The last day of the film festival has come. The first of two documentaries I would see today is The Reluctant Revolutionary. This is a fantastic and confronting piece of filmmaking, taking a first-hand look at the popular uprising in Yemen in 2011.
Irish documentary maker Sean McAlister is in Yemen making a documentary about falling tourism which is contributing to Yemen being one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman and having an Al-Qaeda presence in some regions, a spate of kidnappings of tourists has really dented the industry. We see things from the perspective of guide Kais who has seen his world collapse as economic problems and flagging tourist numbers forced him to give up the hotel he managed and now bookings for trips are at an all time low. His wife has a baby on the way and is thinking about leaving him if he can't find a way to provide for his family. This provides a sympathetic emotional base on which Sean McAlister then builds a personal insight into the Yemeni revolution through the eyes of Kais and himself. Extending his stay in Yemen as a tourist, McAlister manages to remain and film the events from the inside even after foreign journalists are removed from the country, although it becomes touch and go whether he can stay towards the end.
The fascinating part of this documentary is that Kais begins as a supporter of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but as events unfold he slowly becomes a support of the revolution protests and wants the President out of power. Nothing in his situation has changed for better or worse, but interaction with the protestors and seeing what occurs in the protest camp leads him to believe that change is needed.
The confronting part of this documentary is the first-hand footage of the protest camps and the events of February and March 2011. Although Saleh, who has been in power in Yemen for 33 years, had been elected democratically in 2006, there was a growing movement that felt he should hand over that power due to economic problems, corruption and unemployment. Happening simultaneously with the Egyptian uprising against Mubarak, the Yemeni revolution was based around peaceful protest calling for a peaceful hand over of power, new elections and a new constitution. While initially peaceful, the Government eventually tries to disassemble the protest camp which leads to rising anger among the people. On March 18, the Government fired on protestors who held no weapons and killed 52 people, including children. Although you do not see this directly, McAlister's camera does capture the gunshots in the distance and does go into the makeshift hospital that is set up for the victims, which shows unedited footage of gunshot victims. I'll never forget what one doctor says to the camera when Sean asks if he should stop filming: "Your camera and your eye is the best thing to show the world what is happening in Yemen. Use your brain camera, your eye, to show what is happening here. The government is shooting to kill, they are not shooting to stop protestors - these wounds are all in the head, neck, chest and shoulders."
I got goosebumps all over my body seeing the sheer size and determination of these protestors to prevail, even if it means giving their lives for a better world for their families. I felt sick watching the footage of injured people, many still very young. I felt like I had just had a slap in the face despite there being some moments of humour in Kais' observations of Yemen society. We have no real problems in this country compared to many others and more people should see this to appreciate the freedom we have here.
The post-script: After the events of March 18 captured so shockingly here, it still took 7 months before Saleh agreed to a power-transfer deal in November where power went to the vice-president temporarily and Saleh would quit the presidency by Feb 2012, in exchange for immunity from prosecution for any crimes committee while in power. Although the people did not agree with this deal, it was enacted. In February 2012, an election was held with 65% turnout. Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi took the oath of office in Yemen's parliament on 25 February 2012.
Post-script 2: The protestors are not 100% guilt free as might be implied by the film. Although everything you see in the film is peaceful protest and pushing for dialogue, there were elements of the uprising that were violent. On 23 May, a day after Saleh refused to sign the transition agreement, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, the head of the Hashid tribal federation, one of the most powerful tribes in the country, declared support for the opposition and his armed supporters came into conflict with loyalist security forces in the capital Sana'a. Heavy street fighting ensued, which included artillery and mortar shelling. Saleh and several others were injured and at least five people were killed by a 3 June bombing of the presidential compound when an explosion ripped through a mosque used by high-level government officials for prayer services.
What this all proves is that the so called 'Arab Spring' is a highly complex issue but one that it is difficult to argue against, particularly after the horrible events in Egypt and Syria. This one is a real eye-opener.
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