VIDEO

AUDIO

Black screen

00:12 Inside classroom

00:19

00:23 In classroom

00:34 Hallway

Classroom

Student 1: Democracy is freedom to say what you want.

Student 2: It’s freedom to express our opinions about social problems.

Title: Yemen’s School of Democracy

Title: Abdel Raman state school

Student 3: Democracy is the freedom to elect whoever you want.

Voice Over: We’ve come to a run-down state school in the middle of Sana, the capital of Yemen, to witness a rather special event.

VO: The country has been ruled by the same president for over thirty years.

But the students here are about to participate in free and fair elections.

Head Master (HM): Get out of the class!

Classroom

HM: It’s your choice alone. You write down the candidate’s name on the ballot paper and put it in the box without anyone looking at it.

You elect the person. The political parties have nothing to do with it.

HM: Hold on! This election is non partisan. Some people think there are the Reform party, Socialists, Communists, Nasserites. No!

This is non partisan. These are your class mates. They will represent the Children’s Parliament in general. You elect the person. Political parties have nothing to do with it.

(turning to Mohammed) Go on

Mohammed Surmi (MS): In the name of God. One: to work on …

HM: Tell them your name first.

MRS: Your candidate Mohammed Ali Yeyha Rizk el-Surmi.

One: To work on enforcing all the children’s rights with no exceptions. Two: To work on protect the children against all violations.

Three: Protect the children from discrimination and all forms of neglect and abuse. Four: Raise the educational and cultural standards among students. Five:(he takes down his paper and freezes)…. Develop active, active, activities … among .. among teachers.

Five. Six! Respect for the teachers and, and, the students.

VO: Winning election to the highest office is never easy.

And in Yemen they haven’t had much training in democracy.

But in schools across the country students are preparing to elect a representative to sit in what is known as the Children’s Parliament.

Organised by local NGO Democracy School, the Children’s Parliament holds its opening session inside the real parliament in Sanaa.

Seven: to be … well educated and learned.

Eight: to raise awareness in schools.

Nine: to be a conscientious representative for the school and to raise awareness during the elections.

Ten: to be a teacher during the elections and master reading and writing.

Election Monitor (EM): Well done.

Student: He’s not done!

EM: Do you have any questions? Oh many.

S1: Will parliament guarantee our rights in state schools to have more buildings, books, chairs and toilets?

M: Yes.

S1: To have playgrounds instead of being on the street as public schools should because they are state funded.

M: Yes.

EM: We’ll do our best to help you.

VO: Mohammed’s presentation may not have been enough to win over skeptical voters.

Next up is candidate Bashir Shalili, one of the most popular boys in school.

EM: You can hold the paper but don’t read all of this. Be brief and simplify. Focus only on the main points. Without the paper. Go ahead.

BS: In the name of Allah and his merciful prophet Mohammed. I am Basheer Bin Abdullah as-Sadiq al-Amin. Peace be upon you. I am your candidate for the children’s Parliament.

VO: Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world and children have it especially tough.

VO: The candidates all have their own ideas of how they can improve children’s rights.

But before they can enter the corridors of power, those running in the election must first persuade the electorate - their classmates - that they have what it takes to make good on their campaign promises.

BS: Health and social care, and they have the right to play and the right to life and protection from wars and conflicts.

Clapping

Student 1: what would you do for the children begging in the streets?

BS: We will establish to make centres for them and shelter them from the life of begging.

VO: The students have great expectations of what they would like to see their representative achieve, a daunting task in a country where children’s rights are little more than ink on paper.

Student 1: To help the poor and orphaned children to get an education.

Student 2: Why are there no jobs in Yemen? Because of high unemployment people are leaving to make ends meet.

Student 3: The unemployment. Why don't they provide enough jobs for people instead making them travel to other countries?

Student 4: The blackboards are old and we need toilets and a library.

Student 5: We need playgrounds.

Student 6: We need a curriculum.

Student 7: Why can’t the state schools be better than the private schools? In education, facilities, everything?

Student 8: We want better educated teachers.

06:20 Hallway, sign, students

Title: The private-run Modern School

06:34 The Modern School Inside class

Mohammed Sareea (MS) enters

MS start talking (English mixed with Arabic)

In the name of God. I am one of the candidates for the children parliament. I am trying to help you … to make the future for you… good. Okay. Now first of all I’m gonna try to to to improve the teachers and make them teach us… very good.

