the ability to share with the world
30
88260
3000
01:31
what is going on in our own country.
31
91260
3000
01:34
And expression also,
32
94260
3000
01:37
it has brought talents.
33
97260
2000
01:39
Yemenis are using cartoons
34
99260
2000
01:41
and art,
35
101260
3000
01:44
paintings, comics,
36
104260
2000
01:46
to tell the world and each other
37
106260
2000
01:48
about what's going on.
38
108260
2000
01:50
Obviously, there's always the dark side of it.
39
110260
3000
01:53
And this is just one of the less-gruesome pictures
40
113260
3000
01:56
of the revolution
41
116260
2000
01:58
and the cost that we have to pay.
42
118260
2000
02:00
The solidarity
43
120260
2000
02:02
of millions of Yemenis across the country
44
122260
2000
02:04
just demanding the one thing.
45
124260
2000
02:06
And finally, lots of people are saying
46
126260
2000
02:08
that Yemen's revolution
47
128260
2000
02:10
is going to break the country.
48
130260
2000
02:12
Is it going to be so many different countries?
49
132260
2000
02:14
Is it going to be another Somalia?
50
134260
2000
02:16
But we want to tell the world that, no,
51
136260
2000
02:18
under the one flag, we'll still remain as Yemeni people.
52
138260
3000
02:22
PM: Thank you for those images, Nadia.
53
142260
3000
02:25
And they do, in many ways,
54
145260
2000
02:27
tell a different story
55
147260
2000
02:29
than the story of Yemen,
56
149260
2000
02:31
the one that is often in the news.
57
151260
2000
02:33
And yet, you yourself
58
153260
2000
02:35
defy all those characterizations.
59
155260
2000
02:37
So let's talk about the personal story for a moment.
60
157260
4000
02:41
Your father is murdered.
61
161260
3000
02:44
The Yemen Times already has
62
164260
2000
02:46
a strong reputation in Yemen
63
166260
3000
02:49
as an independent English language newspaper.
64
169260
4000
02:53
How did you then
65
173260
2000
02:55
make the decision and assume the responsibilities
66
175260
2000
02:57
of running a newspaper,
67
177260
2000
02:59
especially in such times of conflict?
68
179260
3000
03:02
NA: Well, let me first warn you
69
182260
2000
03:04
that I'm not the traditional Yemeni girl.
70
184260
3000
03:07
I've guessed you've already noticed this by now.
71
187260
2000
03:09
(Laughter)
72
189260
2000
03:11
In Yemen, most women are veiled
73
191260
2000
03:13
and they are sitting behind doors
74
193260
3000
03:16
and not very much part of the public life.
75
196260
2000
03:18
But there's so much potential.
76
198260
2000
03:20
I wish I could show you my Yemen.
77
200260
3000
03:23
I wish you could see
78
203260
2000
03:25
Yemen through my eyes.
79
205260
2000
03:27
Then you would know
80
207260
2000
03:29
that there's so much to it.
81
209260
2000
03:31
And I was privileged because I was born into a family,
82
211260
3000
03:34
my father would always encourage the boys and the girls.
83
214260
4000
03:38
He would say we are equal.
84
218260
3000
03:41
And he was such an extraordinary man.
85
221260
3000
03:44
And even my mother -- I owe it to my family.
86
224260
3000
03:47
A story:
87
227260
2000
03:49
I studied in India.
88
229260
2000
03:51
And in my third year, I started becoming confused
89
231260
3000
03:54
because I was Yemeni,
90
234260
2000
03:56
but I was also mixing up
91
236260
2000
03:58
with a lot of my friends in college.
92
238260
2000
04:00
And I went back home and I said,
93
240260
3000
04:03
"Daddy, I don't know who I am.
94
243260
2000
04:05
I'm not a Yemeni; I'm not an Indian."
95
245260
2000
04:07
And he said, "You are the bridge."
96
247260
2000
04:09
And that is something I will keep in my heart forever.
97
249260
4000
04:13
So since then I've been the bridge,
98
253260
2000
04:15
and a lot of people have walked over me.
