Following on from Brian Barron’s earlier piece, he has broadcasted from Aden on the 40th anniversary of the ending of British Colonial rule in South Yemen. Brian Barron’s commentary on Aden is factual and to the point. From one perspective, Aden is indeed a pretty sorry sight these days. From another, that of the curious tourist, Aden is a fascinating myriad of post colonial architecture, faded grandeur and a cocktail of islamic and non-islamic culture.

A trip around Aden is an interesting experience. Upon leaving the airport, you enter an area called Khomaskar. This is where many of the British lived and the area is divided up into categories of housing. The poshest bits were ’area A’, the not so posh, area ’B’ etc. Parts of these areas were then redeveloped by the Russians. The whole place is like Southport meets Stalingrad. Imagine being dropped into a Butlin’s campsite circa 1960. Then imagine the Russian’s provided the Red Coats who decided to add their own buildings based on communist designs of the same period. Recently the rich Yemenis have decided to begin building their own idea of a luxury villa with green glass windows. Amongst this insane aesthetic the government and NGOs have taken accomodation in what was area A and the Adenis and African immigrants are in area B.

Aden seems to stretch for miles, wrapping itself to the contours of mountains and the shape of the natural harbour, stretching from the area where the Sheraton Hotel is now (elephant bay) to the south west, Little Aden. In the middle, high up amongst the volcanic detritus, lies Crater, and at the waters edge, Steamer Point.

Crater is like most Yemeni towns. It has the classic Yemen High Street. Sweet shops, tea shops, phonecard shops, shoe shops etc etc. Most women wear niqab. If recent reports are to be believed, Crater is currently seething with tension and a tourist could find themselves the unwilling recipient of some unwanted temporary accommodation. I was there recently, late at night and cant say i felt in danger.

Steamer Point and the surroundings are very un-Yemen. As Barron says, there is the old Rolex shop opposite the customs house, a few trinket shops and some very Victorian era buildings that give the area an odd ’villagey’ feel. An electricity substation looks like a Brunel designed train station. There is the ’little ben’ clocktower and a couple of churches – active and with a congregation. You will also find the ’Sailor’s Club’, where you can sup a cold Heineken and enjoy the amiable company of Yemenis who have very happy memories of the British, fish and chips (still available), Bobby Moore and can tell you the history of the British Royal Family. At night, things can get a bit wilder, but that’s a story for another post.

Why is it that after the violent end to the British rule, many Adenis have fond memories of the British time in Aden? The Russians weren’t that great perhaps – though i meet many a Yemeni who can speak Russian and had free education back in Moscow. Perhaps many Adenis have reached that age where in the past the sun always shone and there was never a grey day – though in Aden that is always the case, but i hope you get my point. I hear most Adenis who can remember the British, wish they never left, that had the Brits stayed, South Yemen would be in the Commonwealth and sharing the associated benefits. When the Queen visited in the early 50s, just after her Coronation, she was a young woman. Over the last 50 plus years, the Adenis have seen her mature and become a worldwide respected figure. Perhaps they feel they have missed that. Perhaps they still want that…..

Just before Ramadan 2007, the tension between Aden and the Sana’a based government grew tighter, something ’serious’ could have happened. Thankfully it didn’t. A recent protest planned to coincide with the anniversary of the end of British colonial rule was cancelled. President Saleh went to Aden to reassure the Adenis that he has their best interests at heart and to continue believing in a unified Yemen. The winter months see the government relocate from the colder Sana’a to the more bearable warmth of the Aden winter so one should hope that this helps with dialogue between the two sides.

This blog is about mixing adventure, strange places and entrepreneurship. Interestingly, Barron touches on this. He says,

“But the failure for two decades to repair one of Aden’s most prominent, historic landmarks reveals the inertia today and the lack of entrepreneurial instincts. Maybe that commercial spirit sailed away with the British – and whatever remained was destroyed by the revolutionary regime.”

I agree with this. Aden has missed out. Aden should be like many of the world’s cities-by-the-sea: cosmopolitan, energetic, romantic and buzzing. All this is there but behind a faded and tarnished facade inhabited by a bitter and unsatisfied populace. The Qat chews with fellow entrepreneurs in Sana’a are full of ideas for Aden: “Aden could be this..”, “Aden could be that…”, “Aden should be this….”, “we should sort Aden out”. And that is just it. How does one sort Aden out? One has to hope that it isnt done through arms and violence, but through enterprise and entrepreneurship. There are plans for Aden’s port, a free zone and various other infrastructure improvements. They need to be realised sooner rather than later, for Aden’s sake.

Technorati Tags: Our Stories, Yemen, Aden, Yemen, Brian barron, Bbc
Technorati Tags: Our Stories, Yemen

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