I am trying to do eh trips for studying and trips for fun for the older students. And I’m trying to do all my best. Thank you for all your help.

Clapping

S1: Two questions: If you got elected and you won, okay, you’re there, you’re working, but what we really need is our voice to be heard over there. Are you sure? That’s what always happen, everybody believes that if you go there everything will happen as you said, but the next thing – nothing happens.”

MS: No no, I’m trying to let them happen and I’ll discuss with them your questions and I’ll try to let them do it and I will insist of doing it

S1: We see a lot of these issues in TV “we will do we will do” but in the end they just get money for it and disappear. That’s one of the biggest issues in Yemen and really has to be solved.

S1: We don’t care about “I’ll make field trips for the school” what’s more important? There are kids out there who are living under rocks and plastic and papers they are not getting educated and the next thing is they’re hanging out on the streets, what the hell? Come on! Field trips? Who cares as long as people are dying. You have millions at your house – they have nothing.

So that’s all I wanted to say

08:59 Mohammed putting up election posters

VO: Mohammed’s proposals for school trips and better teachers have faced some criticism from the boys in his class.

Meanwhile, his attempts to win over female voters have been a similar up-hill struggle.

MS: Me and my friend said why don’t we bring flowers so that maybe they will be happy with this because girls love flowers.

So I wanted to give them but the teacher said no they made the problem. I told them why because even they are not red I brought white flowers they said no.

I don’t know they have a bad thing for it. Maybe because they think it’s too romantic. Yea maybe.

09:40 View over Sanaa

Market scenes

10:43 Bashir walking home

VO: In Yemen’s deeply conservative Muslim society, tribal traditions still play a strong role.

Yet nearly half the population is under 15 years old.

Yemeni children face a range of hardships growing up, from child labour and trafficking to early marriage and finding a job and enough to eat in an economy suffering nearly 40 percent unemployment.

Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power since the late 1970s, ruling this wild and rugged land by making short term compromises with powerful tribes.

Yet shaken by the uprisings that spread across the Arab world after the revolution in Tunisia, President Saleh pledged he would not stand for re-election again.

With the economy close to collapse and the nation risking becoming a failed state - problems for which the adult politicians appear to have few answers – Yemen’s young parliamentary hopefuls, students like the popular Bashir Shalili from the state-run Abdel Rahman school, are hoping they can get their voices heard.

11:03 Inside Bashir’s living room

Bashir Shalili (BS): I will try to offer my peers the best I can in the Children’s Parliament and work on limiting child labor and freeing their time for school and work on providing better education for my fellow students and health care services.

Bashir’s Father (BF): Child labor, are you ok with the child studying and working?

BS: No.

BF: No, the child should study only. Ok, what about the children rights, like the early marriage? What is you opinion?

BS: I am against the early marriage, it has to be in a certain age like 17 or more.

BF: So, who do you think is going to win?

BS: Inshallah, I win.

BF: Why?

BS: Because I am popular in school.

BF: Popular, and the others?

BS: Yes, but not very much...

BF: What will happen if you don’t win?

BS: I will congratulate to the winner, and he will be the best…

BF: But the next time you should be more motivated. You have to compete strongly and to have ambitions.

BF: So in the future, do you dream to be in the real Parliament?

BS: Yes, I do.

BF: And after that?

BS: a Doctor.

BF: Yes and afterward be a doctor.

BS: Politics, No. I want to be in the society.

BF: Ok, and how will you help the society?

BF: By being a Doctor.

BF: You can practice politics. Being a doctor, this will be your career, this is another thing. But also in politics you can even be an ambassador, or a minister. Why not I mean?

BS: Because it makes problems among people, and parties.

13:18 Basketball court

VO: While Bashir and his father try to work out his future, Mohammed Sareea and his Dad, at home in the suburbs of Sanaa, prepare to work through the hit and miss of his campaign.

The day of the vote is drawing near and it’s vital that candidates hit the right note with their classmates if they’re going to win that all important seat in parliament.

13:41 Inside Mohammed’s living room

Mohammed’s Father (MF): Let me hear your program.

Mohammed Sareea (MS): To spread national dialogue and awareness and create new institutional and consultational committees which guarantee the sovereignty of the righteous state of law which will implant the democratic and electoral values in the mind of the new generation.

MF: Why don’t you talk about children and their rights in the introduction? I mean more simple things. You’ve got to reach children at their level.

