Pat Mitchell: You have brought us images from the Yemen Times. And take us through those, and introduce us to another Yemen.
Pat Mitchell: Ju na keni sjellur imazhe nga Yemen Times Kalo neper keto fotografi dhe na paraqit me nje Jemen tjeter.
Nadia Al-Sakkaf: Well, I'm glad to be here. And I would like to share with you all some of the pictures that are happening today in Yemen. This picture shows a revolution started by women, and it shows women and men leading a mixed protest. The other picture is the popularity of the real need for change. So many people are there. The intensity of the upspring. This picture shows that the revolution has allowed opportunities for training, for education. These women are learning about first aid and their rights according to the constitution.
Nadia Al-Sakkaf: Jam e lumtur qe gjendem ketu. Dhe deshiroj te ndaj me ju te gjithe disa nga fotografite qe po ndodhin sot ne Jemen. Kjo fotografi tregon nje revolucion te filluar nga femrat dhe paraqet femrat dhe meshkujte duke udhehequr nje proteste te perzier. Fotografia tjeter eshte popullariteti i nevojes se vertete per ndryshim. Ka aq shume njerez aty. Intensiteti i revoltes. Fotografia tregon se revolucioni ka hapur mundesi per trajnime, dhe arsimim. Keto femra po mesojne per ndihmen e pare dhe te drejtat e tyre sipas kushtetutes.
I love this picture. I just wanted to show that over 60 percent of the Yemeni population are 15 years and below. And they were excluded from decision-making, and now they are in the forefront of the news, raising the flag. English -- you will see, this is jeans and tights, and an English expression -- the ability to share with the world what is going on in our own country. And expression also, it has brought talents. Yemenis are using cartoons and art, paintings, comics, to tell the world and each other about what's going on.
E dua kete fotografi. Vetem desha te tregoj se mbi 60 perqind e popullsise se Jemenit jane 15 vjet ose me te rinj. Dhe keta jane te paperfshire ne vendimmarrje, ndersa tash shfaqen ne ballina te lajmeve, duke ngritur flamurin. Anglisht-- do te shihni, keto jane xhinse dhe geta, dhe nje shprehje angleze mundesia per te ndare me boten cfare po ndodhe ne shtetin tone. Dhe te shprehurit poashtu, ka vene ne pah talentet. Qytetaret e Jemenit po perdorin ilustrime dhe art, vizatime, stripa, qe t'i tregojne botes dhe njeri tjetrit se cka po ndodhe.
Obviously, there's always the dark side of it. And this is just one of the less-gruesome pictures of the revolution and the cost that we have to pay. The solidarity of millions of Yemenis across the country just demanding the one thing. And finally, lots of people are saying that Yemen's revolution is going to break the country. Is it going to be so many different countries? Is it going to be another Somalia? But we want to tell the world that, no, under the one flag, we'll still remain as Yemeni people.
Sigurisht, gjithmone ekziston edhe ana e erret. Dhe kjo eshte nje prej fotografive me pak tmerruese te revolucionit dhe cmimit qe duhet te paguajme. Solidariteti i miliona qytetareve te Jemenit nga i tere shteti qe kerkojne vetem nje gje. Dhe me ne fund, shume njerez po thone qe revolucioni i Jemenit do ta ndaje shtetin. A do te ndahet vendi ne shume shtete te ndryshme? A do te jete nje Somali tjeter? Por ne duam t'i themi botes se, jo, nen nje flamur, ne do te mbesim njerezit e Jemenit.
PM: Thank you for those images, Nadia. And they do, in many ways, tell a different story than the story of Yemen, the one that is often in the news. And yet, you yourself defy all those characterizations. So let's talk about the personal story for a moment. Your father is murdered. The Yemen Times already has a strong reputation in Yemen as an independent English language newspaper. How did you then make the decision and assume the responsibilities of running a newspaper, especially in such times of conflict?
PM: Faleminderit per keto imazhe, Nadia. Dhe po, ne menyra te shumta, ato po tregojne nje histori te ndryshme prej historise se Jemenit, qe e shohim shpesh ne lajme. Dhe prape, ju personalisht i sfidoni gjithe ato karakterizime. Le te flasim per historine tuaj personale per nje moment. Babai juaj eshte vrare. Yemen times vecse ka nje reputacion te mire ne Jemen si nje gazete e pavarur ne gjuhen angleze. Si atehere e morret vendimin dhe pergjegjesite per te udhehequr nje gazete, posacerisht ne kohe te konfliktit?