99
255260
3000
04:18
PM: I don't think so. (Laughter)
100
258260
3000
04:21
NA: But it just helps tell
101
261260
3000
04:24
that some people are change agents
102
264260
2000
04:26
in the society.
103
266260
2000
04:28
And when I became editor-in-chief
104
268260
2000
04:30
after my brother actually --
105
270260
2000
04:32
my father passed away in 1999,
106
272260
2000
04:34
and then my brother until 2005 --
107
274260
2000
04:36
and everybody was betting that I will not be able to do it.
108
276260
3000
04:39
"What's this young girl coming in and showing off
109
279260
3000
04:42
because it's her family business," or something.
110
282260
3000
04:45
It was very hard at first.
111
285260
2000
04:47
I didn't want to clash with people.
112
287260
2000
04:49
But with all due respect
113
289260
2000
04:51
to all the men, and the older men especially,
114
291260
3000
04:54
they did not want me around.
115
294260
3000
04:57
It was very hard, you know,
116
297260
2000
04:59
to impose my authority.
117
299260
4000
05:03
But a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do.
118
303260
4000
05:07
(Applause)
119
307260
5000
05:12
And in the first year,
120
312260
2000
05:14
I had to fire half of the men.
121
314260
2000
05:16
(Laughter)
122
316260
2000
05:18
(Applause)
123
318260
4000
05:22
Brought in more women.
124
322260
3000
05:25
Brought in younger men.
125
325260
2000
05:27
And we have a more gender-balanced newsroom today.
126
327260
4000
05:31
The other thing is that it's about professionalism.
127
331260
3000
05:34
It's about proving who you are and what you can do.
128
334260
3000
05:37
And I don't know if I'm going to be boasting now,
129
337260
3000
05:40
but in 2006 alone,
130
340260
3000
05:43
we won three international awards.
131
343260
2000
05:45
One of them is the IPI
132
345260
2000
05:47
Free Media Pioneer Award.
133
347260
2000
05:49
So that was the answer
134
349260
2000
05:51
to all the Yemeni people.
135
351260
2000
05:53
And I want to score a point here,
136
353260
2000
05:55
because my husband is in the room over there.
137
355260
2000
05:57
If you could please stand up, [unclear].
138
357260
4000
06:01
He has been very supportive of me.
139
361260
3000
06:04
(Applause)
140
364260
4000
06:08
PM: And we should point out
141
368260
2000
06:10
that he works with you as well at the paper.
142
370260
3000
06:13
But in assuming this responsibility
143
373260
2000
06:15
and going about it as you have,
144
375260
2000
06:17
you have become a bridge
145
377260
2000
06:19
between an older and traditional society
146
379260
4000
06:23
and the one that you are now creating at the paper.
147
383260
3000
06:26
And so along with changing who worked there,
148
386260
3000
06:29
you must have come up against another positioning
149
389260
3000
06:32
that we always run into, in particular with women,
150
392260
3000
06:35
and it has to do with outside image,
151
395260
3000
06:38
dress, the veiled woman.
152
398260
2000
06:40
So how have you dealt with this
153
400260
2000
06:42
on a personal level
154
402260
2000
06:44
as well as the women who worked for you?
155
404260
2000
06:46
NA: As you know,
156
406260
2000
06:48
the image of a lot of Yemeni women is a lot of black
157
408260
2000
06:50
and covered, veiled women.
158
410260
2000
06:52
And this is true.
159
412260
2000
06:54
And a lot of it is
160
414260
2000
06:56
because women are not able, are not free,
161
416260
2000
06:58
to show their face to their self.
162
418260
2000
07:00
It's a lot of traditional imposing
163
420260
2000
07:02
coming by authority figures
164
422260
2000
07:04
such as the men, the grandparents and so on.
165
424260
3000
07:07
And it's economic empowerment
166
427260
2000
07:09
and the ability for a woman to say,
167
429260
2000
07:11
"I am as much contributing to this family, or more,
168
431260
3000
07:14
than you are."
169
434260
2000
07:16
And the more empowered the women become,
170
436260
4000
07:20
the more they are able to remove the veil, for example,
171
440260
3000
07:23
or to drive their own car
172
443260
2000
07:25
or to have a job or to be able to travel.
