Yemen Between Reality and Myth in Abdulkarim Al Shahari s Novel Rafila

Yemenat

Mohammed Al–Mekhlafi

Abdulkarim Al-Shahari’s novel (Rafila) registered at Dar Al Kotob, Sana’a No. 480 of 2023) attempts to navigate the intricate complexities of Yemeni reality. The narrative unfolds through five distinct threads, some overtly political and others veiled in mystery and myth.

This review seeks to deconstruct the relationship between fact and folklore in the novel, exploring how Al-Shahari employs both to examine why the national project in Yemen has so often faltered.

When I first saw the title Rafila printed in bold on the cover, I expected a romance. However, the full title (A Light That Never Saw the Sun (1).. Rafila.. A Tale of Two Revolutions) left me puzzled. As I continued reading, it became clear that this subtitle is the essential key to the entire work.

In this context, the (Light) represents the recurring dream of a nation reborn time and again, carried on the shoulders of men who believed they could lead the country out of darkness. It symbolizes the brief transformative era of Ebrahim Al-Hamdi, echoed in the characters of Tawfiq, Mohammed Hatem, Mahmoud Zahir, and Alia.

These figures serve as the novel’s conscience, seeking to understand before they judge and to reform before they dominate. Yet, as the title suggests, this light was never meant to shine. It remained confined to closed rooms, strangled before it could reach fruition.

(Rafila),on the other hand, symbolizes Yemen itself. It is a land that captivates rulers, revolutionaries, and even supernatural forces. Each believes they can possess, save, or reshape it, yet in the end it slips through their fingers, leaving them defeated or dead on its pavements.
Its beauty appears inseparable from its tragedy.

As for the (Tale of Two Revolutions),the author suggests that the February 11, 2011 uprising was merely an echo of