NA: Well, let me first warn you that I'm not the traditional Yemeni girl. I've guessed you've already noticed this by now. (Laughter) In Yemen, most women are veiled and they are sitting behind doors and not very much part of the public life. But there's so much potential. I wish I could show you my Yemen. I wish you could see Yemen through my eyes. Then you would know that there's so much to it. And I was privileged because I was born into a family, my father would always encourage the boys and the girls. He would say we are equal. And he was such an extraordinary man. And even my mother -- I owe it to my family. A story: I studied in India. And in my third year, I started becoming confused because I was Yemeni, but I was also mixing up with a lot of my friends in college. And I went back home and I said, "Daddy, I don't know who I am. I'm not a Yemeni; I'm not an Indian." And he said, "You are the bridge." And that is something I will keep in my heart forever. So since then I've been the bridge, and a lot of people have walked over me.
NA: Me lejoni fillimisht t'ju paralajmroj qe une nuk jam nje vajze tradicionale e Jemenit. Besoj qe vecse e keni verejtur kete deri tash. (Te qeshura) Ne Jemen, shumica e femrave jane teresisht te mbuluara me vello te ulura prapa dyerve dhe jo shume pjese e jetes publike. Por ka aq shume potencial. Do te doja te ju tregoja Jemenin tim. Sa do te doja qe te shikonit Jemenin permes syve te mi. Atehere do te dinit qe ka aq shume ne lidhje me te. Une kam qene e privilegjuar qe kam lindur ne nje familje, babai im gjithmone i inkurajonte si djemte dhe vajzat. Thoshte se jemi te barabarte. Ishte nje njeri i jashtezakonshem. Bile edhe nena- i detyrohem familjen time per kete qe jam. Nje histori: Kam studiuar ne Indi. Ne vitin e trete, fillova te behem e hutuar sepse isha nga Jemeni por edhe po perzihesha me shume miqe ne fakulltet. Dhe shkova ne shtepi e thashe, "Babi, une nuk e di se kush jam. Une nuk jam nga Jemeni; Une nuk jam nga India." Dhe ai tha, "Ti je ura." Dhe kjo eshte dicka qe do ta mbaje gjithmone ne zemer. Pra prej atehere kam qene ura, dhe shume njerez me kane shkelur.
PM: I don't think so. (Laughter)
PM: Nuk ma merr mendja. (Te qeshura)
NA: But it just helps tell that some people are change agents in the society. And when I became editor-in-chief after my brother actually -- my father passed away in 1999, and then my brother until 2005 -- and everybody was betting that I will not be able to do it. "What's this young girl coming in and showing off because it's her family business," or something. It was very hard at first. I didn't want to clash with people. But with all due respect to all the men, and the older men especially, they did not want me around. It was very hard, you know, to impose my authority. But a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do.
NA: Por thjeshte mjafton te them qe disa njerez jane agjente te ndryshimit ne shoqeri. Dhe kur u bera zevendes redaktore pasi qe vellau im-- babai vdiq ne 1999, deri ne 2005, vellau im -- me te gjithe te tjeret po venin bast se une nuk do t'ia dilja. "Cfare ben kjo vajze e re duke ardhur dhe u treguar sikurse te ishte biznisi i familjes se saj," ose dicka e tille. Ishte shume e veshtire ne fillim. Nuk doja te perplasesha me njerez. Por me gjithe respektin per te gjithe meshkujte, sidomos ata me te moshuarit, nuk me donin afer. Ishte shume e veshtire, te imponoj autoritetin tim. Por nje grua duhet te bej cfare nje grua duhet te bej.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
And in the first year, I had to fire half of the men. (Laughter) (Applause) Brought in more women. Brought in younger men. And we have a more gender-balanced newsroom today. The other thing is that it's about professionalism. It's about proving who you are and what you can do. And I don't know if I'm going to be boasting now, but in 2006 alone, we won three international awards. One of them is the IPI Free Media Pioneer Award. So that was the answer to all the Yemeni people. And I want to score a point here, because my husband is in the room over there. If you could please stand up, [unclear]. He has been very supportive of me.