173
445260
2000
07:27
So the other face of Yemen
174
447260
3000
07:30
is actually one
175
450260
2000
07:32
that lies behind the veil,
176
452260
2000
07:34
and it's economic empowerment mostly
177
454260
3000
07:37
that allows the woman to just uncover it.
178
457260
2000
07:39
And I have done this throughout my work.
179
459260
3000
07:42
I've tried to encourage young girls.
180
462260
2000
07:44
We started with, you can take it off in the office.
181
464260
4000
07:48
And then after that, you can take it off on assignments.
182
468260
3000
07:51
Because I didn't believe a journalist can be a journalist with --
183
471260
3000
07:54
how can you talk to people if you have your face covered? --
184
474260
3000
07:57
and so on; it's just a movement.
185
477260
2000
07:59
And I am a role model in Yemen.
186
479260
2000
08:01
A lot of people look up to me.
187
481260
2000
08:03
A lot of young girls look up to me.
188
483260
2000
08:05
And I need to prove to them that, yes, you can still be married,
189
485260
2000
08:07
you can still be a mother,
190
487260
2000
08:09
and you can still be respected within the society,
191
489260
2000
08:11
but at the same time,
192
491260
2000
08:13
that doesn't mean you [should] just be one of the crowd.
193
493260
3000
08:16
You can be yourself and have your face.
194
496260
3000
08:19
PM: But by putting yourself personally out there --
195
499260
4000
08:23
both projecting a different image
196
503260
2000
08:25
of Yemeni women,
197
505260
2000
08:27
but also what you have made possible
198
507260
2000
08:29
for the women who work at the paper --
199
509260
3000
08:32
has this put you in personal danger?
200
512260
4000
08:36
NA: Well the Yemen Times, across 20 years,
201
516260
3000
08:39
has been through so much.
202
519260
2000
08:41
We've suffered prosecution;
203
521260
2000
08:43
the paper was closed down more than three times.
204
523260
2000
08:45
It's an independent newspaper,
205
525260
3000
08:48
but tell that to the people in charge.
206
528260
2000
08:50
They think that if there's anything against them,
207
530260
3000
08:53
then we are being an opposition newspaper.
208
533260
4000
08:57
And very, very difficult times.
209
537260
3000
09:00
Some of my reporters were arrested.
210
540260
2000
09:02
We had some court cases.
211
542260
2000
09:04
My father was assassinated.
212
544260
2000
09:06
Today, we are in a much better situation.
213
546260
3000
09:09
We've created the credibility.
214
549260
2000
09:11
And in times of revolution or change like today,
215
551260
3000
09:14
it is very important for independent media to have a voice.
216
554260
4000
09:18
It's very important
217
558260
2000
09:20
for you to go to YemenTimes.com,
218
560260
2000
09:22
and it's very important
219
562260
2000
09:24
to listen to our voice.
220
564260
3000
09:27
And this is probably something
221
567260
2000
09:29
I'm going to share with you
222
569260
2000
09:31
in Western media probably --
223
571260
2000
09:33
and how there's a lot of stereotypes --
224
573260
4000
09:37
thinking of Yemen in one single frame:
225
577260
3000
09:40
this is what Yemen is all about.
226
580260
3000
09:43
And that's not fair.
227
583260
2000
09:45
It's not fair for me; it's not fair for my country.
228
585260
2000
09:47
A lot of reporters come to Yemen
229
587260
2000
09:49
and they want to write a story on Al-Qaeda or terrorism.
230
589260
3000
09:52
And I just wanted to share with you:
231
592260
4000
09:56
there's one reporter that came.
232
596260
2000
09:58
He wanted to do a documentary
233
598260
2000
10:00
on what his editors wanted.
234
600260
4000
10:04
And he ended up writing about a story that even surprised me --
235
604260
3000
10:07
hip hop --
236
607260
2000
10:09
that there are young Yemeni men
237
609260
3000
10:12
who express themselves
238
612260
2000
10:14
through dancing and puchu puchu.
