Yemen: Sanaa artist upcycles old tires into art amid conflict

W/S Upcycling site, Sanaa
W/S Dragon made out of tire
M/S Sufian Noman working
C/U Noman's hands
M/S Noman working
M/S Upcycled tires
SOT, Sufian Noman, painter (Arabic): "I am a painter and war came and all the people were laid off and lost their jobs. I am among the hundreds of thousands of unemployed people. When I searched for work I couldn't find a suitable job. The idea of my project came while searching for work."
C/U Noman's hands, working
M/S Noman working
M/S Noman working
M/S Chair made of upcycled tires
SOT, Sufian Noman, painter (Arabic): "The idea of turning tires into art forms, antiques and furniture came from the necessity to find work in our war-torn country. I created work for myself and something beautiful for the country, preserved the environment and trained new people in this craft."
M/S Upcycled tires
W/S Flower pot made of upcycled tires
M/S Noman watering plants
M/S Noman watering plants
SCRIPT
A Yemeni painter found a way to make a living in the war-torn country by upcycling old car tires into furniture and works of art. Footage filmed in Sanaa on Sunday shows Sufian Noman cutting and painting parts of an old tire in his workshop.
"I am a painter and war came and all the people were laid off and lost their jobs. I am among the hundreds of thousands of unemployed people," said Sufian Noman.
Noman says he began creating his works of art while searching for work and thought he could help to protect the environment by upcycling old tires.
"I created a work for myself and something beautiful for the country, preserved the environment and trained new people in this craft," said the artist.
The conflict in Yemen, which began in 2015 between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Hadi government, has killed tens of thousands and left the country's economy in ruins. According to recent UN reports, almost 80 per cent of the Yemeni population – some 24 million people – are in need of assistance and protection, with millions facing starvation.