August 2010 – Ibb – Two men take care of the construction of a water tank for the collection of water.

Walking around the streets at night gives the feeling of travelling back in time, to a place where time has stopped.

The infrastructures here are few and the electricity is scarce – at night it is possible to see the stars on the horizon.

Mountains shield from the scorching desert wind and the muezzin’s chants from all the minarets strike you with strength and melancholy, reminding you that you are in a place where religion still dictates ordinary, everyday life.

Yemen is a Muslim country, a charming reality which goes un-noticed when reading about terrorism and kidnapping related chronicles in the newspaper.

During Ramadan, before dawn, you can still eat and smoke a cigarette on the misty tops of the Haratz mountains or in the Gulf of Aden, gazing at the red sea.

At sunrise everybody goes home to shelter from the heat. People stop chewing khat in order to halt the amphetamine intake, otherwise sleeping would be difficult.

At sunset, everybody gets together again – the streets are now filled with people. Jobs are few and staying at home means dealing with screaming kids and bossy elderly. It is more pleasant to be outside and meet someone to eat Salta with, or to chew khat, or to complain about the president.

When Ramadan ends, daytime activities return as do daily issues – young adults looking for employment to support their children and wife; wives walking miles to fetch non-existent water; a man going to the market to buy an AK-47, angry because things never change.

August 2010 – A Yemeni flag flies over the central souq in Sana’a. September 2010 – Aden – A propaganda manifesto (poster) of the president. September 2010 – Sayun – The city is built between the mountains in order to protect it from the desert storms. August 2010 – Ibb August 2010 – Ibb – A boy sleeping inside a car. Photo Lorenzo Meloni September 2010 – Aden – A man uses the pedestrian underpass as a working and living area. September 2010 – Aden – Beggars in the street. September 2010 – Al-Mukalla in Hadramawt – A man resting on the seaside chewing qat. Photo Lorenzo Meloni August 2010 – Taiz – Portraits of a local photographer, the clients can choose the backdrop of the portrait. August 2010 – Sana’a – A man with a handful of qat choosing the best quality. Agust 2010 – Ibb – Worker at night during ramadam . September 2010 – Aden – a Qat market. Photo Lorenzo Meloni August 2010 – Hodeida – A shark fisherman tidies his boat before the departure. September 2010 – Sayun – Main square. Agosto 2010 – Ibb – Worker at night during ramadam . September 2010 – Sayun – Typical houses in Hadrawmut. August 2010 Hodeidah – A shark fisherman in Hodeidah tidies his boat before departure. September 2010 – Aden – Because of the electricity cut, people demonstrate in the streets. Photo Lorenzo Meloni

Bio

Lorenzo Meloni was born in 1983 in Rome, studied at the “Scuola Romana di Fotografia” for three years, focusing his interests on the Middle East and the Italian youth underground scenarios. H e has reported on major world issues such as those regarding Palestinan refugees and Yemen. Other works include retrospectives on the Italian techno-rave and hip-hop youth scenarios.

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Lorenzo Meloni