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UNESCO, EU Restore Historic Houses in Four Yemeni Cities

"Some of the homes in Old Sanaa after restoration (General Organization for the Preservation of the Historic Cities of Yemen)
"Some of the homes in Old Sanaa after restoration (General Organization for the Preservation of the Historic Cities of Yemen)
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UNESCO, EU Restore Historic Houses in Four Yemeni Cities

"Some of the homes in Old Sanaa after restoration (General Organization for the Preservation of the Historic Cities of Yemen)
"Some of the homes in Old Sanaa after restoration (General Organization for the Preservation of the Historic Cities of Yemen)

In partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Yemen’s Social Fund for Development has restored hundreds of damaged historic houses and landmarks in the cities of Shibam, old Sanaa, Zabid and Aden.

Funded by the European Union, the restoration project aims at preserving the Yemeni heritage and creating job opportunities for young Yemenis.

In addition to houses restoration, the project also seeks the rehabilitation of the sewage network that requires an urgent intervention in old Sanaa.

Local sources reported that UNESCO is urging donors to increase their funds for Yemen in 2024 to expand the development and culture projects and preserve heritage, landmarks and historic cities.

According to UNESCOS’s General Authority for the Preservation of Historic Cities, the historic city of Zabid, listed as a UNESCO Human Heritage, is among the most damaged in the country. It embraces 12,000 buildings, including 4962 ancient houses that have been violated or destroyed. Part of Al Hodeidah governorate, Zabid features 27 schools and 86 historic mosques as well.

Data also show that many landmarks in the historic city collapsed, while there are 46 damaged buildings that require a quick intervention to save them from collapse. Some of these buildings are over 600 years old.

 

In addition to preserving historic buildings, the project focuses on the social aspects by integrating the younger Yemenis in the restoration process. It also aims at creating jobs for 8,000 young men and women.

The project offers training and funds for the organizations active in the cultural field. Young Yemenis are taking part in restoring and rehabilitating over 500 historic buildings in three endangered World Heritage sites in Sanaa, Shibam and Zabid, as part of the awareness campaigns promoting the importance of protecting the Yemeni heritage.

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Murakami Tells Alma Mater He Was a ‘Terrible Student'

This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)
This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)
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Murakami Tells Alma Mater He Was a ‘Terrible Student'

This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)
This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)

Publicity-shy Japanese author Haruki Murakami told his alma mater Tuesday that he was far from being a model scholar, as he collected an honorary degree in a rare public appearance.

"It feels kind of strange being given the award, considering what a terrible student I was," said Murakami to laughter from the audience at Waseda University.

"I would skip classes and forget about studying. I was just doing whatever I wanted and causing loads of trouble to the university," the 75-year-old said.

The degree is therefore a "pretty generous gesture on Waseda's part," the novelist, dressed in academic regalia, told the rapturous audience of hundreds of admiring fans and Waseda students.

Awarding the honorary doctorate, Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University hailed the "cosmopolitan atmosphere" of Murakami's work and his ability "freewheelingly to zigzag between the real and the surreal".

The author of "Norwegian Wood" and "Kafka on the Shore" is known for his intricate tales of the absurdity and loneliness of modern life, which have been translated into about 50 languages.

Perennially tipped for a Nobel prize, Murakami is a reclusive figure and famously media-shy.

Readers of his works are drawn into the "Murakami world" where giant frogs challenge office workers in battle and mackerel rain down from the sky.

"The City and Its Uncertain Walls", his first full-length novel in six years, hit shelves in Japan last year, and copies of its English translation were released in November.

In his short, self-deprecating speech, Murakami said he had "gained absolutely nothing" from his previous six honorary doctorates -- all awarded by universities abroad -- calling them "useless".

"It's not like they come with pension money... And just because you have honorary doctorates doesn't mean your books sell," he quipped to another bout of laughter.

This is not to say, he added, that he is not grateful to his alma mater.

"Had I not enrolled in Waseda, I might have not pursued the career as a novelist at all," Murakami said, calling the award a milestone in his "life cycle".

Typical of his taciturn style, Murakami offered no clue as to what his next project will be, but he ended his speech on a bright note.

"I want to keep writing good novels," he said.