Yemen: Sanaa photographer finds small moments of beauty amid war

Ali Alsonidar’s award-winning work has helped change the lives of Yemeni children

A young boy carrying an AK-47 looks over his shoulder at a boy of a similar age carrying a back-pack, showing the starkly different futures ahead of Sanaa's young generation of children.Ali Alsonidar

The Hug of Reconciliation photo of two brothers in their 70s embracing after years of a bitter dispute over a plot of land which won Ali Alsonidar the Middle East Insitute's 2019 photo competition. Ali Alsonidar

A child at a school in Sanaa carries a rice sack to function as a back-pack.Ali Alsonidar

After raising funds for 200 bags, Ali Alsonidar distributes new back-packs to children in need. Ali Alsonidar

A before-and-after photo of a school in Sanaa showing students sitting on the floor as a teacher writes on a small white board hung on a brick wall. After working with a charity group in Kuwait, Ali helped re-vamp the classroom into a fully-functioning hall with desks, chairs, painted walls and a bigger white board. Ali Alsonidar

Sanaa-based Yemeni photographer Ali Alsonidar. Ali Alsonidar

Ali Alsonidar showing children some photos he took of them. Ali Alsonidar

Ali Alsonidar attempts to bring out the beauty of his war-ravaged home city of Sanaa.

As the world grows accustomed to images of destruction, displaced families and cholera-stricken children, the photographer tries to capture heart-warming moments, such as the warm embrace of two men who had previously fought bitterly over a plot of land.

When he’s lucky, he can change lives one snapshot at a time.

Alsonidar's Hug of Reconciliation photo was chosen from among 1,200 pictures as the Middle East Institute's winner of the 2019 Untold Stories photography competition.

In the picture, the brothers, both in their seventies, embrace having finally found peace after a long-running dispute over land they inherited from their father.

But logistical challenges requiring Alsonidar to travel from Sanaa to Aden by land and then on to Jordan rendered him unable to travel to Washington within six days to collect his prize.

In another instance, Alsonidar, who has more than 36,000 Twitter followers and is well-known among Yemen’s photographers, saw a pupil standing in line with his fellow classmates, carrying an empty sack of rice as a backpack.

After posting the photo online, he managed to raise enough funds for more than 100 children in need of new bags.

US sanctions make it hard for Alsonidar to receive money transfers through banks. Instead, supporters of his work and well-doers have to wired him money through Western Union.

"Hours after posting that photo, many of my friends and people living abroad approached me asking me how they can help, each saying they would pay for a number of bags, at around $6 a piece. I went back to the school and asked the headmaster how many students need bags – and then went to the store to get a quote," he told The National.

Shortly after, Alsonidar was distributing new schoolbags to the pupils.

“It broke my heart seeing that child, whose parents had obviously made an effort making this sack of rice function somewhat as a makeshift backpack. How could they go to school like this? Others were also carrying plastic bags instead of proper backpacks. I knew my friends would step up if I posted the photo online, so I made sure to capture it at just the right angle while the kids were lining up.”

Crossroads

One of Alsonidar’s more poignant photos is that of a young boy, probably no more than 10 years old, with an AK-47 strapped around his shoulder. Walking away from the camera, holding his armed father’s hand, he looks behind his right shoulder as another boy of about the same age walks towards the camera looking down, wearing what appears to be a school uniform and carrying a backpack.

“It is a moment showing the two different futures these two boys hold,” Alsonidar said.

Yemen's Minister for Human Rights previously told The National Houthi militias recruited at least 30,000 child soldiers during the first five years of the war between the internationally recognised Yemeni government, which is backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, and Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Consent

Being a photographer in Sanaa means constantly being interrogated by the rebels, who have taken over the Yemeni capital.

"We are restricted here," he told The National. 

“We, as photographers, are often stopped and being asked for our credentials under the guise of security precautions, even when shooting at a tourism site, for example.”

Using photos of deprived children in a bid to raise funds has also been a controversial subject, because critics say the youngsters are often exploited by NGOs and humanitarian groups.

Alsonidar says he always gains consent.

“The children I take photos of are normally from around the area I live. I know them personally and their parents. Still, whenever I take a photo of the kids, I approach their families asking for consent before publishing and they usually always grant it to me because they know me and my work well,” he said.

Ever since the war broke out, Alsonidar has been snapping photos, trying to find a way to make ends meet while showcasing the best of Sanaa and the small, everyday moments that humanise a city under siege.