It is true that when thinking of Yemen one’s mind doesn’t conjure up an image of men standing quietly and peacefully by fresh water rivers to practise a sport that is foreign in concept and might very well be an indulgence Yemenis can never afford (mainly because water and meditative sports are of equal opulent rarities in Yemen). It is also true that media attention on Yemen has been on the rise as the words “killed” and “militants” find more ways of reasserting their notions as the only reality existing in “the” Yemen. So how is it that Paul Torday’s fiction novel that was briefly set in Yemen, and of which a screen adaption was recently released, bring a different kind of attention to the long-forgotten Arab country?
According to an article in The Telegraph titled “There’s no salmon fishing in Yemen, tourist board warns”, there seems to be a surge in interest by brits to visit Yemen’s fishing industry, an interest the article attributes to the feel-good British rom-com adaptation of Torday’s Salmon Fishing in The Yemen which was released in April of this year.
The film is about a simple love story with a pinch of British humour set in an unexpected and unexplored location built as the premise for a love affair to strengthen the mystical and adventure aspects; and yet this particular story brought a different kind of media reality to the estranged Arab country.
It might be a case of hollywood magic, despite its fictional premises, casting its spell on an unassuming audiences and once again surpassing the work of those who have been tirelessly and persistently trying to provide a more balanced view of Yemen as a culture within a historical, political and economic context. And a part of it may well be the relief brought by a happy and feel-good story to an audience “fatigued” by the negative stories coming from southern Arabia
The interest arisen in yemen from this film was beyond what the media perceives as a priority story for the reader, as AQAP remains a threat to the western world international media and western governments remain undeterred from shifting their focus to other humanitarian and pressing issues in this impoverished country. This all suggests that the interest in Yemen is not Yemen in itself but the threat it poses to western security. And perhaps despite the happy ending in his story, Paul Torday managed to keep the status quo by placing Yemen in the title but far from a reality relatable to its people suffering from many things including profiling.
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