Category: Articles
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What Type Of Unity?
Eritrea‘s current geographical borders, and the people within that Domain, had not emerged through a natural process of development to form a nation state. Like most African states, Eritrea is an outcome of a colonial scramble in search of raw materials and new markets which the then developing economies of the West required; the colonialists
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Realisation One’s Wrong Deed Is A Virtue
Really an astonishing and a historical revelation was made by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in one of his last election campaigns. He definitely has a strong ethnic, cultural and (until recently) political ties with the kebesa community in Eritrea that no one can deny. Thus, no reasonable person can accuse him of trying to
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“Majority Rule” and “Minority Rights”
I have great respect for Semere Tesfai for boldly articulating his views. There are crucial points that he and I are in complete concurrence, in particular his analysis of not resorting to group rights to solve Eritrea’s problems; that is the main crux of his analysis. I believe the solution still remains a state that
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In Search Of Two Chickens And…A Latteria
This installment is about two chickens and a latteria; about ‘they may have come through us but they are neither for us nor of us’; and most importantly why we the opposition need two eggs and why omelet is bad for your health, civic health that is. KY: The opposition is unable to attract supporters.
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Pilgrimage to Gamla Stan: Reflections from Stockholm
Last week I was in Stockholm, invited together with three colleagues from Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia to address a conference on ‘Democratisation in the Horn of Africa: Processes and Results,’ that was arranged by the ‘Network for Peace in the Horn of Africa,’ an entity that is based there. What moved me emotionally most, and
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Education not Incarceration: Build Schools not Prisons
Education is central to Eritrean culture. During the 30 year revolutionary struggle Eritrean nationalists made a conscious effort to formally educate the villages they sought refuge in. Amongst a chaotic backdrop of air raids and gunfire, mobile workshops and literacy programs were run to empower local women, children and potential fighters (Rena, 2007; Pool, 1997). In the hearts and minds of nationalists, a literate population was seen
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Spirit of Unquestioned Domination Should be Defeated
“Look in the mirror, and don’t be tempted to equate transient domination witheither intrinsic superiority or prospects for extended survival.”(Stephen Jay Gould, September 1941-May 2002) As Eritrean communities and citizens, it is very difficult for us to see the mistaken assumptions we have when it comes to people who are different from ourselves. How
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Unmasking The Ethnocratic Regime: Statement Of Support For The Covenant
As Eritrea’s 19th Independence Day anniversary draws near (with no end in sight to our people’s suffering) and as the opposition’s long-awaited national conference approaches, we cannot help but reflect back over the great opportunity that was lost in “post independence” era. For almost two decades, we have lived through one anniversary after another each
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Activities In Toronto, Canada
TORONTO ACTION is a coalition of civic and political organizations, namely EriForum, Qalna, and the Toronto Branch of EDA A contingency of Toronto Action setup a picket line on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at the foot of a high rise building, where the repressive Eritrean regime maintains an office in Toronto. Reaction from taxi
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Eritrean Forum For Human Rights-Special Issue
SPECIAL EDITION ISAIAS AFWERKI’S RESUME AS PRESIDENT OF ERITREA Honour the spirit of the Martyrs. Speak, act and fight for those who have no voice. 1993: Only two months after independence, Isaias orders the forced transport of 12, 000 disabled freedom fighters to concentration camps outside of Asmara. While marching to Asmara for
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What If EPDP Reversed Its Decision On The National Conference
It is commonly said that there is no problem without a solutions; and dialogue is the noblest and the most mature of these solutions. Dialogue is a civilized feature in finding a solutions for problems that faces a society and the nation if [parties] agreed on that as a means [to resolve problems].
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A Conference Of The Willing!
Unless those who have opted to dissent change course on short notice and rejoin the collective effort, the convening of the National Conference for Democratic Change (NCDC) in late July of this year appears to have become the business of the willing only. With the exception of one out of eleven member organizations, the EDA
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The Paradox: Heralding A Soft Resistance
In its Unification Conference, The Eritrean Democratic Alliance invited some members of the Eritrean Civic Societies as observers. The invitation was considered a positive step in the right direction and a historic achievement though a tiny fraction of what Eritreans aspire. The members of the civic societies were to the expectations of our people; they played
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Reflections On Gender And Nationalism In Eritrea
Each year, on the 24th of May Eritreans celebrate independence day. The celebration symbolises the spirit of freedom, peace as well as respect and dignity of the citizens of the country. For Most Eritreans this day that marks the end of what they had suffered in subjugation and the end of war that brought their
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Eritrean Law Society Held Talks With Human Rights Watch
As a continuation of its ongoing effort to meet and establish working partnership with different organizations that share its goals and objectives, the Eritrean Law Society met and held talks with Human Rights Watch. On the part of ELS, the meeting was attended by chairman Michael Andegeorgis, Journalist Milkias M Yohannes and ELS treasurer
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An Analysis Of The Crisis Of The Opposition
This article is written with the upcoming National Conference for Democratic Change as a background. After a long hiatus from writing in the Internet sites except for transient events necessitated by the need to (1), I decided to write again. Since writing at this time, without addressing the issue of the National Conference for
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Truth Telling, Painful At That
Last Tuesday April 27th 2010, there was a conference held at the national press club in Washington DC. The event was organized by the press advocacy group reporters sans frontiers (rsf) and the national press club under the banner “truth tellers”. Eritrean independent journalist Milkias Mihretab Yohannes was the speaker at the event. Milkias, shares
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A Tale of Two Cities London Peace Conference
I was born and grew up in an ex-British colony– Eritrea, the first time I saw a British person was in my village, the Manager of the Agricultural scheme ( S.I.A.). I remember that even the local games we were playing as kids were of British background( cricket& Rugby). Then I migrated to another ex-British
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London’s Attractions And The Eritrean-Ethiopian Love Affair
Every time an individual or an organisation sets an agenda (convenes a conference for example), Eritreans in the opposition camp get distracted and waste a lot of resources and energy in trying to understand the motives; they might support it, oppose it, or even go as far as condemning it. It becomes like suspense TV
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Unmasked: Enforcers of Nehnan Alamanan
Political forces that are truly determined to change a social order, which is cruelly unjust, and build a fair society that enables the people to catch up with the civilized world, has a point of departure from which they should start their long journey. The most logical point of departure is standing against the legacies