14 April 2017 – Yemeni poet Ahmed Qasim Dammaj was memorialized at an event held in the main hall of Sheffield City Council, attended by a large number of British Yemeni citizens, Arab politicians and intellectuals, and a number of writers and Yemeni politicians, including Dr. Yaseen Said Noman, Ambassador of Yemen in the UK, who led the gathering.
Dr. Mahmood Alazani opened by noting the importance of the event being held in Sheffield, indicating the poet’s boundless value to Yemenis both inside and outside Yemen. He added, “Ahmed Qasim departed this life with sorrow and sadness as he witnessed his republican revolutionary dream withering before his eyes.”
Representing the Yemeni community in Sheffield, Dr. Abdul Galil Shaif Kasim pointed out the importance of celebrating national figures like Dammaj, who offered everything to their country without demanding any price, unlike many others. He noted that the large gathering at the memorial event was proof of gratitude and loyalty to this great man.
Writer and politician Dr. Idross Al-Naqib shared his memories of the deceased through the Yemeni Writers Union, describing the late poet’s pioneering role in establishing and leading the union. He mentioned the challenges Dammaj experienced at various stages of his leadership of the union, particularly after Yemen’s 1994 civil war. He further explained how Dammaj exerted every effort to work for freedom, dignity, and social justice from the September 26, 1962 revolution, during the armed struggle in the south of Yemen, and through the peaceful youth revolution in 2011.
Following a documentary film about the poet’s life and struggle, Dr. Hamdan Dammag spoke on behalf of the deceased’s family, highlighting some of the humanitarian and intellectual aspects of Dammaj’s personality, particularly his sense of intellectual and moral obligation toward his society. He said Dammaj was “an example through his thoughts, conduct, and sacrifice–an example of integrity, honesty, and transparency of conscience,” adding that Dammaj’s departure is a huge loss at such a difficult time as Yemen is experiencing.
Ambassador Noman delivered the final remarks, in which he described Dammaj as a great political and cultural figure who played a significant role in Yemeni culture and politics throughout all stages of the nation’s struggle.