Dhe ne vitin e pare, u detyrova te largoj nga puna gjysmen e meshkujve. (Te qeshura) (Duartrokitje) Solla me shume femra. Solla me shume meshkuj te ri. Dhe sot e kemi nje dhome me te balancuar me autore te lajmeve. Gjeja tjeter eshte profesionalizmi. Te deshmuarit se kush jemi dhe cfare bejme. E di qe do te lavdohem tani, por vetem ne 2006, fituam tre cmime nderkombetare. Njeri nga ta eshte IPI Cmimi per Media nismetare te pavaruara. Keshtu qe kjo ishte pergjigjja per gjithe njerezit e Jemenit. Dhe dua te fitoj nje pike ketu, sepse burri im eshte ne dhome, atje . Nese mund te ngrihesh ne kembe, Ai me ka mbeshtetur shume.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
PM: And we should point out that he works with you as well at the paper. But in assuming this responsibility and going about it as you have, you have become a bridge between an older and traditional society and the one that you are now creating at the paper. And so along with changing who worked there, you must have come up against another positioning that we always run into, in particular with women, and it has to do with outside image, dress, the veiled woman. So how have you dealt with this on a personal level as well as the women who worked for you?
PM: Dhe duhet te permend se ai punon me ju per gazeten poashtu. Por duke e marrur kete pergjegjesi dhe duke e trajtuar ate sic keni bere, jeni shnderruar ne nje ure ne mes nje shoqerie te vjeter dhe tradicionale dhe asaj qe ju tani po krijoni permes gazetes. Keshtu qe bashke me ndryshimin e stafit, juve ju eshte dashur te viheni edhe kunder dickaje tjeter me te cilen cdo here ballafaqohemi, posacerisht me femra, dhe ka te bej me pamjen e jashtme, veshjen, grate me fytyra te mbuluara me vello. Si jeni perballe me kete ne nivel personal e poashtu edhe me femrat qe kane punuar per ju?
NA: As you know, the image of a lot of Yemeni women is a lot of black and covered, veiled women. And this is true. And a lot of it is because women are not able, are not free, to show their face to their self. It's a lot of traditional imposing coming by authority figures such as the men, the grandparents and so on. And it's economic empowerment and the ability for a woman to say, "I am as much contributing to this family, or more, than you are." And the more empowered the women become, the more they are able to remove the veil, for example, or to drive their own car or to have a job or to be able to travel.
NA: Sic e dini, imazhi i shume femrave te Jemenit eshte shume femra me fytyra te mbuluara dhe te zeza. Dhe kjo eshte e vertete. Dhe shume prej kesaj per shkak se femrat nuk munden, nuk jane te lira, t'ia tregojne fytyren vetes se tyre. Ka shume imponim tradicional qe vjen prej figurave me autoritet sikurse meshkujte, gjysherite e keshtu me radhe. Eshte fuqizimi ekonomik dhe mundesia e nje femre per te thene, " Une po kontribuoj njejte per kete familje, ose edhe me shume, se sa ju." Dhe sa me te pavarura qe behen femrat, aq me shume kane mundesi ta heqin vellon nga fytyra, per shembull ose te ngasin veturen e tyre personale ose te kene nje pune, apo te kene mundesi te udhetojne.
So the other face of Yemen is actually one that lies behind the veil, and it's economic empowerment mostly that allows the woman to just uncover it. And I have done this throughout my work. I've tried to encourage young girls. We started with, you can take it off in the office. And then after that, you can take it off on assignments. Because I didn't believe a journalist can be a journalist with -- how can you talk to people if you have your face covered? -- and so on; it's just a movement.
Keshtu qe fytyra tjeter e Jemenit eshte faktikisht nje qe fshihet prapa vellose qe mbulon fytyren, dhe kryesisht pavaresimit ekonomik qe i lejon femrat ta heqin ate. Dhe une e kam bere kete gjate punes sime. Jam perpjekur t'i bind vajzat e reja. Filluam me, mund ta hiqni ne zyre. Dhe pas kesaj, mund te hecni vellon nga fytyra kur jeni ne detyre. Sepse nuk kam besuar qe nje gazetare mund te jete gazetare me-- si mund te ju flasesh njerezve nese e keni fytyren e mbuluar? dhe keshtu me radhe; eshte thjeshte nje levizje.
