Mira Baz is a Lebanese writer who has been living in Yemen for over seven years, teaching English as a Second Language and writing about various social and cultural topics, including women’s issues. Being a woman and speaking Lebanese Arabic as her native language have helped her get to know this country, its women and their segregated world in depth.
She has been published by GlobalPost, and her work appears regularly in Lebanon’s The Daily Star and the Yemeni monthly magazineYemen Today.
She knew little about Yemen when she moved to this impoverished country in southern Arabia. 
She’d heard about it in the news and read an article in National Geographic on qat, the leaf with mildly intoxicating effects that is a social glue. The recurring question she has to answer about living in Yemen is “Why?” – the country is struggling with poverty and internal discord as well as terrorists adopting it as a safe haven. Because it’s mysterious, Yemen is sometimes misunderstood. Its troubles often overshadow its beauty, its architecture, its history, and its people’s hospitality and friendliness. The writer is still appreciating the many reasons to explore this little-known, complex, fascinating country – most more than meets the eye.
Yemen doesn’t give up its secrets easily, but the journey’s worth it.
CNN featured clips of the Sanaa Music Festival videos on its monthly show iReport, along with a chat with Mira on the growing hip hop trend among the urban youth in Yemen. Mira’s blog, The Bohemian and The Bulbul, got a mention as well. (Click to watch the CNN spot.)
CNN International is showing clips of the Sanaa Music Festival videos and an interview with Mira on its iReport show this week at these times. Not to be missed!
Yemeni artist Mazher Nizar stopped by the Bab al-Yemen art exhibition by European artists for a chat. He talked about his unique style, particularly his colorful portrayal of women. The paintings are on display in the Sheba Hotel, Sanaa. (Click to watch the interview with the artist.)
WEB EXCLUSIVE – Painting by French artist Stephanie Ledoux, who showed her work along with 7 other European artists in Bab al-Yemen, Old Sanaa, as part of Yemen’s annual Sanaa Tourism Summer Festival. (Click to watch a video of the highlights of the art exhibition.)
Wet cushions are laid out to dry in the sun after heavy rains disrupt a wedding in a Sanaa neighborhood on Thursday.