239
614260
3000
10:17
(Laughter)
240
617260
2000
10:19
That thing. (PM: Rap. Break dancing.)
241
619260
3000
10:22
Yeah, break dancing.
242
622260
2000
10:24
I'm not so old.
243
624260
3000
10:27
I'm just not in touch.
244
627260
2000
10:29
(Laughter)
245
629260
2000
10:31
(Applause)
246
631260
3000
10:34
PM: Yes, you are.
247
634260
2000
10:36
Actually, that's a documentary
248
636260
2000
10:38
that's available online; the video's online.
249
638260
3000
10:41
NA: ShaketheDust.org.
250
641260
2000
10:43
PM: "Shake the Dust." (NA: "Shake the Dust.")
251
643260
3000
10:46
PM: ShaketheDust.org.
252
646260
2000
10:48
And it definitely does give a different image of Yemen.
253
648260
3000
10:51
You spoke about the responsibility of the press.
254
651260
3000
10:54
And certainly, when we look
255
654260
3000
10:57
at the ways in which we have separated ourselves from others
256
657260
3000
11:00
and we've created fear
257
660260
2000
11:02
and danger,
258
662260
2000
11:04
often from lack of knowledge,
259
664260
2000
11:06
lack of real understanding,
260
666260
2000
11:08
how do you see
261
668260
2000
11:10
the way that the Western press in particular
262
670260
3000
11:13
is covering this and all other stories out of the region,
263
673260
3000
11:16
but in particular, in your country?
264
676260
2000
11:18
NA: Well there is a saying that says,
265
678260
3000
11:21
"You fear what you don't know,
266
681260
2000
11:23
and you hate what you fear."
267
683260
3000
11:26
So it's about the lack of research, basically.
268
686260
3000
11:29
It's almost, "Do your homework," --
269
689260
3000
11:32
some involvement.
270
692260
2000
11:34
And you cannot do parachute reporting --
271
694260
3000
11:37
just jump into a country for two days
272
697260
3000
11:40
and think that you've done your homework and a story.
273
700260
3000
11:43
So I wish
274
703260
2000
11:45
that the world would know my Yemen,
275
705260
2000
11:47
my country, my people.
276
707260
3000
11:50
I am an example, and there are others like me.
277
710260
3000
11:53
We may not be that many,
278
713260
2000
11:55
but if we are promoted
279
715260
2000
11:57
as a good, positive example,
280
717260
3000
12:00
there will be others -- men and women --
281
720260
3000
12:03
who can eventually bridge the gap --
282
723260
3000
12:06
again, coming to the bridge --
283
726260
2000
12:08
between Yemen and the world
284
728260
2000
12:10
and telling first
285
730260
2000
12:12
about recognition
286
732260
2000
12:14
and then about communication
287
734260
2000
12:16
and compassion.
288
736260
3000
12:19
I think Yemen is going to be
289
739260
2000
12:21
in a very bad situation
290
741260
3000
12:24
in the next two or three years.
291
744260
2000
12:26
It's natural.
292
746260
2000
12:28
But after the two years, which is a price we are willing to pay,
293
748260
3000
12:31
we are going to stand up again on our feet,
294
751260
3000
12:34
but in the new Yemen
295
754260
2000
12:36
with a younger and more empowered people --
296
756260
3000
12:39
democratic.
297
759260
2000
12:41
(Applause)
298
761260
8000
12:49
PM: Nadia, I think you've just given us
299
769260
2000
12:51
a very different view of Yemen.
300
771260
3000
12:54
And certainly you yourself and what you do
301
774260
3000
12:57
have given us a view of the future
302
777260
3000
13:00
that we will embrace
303
780260
3000
13:03
and be grateful for.
304
783260
2000
13:05
And the very best of luck to you.
305
785260
2000
13:07
YemenTimes.com.
306
787260
3000
13:10
NA: On Twitter also.
307
790260
3000
13:13
PM: So you are plugged in.
308
793260
2000
13:15
(Applause)
309
795260
17000
About this website

This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.

https://forms.gle/WvT1wiN1qDtmnspy7