Yemen Used to Be (YUTB) is a cultural platform dedicated to preserving and reviving Yemen’s cultural heritage. Founded in 2019 by a group of Yemeni artists and research students, YUTB has built an extensive archive of cultural artifacts and academic sources from Yemen’s modern history.

We leverage our professional and academic expertise in filmmaking and graphic design, visual analysis and social sciences to engage with these archival artifacts. By analyzing and unpacking the meanings of cultural symbols, rituals, and behaviors, we re-narrate the social phenomena behind them through contemporary multimodal methods.

Through our digital platforms, we engage with young Yemenis, allowing them to interact with narratives from their personal–collective memory and enhance their awareness of their diversity and uniqueness.