MS: I’ll talk about their needs when I’m finished with the introduction. I think it’s better to talk about democracy in the introduction and spreading the culture of dialogue among people. I like this introduction and, God willing, I will win the election.

14:30 In Mohammed’s room

VO: With his strategy of handing out flowers to the girls blocked by teachers, Mohammed realises competition for votes is hotting up.

MS: Now there’s more students doing posters and they’re trying to improve themselves in front of people and I am trying also to do posters and I printed pens like these – I’m gonna show you here I have some. It is written Mohammed Sareea – vote to the best. I didn’t give it to the students yet. Tomorrow in the morning I’m gonna give it to the students

15:24 In school yard Abdel Rahman School

VO: The day of the election has arrived at last, and the students are getting excited by the prospect of their first experience of democracy in action.

But despite the competition, the five would-be parliamentarians display a camaraderie rarely witnessed in the hard nosed world of politics.

15:41 Candidates talking

Bashir’s father talking

Abdulwahab (AW): I don't think I am the best candidate. All of them are better than me.

Bashir Sahlili (BS): Well, nobody can judge himself. The others will judge. But hopefully I will win.

Riad Majhali (RM): You think at home that you are the best, but when you come to school you get anxious and start having doubts that either this or that person will winner.

Mohammed Surmi (MS): Whichever of us wins, we won’t get upset, because we are all candidates.

VO: Keen to see his son succeed, Bashir’s father has come to lend his support.

BF: Some of the parents might not be aware of democracy, or the Children’s Parliament. But for me, I consider it a big event. I wanted to come here to support my son, and hopefully to push him toward success.

Kids cueing to vote

VO: The once calm corridors of the Modern School are now a hive of activity as the election is in full swing.

Unfortunately it seems that Mohammed’s last minute effort to win support through distributing free pens may not have paid off.

17:24 Interview Mohammed election area, Modern School

Mohammed Sereea (MS): No one was in their classes. I put it on the table and I went and in some classes there were two and three girls I gave them to them and told them to give to the other students

Interviewer: Did anyone say anything back to you about it?

MS: No they didn’t say anything

MS: I think it’s a good thing for letting the students participate in the democratic way and they will be happy because they have voted – because we know that all the big persons who votes only. And now the children started to vote and this is a good thing for Yemen it became improving.

VO: One of the girls running in the election is 14-year-old Taima Muharram.

18:14 Taima talks

18:36 Ahmed’s election poster and CU Ahmed

18:58 Iv Ahmed

Taima Muharram (TM): I think these elections are fun so now who wins is good and normal to me. I wont get sad or anything we are all brothers. anyone who wins, ill go to him and congratulate and wish him to represent us and the children of Yemen well.

VO: If Taima or Mohammed are to win the vote they’ll have to overcome some tough competition from local heart throb Ahmed al-Thawr, son of a government minister, and, it seems, something of a teen idol among the Modern School’s female electorate.

TM: Some of the girls want to vote for Ahmed al-Thawr because he is so cute.

Ahmed Thawr (AT): I talk with a lot of girls and they said they will vote me and inshallah for this.

AT: I think Sundus or Taima will win for girls, but among the boys I will win

20:32: Ahmed

TM: When they ask him who do you think will win he said Taima and when they ask me I said Ahmed because he is more popular in the school

TM: Mohammed who?

Interviewer: Mohammed Sereea.

TM: I think that he looks democratic. He is really concerned about the Parliament, some of them are just concerned about the fame, just to be known. If I had another vote I would have voted for Mohammed Sareea. I feel he cares about people.

giggles uncontrollably

M: The best will get the most votes – Inshallah one of us will be good for getting the results.

I wanna be something in the future and I’m trying to do this from now

AT: This is a positive thing that encourage us to look to the future, like the real Parliament. And if one of us felt that it made his personality stronger and able to do things, maybe one of us could be able to be a candidate for the president of the republic.

21:03 Candidates looking ragged in Abdel Rahman schoolyard

21:26 Inside headmaster’s office

VO: It’s been a long, drawn out campaign for these young political hopefuls.

But now the election is over and as the ballot box is carried indoors to be counted, everyone is clammering to know who won.

Election Monitor (EM): You have to leave. You can’t be in here. Speak to the headmaster.

A father: Just let me in. Just me. Look there are others.

EM: It’s my ass on the line. Close the door.

