| By Allen Kepchar
The author, former deputy chief of mission in Sanaa, is now with the Office of the Inspector General.
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 ou may not be a stamp collector, but have you ever wondered how countries decide which topics to commemorate with postage stamps?
In the United States, the process comes complete with marketing plans, theme committees and design competitions. Smaller nations, with less exper-ience, typically rely on international events, such as U.N. anniversaries or the Olympics, for topics. This results in many countries issuing stamps on the same themes-with few, if any, local ties.
Like the United States, many countries view stamps as sources of revenue and contract with private companies to issue new stamps. That’s why American entertainers and European art often are found on their stamps.
For the past two years in Yemen, Ambassador David Newton, Regional Medical Officer Scott Kennedy and I collaborated with local postal authorities to change the image of Yemeni stamps. We were successful in convincing them that their country could enhance its image with stamp collectors by selecting themes native to Yemen. Our efforts resulted in something more lasting and important than any “official” accomplishment in our annual rating reports.
The Republic of Yemen has only existed since 1990. Before that, it was divided into various states with stamps issued at various times by the Yemeni Kingdom, the Yemen Arab Republic, the British Protectorate in Aden, the South Arabian Federation and the People’s Republic of Yemen. Few of these stamps are listed in major catalogues because they were never used for postage and were issued by private companies, using such themes as space exploration, European art and various international expositions, solely to earn revenue. Few collectors have sought Yemeni stamps because they are nondescript and uninteresting.
Ambassador Newton began collecting Yemeni stamps and postal history during his first of three tours in Yemen in the mid-1960s. I began my collection during my tour there in the early 1980s. During my most recent tour, I pursued another hobby-scuba diving-previously banned in Yemen.
Dr. Kennedy, an avid bird photographer, and I joined forces in early 1995 for a week-long birding and diving trip to the Yemeni Red Sea Islands, popularized by Eric Hansen in his book Motoring With Mohammed. Dr. Kennedy, who continues to be an active “birder,” persuaded the leading local hotel to publish a collection of his bird photographs in its 1995 calendar.
Over a period of months and after several meetings, Ambassador Newton and I convinced Yemeni postal authorities that something needed to be done to increase the world interest in their stamps. The officials finally agreed, but declared there were no funds to hire photographers. I arranged slide shows and lectures to educate them on the wealth of Yemen’s bird and marine life. Two sets of postage stamps now have been issued, and Yemeni officials have a greater appreciation of their country’s uniqueness.
Last October, the Yemeni government used Scott Kennedy’s slides as the subject of five stamps and a souvenir sheet depicting Yemeni birds. In November, three of my underwater photographs were combined with those of Italy’s ambassador to Yemen, Vitaliano Napoleone, to create stamps of Yemeni marine life. Since then, Yemen has issued stamps showing rare plants-an indication of their growing sensitivity to their country’s biological wealth.
Sure, stamps are a small part of a country’s self-image, but for an emerging nation like Yemen, they can be a significant boost.
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