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Yemen’s Modern Coffee Shops Progressive, Yet Exclusive

Modern, Western-style coffee shops are popping up in the affluent neighborhoods of Yemen’s capital, but the venues known for attracting intellectuals exclude the poor and conservative majority.
Men smoke shisha water pipe in a cafe in Sanaa October 1, 2011. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (YEMEN - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR2S392
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SANAA, Yemen — Over the past few decades, Yemen has been known to conjure images of serious conservatism, isolation between men and women and male dominance over issues pertaining to daily life.

However, things look different here: A group of boys, girls, men and women are having discussions in modern coffee shops, which have become popular in the past 10 years and have significantly become more common across Sanaa in the past few years, including the historical part of the old city. The coffee shops, however, are more concentrated in the southwest of the city, where the richest and most open neighborhood, al-Siyasi Hadda, is located. They have become posh meeting spots for the privileged classes that can afford it.

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