Thursday, March 10, 2011

Yemen youth find their voice


Sana'a, Yemen (CNN) -- Young people in Yemen's capital Sana'a and elsewhere across the country have been taking to the streets to demand government reforms.
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, and nearly two thirds of the population is under the age of 30, making it a prime target for youth activism.
Opponents of Yemen's long-time President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been demonstrating against him since the beginning of the year, part of the wave of popular protests that has been crashing over the Arab world.
Ala'a Jabran, a university student and online activist, involved in a demonstration in Sana'a, said: "We represent youth, we have different demands. Some people want their government to resign, some people don't, some people just want change.
"But we're all here to represent the youth in a civilized way, to demand in our way, and to encourage other people who are afraid to demonstrate."
Yemen has only 45% literacy and low levels of internet access, yet -- as elsewhere in the Middle East -- social media is becoming a key driver for change.

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