And I am a role model in Yemen. A lot of people look up to me. A lot of young girls look up to me. And I need to prove to them that, yes, you can still be married, you can still be a mother, and you can still be respected within the society, but at the same time, that doesn't mean you [should] just be one of the crowd. You can be yourself and have your face.
Dhe une jam nje model per ne Jemen. Shume njerez me marrin shembull. Shume vajza te reja me marrin shembull. Dhe me duhet te ju deshmoj atyre se, po, ti mund te martohesh, mund te behesh nene, dhe te jesh e respektuar nga shoqeria, por ne te njejten kohe, kjo nuk do te thote qe duhet te jesh vetem nje ne mesin e nje grumbulli. Mund te jesh vetja dhe te mbash fytyren tende.
PM: But by putting yourself personally out there -- both projecting a different image of Yemeni women, but also what you have made possible for the women who work at the paper -- has this put you in personal danger?
PM: Por duke e ekspozuar veten tende personalisht, duke projektuar nje imazh ndryshe te femrave te Jemenit, por gjithashtu edhe me gjithcka qe keni bere te mundur per femrat qe punojne per gazeten-- a e keni vene veten ne rrezik?
NA: Well the Yemen Times, across 20 years, has been through so much. We've suffered prosecution; the paper was closed down more than three times. It's an independent newspaper, but tell that to the people in charge. They think that if there's anything against them, then we are being an opposition newspaper. And very, very difficult times. Some of my reporters were arrested. We had some court cases. My father was assassinated. Today, we are in a much better situation. We've created the credibility. And in times of revolution or change like today, it is very important for independent media to have a voice. It's very important for you to go to YemenTimes.com, and it's very important to listen to our voice.
NA: Po gjate 20 viteve Yemen Times kam kaluar neper shume gjera. Kemi qene te perndjekur; gazeta eshte mbyllur me shume se tre here. Eshte nje gazete e pavarur, por ec e shpjegoju kete njerezve ne detyre. Ata mendojne se nese ka ckado kunder tyre ne te, atehere ne jemi gazete e opozites. Dhe shume, shume kohe te veshtira. Disa nga reporteret e mi ishin arrestuar. Kemi pasur disa raste ne gjyq. Babain tim e vrane. Sot, jemi ne nje situate shume me te mire. E kemi krijuar besueshmerine. Dhe ne kohe te revolucionit ose ndryshimit sikurse sot, eshte shume e rendesishme per mediat e pavarura te kene ze. Eshte shume e rendesishme per ju te shkoni ne YemenTimes.com, dhe eshte shume e rendesishme qe te degjoni zerin tone.
And this is probably something I'm going to share with you in Western media probably -- and how there's a lot of stereotypes -- thinking of Yemen in one single frame: this is what Yemen is all about. And that's not fair. It's not fair for me; it's not fair for my country. A lot of reporters come to Yemen and they want to write a story on Al-Qaeda or terrorism. And I just wanted to share with you: there's one reporter that came. He wanted to do a documentary on what his editors wanted. And he ended up writing about a story that even surprised me -- hip hop -- that there are young Yemeni men who express themselves through dancing and puchu puchu. (Laughter) That thing. (PM: Rap. Break dancing.) Yeah, break dancing. I'm not so old. I'm just not in touch.
Dhe kjo sigurisht eshte dicka qe do te ndaje me ju, ne mediat perendimore me siguri-- ka shume stereotipe-- mendohet per Jemenin brenda nje kornize te vetme: kjo eshte gjicka qe mund te kete per Jemenin. E kjo nuk eshte e drejte. Nuk eshte e drejte per mua; nuk eshte e drejte per shtetin tim. Shume reportere vijne ne Jemen dhe duan te shkruajne nje histori per Al-Qaeden ose terrorizmin. Dhe une vetem desha te ndaje me ju: qe nje here erdhi nje reporter. Ai donte te bente nje dokumentar per cka redaktoret e tij deshironin. Dhe perfundoj duke shkruar nje ngarje qe edhe mua me befasoj-- hip hop-- se si ka te djem te ri nga Jemeni qe e shprehin veten permes vallezimit dhe puqu puqu. Qeshje) Cfaredo qe ajo eshte. (PM: Rap, Break dancing) Po, break dancing. Nuk jam aq e vjeter. Vecse nuk i ndjek.
