Everything a boy needs..., a photo from Al Mahwit, West

Photographer's Note

... for a good afternoon. A plastic bag full of Qat (a plant whose fresh leaves and tops are chewed in order to achieve a state of euphoria and stimulation) to chew with my friends, my Jambiya tucked into my belt in case I meet some men dancing in the street, in which case I'll twirl it above my head and join in. Oh, and my AK47 in case I run into any bovver or in case this irritating faranji doesn't stop pointing is camera at me.

holmertz, rjb874, daddo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

trekks (14348) 2008-08-16 0:54

hello Steven

Nice portrait shot as real as it can be.

Very nice post for TE to show the life style of young boy in this part of the world at conflict, the survival instinct takes over as priority in life. Sometimes young boys take up protective role for their family.

tfs, bill

holmertz (102700) 2008-08-16 6:29

Hi Steve,
The jambiya is harmless, the qat dangerous mainly to the economy, but you'll never know what could happen with a Kalashnikov. Glad to see you got away and could show us all these typical features of Yemen crammed into one picture. Well done. Is this one of your remakes?
Regards,
Gert

rjb874 (597) 2008-08-17 0:47

What a guy! An "only in Yemen" scene? It is a great insight into this wonderful place. Yes it takes ticker to have the courage to take a pic of a guy holding a gun. Two points.

daddo (28748) 2008-11-08 0:42

HI stephen. Firstly, my compliments on the note- I like the use of the boy as the narrator, plus the last comment. Secondly, my compliments on the fine portrait, the immediacy of the moment. And lastly the title. Enjoyed the whole thing. Regards. Klaudio.