Free Book Tickets
ExhibitionLiteratureWe are honoured to be hosting the first British-Yemeni Society meeting outside of London during this year’s Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.
2023 marks the 30th anniversary since the British-Yemeni Society was founded. To celebrate this, the British-Yemeni Society welcomes you to join us for an afternoon of exhibitions and an enlightening talk in celebration of Yemen, held at the Quaker Meeting House, Liverpool.
Talk: Bread and Henna – Ianthe Mary Maclagan. 1-2pm, booking required.
“As a window into women’s lives it must be unparallelled. A ready-made classic.”
– Tim Mackintosh-Smith
An engaging travel narrative, Bread and Henna provides an intimate portrait of Yemeni life through insights into the cuisine, practices, and traditions of an ordinary town. After a gruelling road journey, the anthropologist couple are initially taken in by a family who provide support and hospitality – but charge extortionate rent. In turn, the couple set up on their own, struggling with isolation and practicalities as the author begins to integrate herself into a new community, forming connections with the women living nearby along the way. This memoir will enthrall lovers of travel writing, people interested in the workings of different societies and the lives of women, and those who have travelled to Yemen – or have yearned to do so.
Ianthe Mary Maclagan was born in 1952. In 1981, she spent eighteen months living in the small Yemeni town of Safaqayn in Jebel Hufash. Her experiences formed a key component of her social anthropology fieldwork, completed as part of her PhD from the University of London. In the years that followed, Ianthe made several trips to Yemen before the outbreak of war made further travel impossible. She is also the author of Food and Gender in a Yemeni Highland Community in Culinary Cultures of the Middle East, eds. Sami Zubaida and Richard Tapper, 1993. I. B. Tauris.
Photography exhibition Yemen: A Story of Hope & Resilience by Oxfam.
March 2023 marked 8 years since the conflict escalated in Yemen, and a fragile truce that was temporarily agreed between the warring parties has collapsed. More than 20 million Yemenis are now reliant on aid to survive, 4 million people have been forced from their homes, and thousands have lost their lives. The conflict has caused widespread destruction of the country’s health services and wider infrastructure.
Amongst the devastation, threat to life and uncertainty, ordinary Yemenis continue to go about their lives. Some manage to maintain existing livelihoods, while others are creating new opportunities for themselves and their families. The photographs tell the stories of seven Yemeni women living their lives through this conflict; Eman, Nazrah, Yasmin, Fawzia, Anhad, Razigah, and Anesa. Their stories are ones of resilience and hope. They deserve a future without war.
Exhibition of Claire Dunn’s research project on traditional Yemeni dress.
Do I need to book?
Booking is required for Ianthe’s free talk. Please note that exhibition access will be limited during Ianthe’s talk at 1pm.
Access
On arrival please enter the Quaker Meeting House front door to reception. Staff will signpost you to the Large Meeting Room space. Lift access is available for wheelchair users.
The British-Yemeni Society was founded in 1993 to promote friendship and understanding between the UK and Yemen, and to advance knowledge about Yemen in the UK. The Society provides support for medical and educational projects in Yemen, holds talks, conferences and cultural events in the UK and online throughout the year, and publishes an annual journal, showcasing research and commentary on Yemen. A registered charity in the UK (No. 1027531), the affairs of the Society are managed by an elected committee. Please explore the website to discover more about the Society’s work and how to become a member.
Venue:
Large Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 22 School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BT
Book Tickets