(Laughter)
(Te qeshura)
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
PM: Yes, you are. Actually, that's a documentary that's available online; the video's online.
PM: Po, ti e ben. Ne fakt, ai eshte bere nje dokumentar qe mund te shikohet online; video eshte online.
NA: ShaketheDust.org.
NA: ShaketheDust.org
PM: "Shake the Dust." (NA: "Shake the Dust.")
PM: "Shake the Dust." (NA: Shake the Dust.")
PM: ShaketheDust.org. And it definitely does give a different image of Yemen. You spoke about the responsibility of the press. And certainly, when we look at the ways in which we have separated ourselves from others and we've created fear and danger, often from lack of knowledge, lack of real understanding, how do you see the way that the Western press in particular is covering this and all other stories out of the region, but in particular, in your country?
PM: ShaketheDust.org Dhe definitivisht jep nje imazh tjeter per Jemenin. Ju folet per pergjegjesine e shtypit. Dhe sigurisht, kur shikojme menyrat se si ne kemi ndare veten tone prej te tjereve, se si kemi krijuar frike dhe rrezik, shpesh nga mungesa e njohurive mungesa e te kuptuarite te vertete, si e shihni rrugen qe shtypi perendimor mbulon tere kete ngjarje dhe te tjera nga regjioni, por kryesisht , ne shtetin tuaj?
NA: Well there is a saying that says, "You fear what you don't know, and you hate what you fear." So it's about the lack of research, basically. It's almost, "Do your homework," -- some involvement. And you cannot do parachute reporting -- just jump into a country for two days and think that you've done your homework and a story. So I wish that the world would know my Yemen, my country, my people. I am an example, and there are others like me. We may not be that many, but if we are promoted as a good, positive example, there will be others -- men and women -- who can eventually bridge the gap -- again, coming to the bridge -- between Yemen and the world and telling first about recognition and then about communication and compassion.
NA: Po, eshte nje thenie qe thote: "Ju frikesoheni nga cfare nuk dini, dhe urreni ate qe i frikesoheni." Pra ka te beje me mungesen e hulumtimit, ne princip. Eshte pothuajse, "Beni detyrat,"-- pak perfshirje. Nuk mund ta leshoni raportimin me parashute-- vetem te kerceni ne nje shtet per dy dite dhe te mendoni se i keni bere detyrat e shtepise dhe te krijoni nje storje. Keshtu qe uroj qe bota te njohin Jemenin tim, shtetin tim, njerezit e mi. Une jam nje shembull, dhe ka te tjere sikurse une. Mund te mos jemi shume, por nese afirmohemi si shembull i mire dhe pozitiv do te kete te tjere-- meshkuj dhe femra-- qe ne te vertete mund te lidhin zbrazetirat me ura-- prape-- duke u kthyer te ura-- ne mes te Jemenit dhe botes dhe duke treguar fillimisht njohje e me pas komunikim dhe dhembshuri.
I think Yemen is going to be in a very bad situation in the next two or three years. It's natural. But after the two years, which is a price we are willing to pay, we are going to stand up again on our feet, but in the new Yemen with a younger and more empowered people -- democratic.
Une mendoj se Jemeni do te jete ne nje situate shume te veshtire ne dy deri tre vitet e ardhshme. Eshte natyrale. Por pas dy viteve, qe eshte cmimi qe ne jemi te gatshem te paguajme, ne do te qendrojme perseri ne kembet tona, por ne Jemenin e ri me njerez me te ri dhe me te fuqizuar-- demokratik.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
PM: Nadia, I think you've just given us a very different view of Yemen. And certainly you yourself and what you do have given us a view of the future that we will embrace and be grateful for. And the very best of luck to you. YemenTimes.com.
PM: Nadia, po mendoj qe ju sapo na keni dhene nje perspektive tjeter te Jemenit. Dhe sigurisht ju vete dhe ajo se cfare ju beni na kane dhene nje pamje te se ardhmes qe do ta perqafojme dhe per te cilen do te jemi mirenjohes. Pacit shume fat. YemenTimes.com
NA: On Twitter also.
NA: Ne Twitter poashtu.
PM: So you are plugged in.
PM: Pra jeni te kyqur.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)