After reading a couple of headlines about yet another US drone attack targeting suspected militants in Yemen yesterday, I wrote on twitter "I am sick of news of Qaeda and drones in Yemen. I wish I can be tweeting more interesting news about Yemen :(" when a tweep replied "Here in Yemen we are waiting for [a] good and interesting life, may[be] it will be soon! :-)". That reply had a profound effect on me and made me write these questions to vent my distress and frustration at the living conditions in my country.
When will Yemenis live, I mean when will the average Yemeni live?
When will he/she ever enjoy a normal life, let alone a good or interesting one?
When will Yemen ever stop being the poorest nation in the Arab World?
When will it stop having the lowest growth indexes and one of the highest illiteracy, maternal/infant mortality and malnutrition rates?
When will Yemenis have their basic needs, such as water, food, electricity, let alone their basic rights to education and health?
When will the little boys learn to read and have dreams of becoming a doctor or an engineer, instead of carrying a weapon bigger than themselves to fight wars?
When will little girls learn to write and plan their future instead of being forced to drop out of school and get married to support their family and start one of their own?
When will the western and regional powers stop viewing Yemen through the terrorist prism and aim at destroying it instead of helping us build our nation?
When will my dreams of Yemen ever come true?