21:55 Election monitor empties out box

Election Monitor (EM): In the name of Allah, now is the time to open the box in the presence of the candidates. You saw how the elections went. You have the right to doubt it, and the right to stop the counting of the cards to doubts in any of the cards.

EM: (counting the ballot papers): Abdel Wahab, Abdel Wahab, Abdel Wahab,

22:47 Back to vote count at modern school

VO: It seems Bashir’s campaign might not have been as popular as it first appeared.

Election Monitor (EM): Boys, girls, are you ready. We start.

EM: Mohammed Sareea, Mohammed Sareea, Mohammed Sareea,

VO: It’s a different story for Mohammed Sareea over at the Modern School.

As the count gets underway it’s looking good for his hopes of beating his main rival Ahmed al-Thawr.

23:49

EM: Mohammed Sareea, Mohammed Sareea, Mohammed Sareea,

(Mohammed whistles)

EM: Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr,

VO: But as quickly as he appeared to be on a winning streak, Mohammed’s luck runs out.

EM: Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr,

Girls mimicking: Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr,

VO: It seems Ahmed’s popularity has put him several lengths ahead of his nearest competitor.

EM: Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr, Ahmed al-Thawr,

EM: Congratulations Ahmed

VO: Victory goes to Ahmed.

AT: I am the happiest man in the world

VO: Though Mohammed got a respectable 33 votes, Ahmed took over four times more than him.

MS: 141 (hollow laugh)

24:09

MS: It feels good because it’s the best – he got it he won, inshallah, he will send our message to the parliament. I wish him the best.

24:23

TM: Well I did my best but more of the girls voted for Ahmed. They saw him as more democratic. It’s ok with me.

24:34

AT: I didn't expect that I would win by a great difference in votes, but thanks god I made it. I am proud of myself and the people who voted for me and proud to represent them well.

24:48 Back at Abdel Rahman school

EM: Bashir, Bashir, Bashir

EM: Abdel Wahab, Abdel Wahab

VO: After losing ground to his main rival Abdel Wahab in the count back at Abdel Rahman school, Bashir is at last getting the votes in numbers, drawing neck and neck for the top spot.

For the others candidates though, it’s all too clear that their campaigns have failed.

The most they can hope for now is a few votes to show them it wasn’t all in vain.

EM: Riad

Long pause, EM: Mohammed Rizk Surmi

VO: Finally Mohammed has a vote, but by now the competition is as good as over.

EM: Brothers. You’ve seen how the election went. It’s between Bashir and Abdulwahab.

26:41

EM: One, two, three, four, five

VO: Unlike the vote in Modern School, victory here is too close to call. As the two main contenders look on, each vote gets carefully counted.

EM: 65, 66, 67, 68

EM: 69 votes for Bashir!

BS: I’m ecstatic. I can’t describe it. I’m ecstatic.

AW: No, it’s ok. The most important thing is that one of us is representing the school. It is like I won.

MRS: I felt I am a loser that they voted for Bashir and not me. But inshallah I can win in the next elections and get more people to vote for me.

Riad and Ali together: yes, he won. It is like we all won.

Ali: when somebody wins it is like we all won because he represents the whole school.

HM: Ah these are my students!

HM: I am very happy. Not because Bashir won, but because they did it. All of them, Abdel Wahab, Riad, Ali, Mohammed. They all said it’s as if we all won.

Kids singing: Bashir! Who do we love? Bashir! The love of the nation! Bashir! Who do we follow? Bashir!

29:04 Black screen

29:15

29:28

29:39

30:08

30:22 Black screen (Ends)

Title: Opening session of the Children’s Parliament. House of Representatives. Sanaa

Jamal Shami, Chairman of Democracy School: I welcome you in the first session of the Children’s Parliament.

Bashir Shalili (BS): It’s a nice feeling. It’s my first time inside the parliament. It’s huge!

Ahmed al-Thawr (AT): I’m not nervous at all. God willing I can participate and give it my best. It’s an important day because Yemen is interested in democracy.

Andrew Moore, Save the Children Yemen (AM): Children’s voices as represented by the elected members of the Children’s Parliament are now being heard not only in parliament, but across Yemen.

Further to this they are influencing policy to further the rights of children. You have a heavy responsibility in representing the issues of those who have elected you and all children in Yemen. We are listening to what you have to say.

BS: It’s a wonderful feeling. Power! Hopefully I can represent Yemen well. Be the best generation in Yemen.