Category: Articles

  • The Fire Next Time

    Muslim-Christian, Kebesa-Metahit, as we know is the only single most important issue since Eritreans gathered to mark the destiny of the nation: since 1941 till Now. All other issues, even those considered important like the border issue, the language issue, are child’s play compared to the very foundational nature of Eritrea. There is no Eritrea without

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  • Brussels: Excuses worse than the Sin

    Competent politicians advocate for diversity and are always among the diverse constituents of their people to win their hearts and minds; they abhor disguise, the attitude of failed politicians. Many articles have been written in the past weeks that hurled stones in all directions and justified the secrecy that led to the Brussels conference. Most

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  • Eritrean Democratic Struggle: The Missing Gaps

    In my previous article I attempted to identify the missing gaps in our democratic struggle. From Brussels Conference (BC) we have learnt that the democratic struggle has been hampered not only by missing gaps in our knowledge of democratic struggle but also by not filling them properly. Others may reach to a different conclusion. In

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  • Engaging The Brussels Belle

    Of course, it is not a journey for requesting the hand of a blue-eyed blonde Brussels belle or visiting Belgians infatuated by convening conferences.  I wish our brother Habtom Yohannes has left us with the information furnished by Gedab News. His “clarification” displayed his attempt to cover the gravity of the mistake they have done

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  • Cabbages and Kings and Why the Sea is Boiling Hot – IX

    “The time has come,” the Walrus said – “To talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing wax – Of cabbages and kings And why the sea is boiling hot – And whether pigs have wings” Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll In the last two issues of this series it was

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  • No, The Sky Is Not Falling, It’s Just That Not All That Glitters Is Gold!

    By Berhane M Tekeste When a covert, exclusionary, and discriminatory activity is busted, it triggers suspicion and mistrust by nature and necessity. And where there is suspicion and mistrust, say all you want, not all that glitters is gold! In an open letter addressed to the president of the EU on the eve of the

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  • Brussels Conference: Will It Add Value To The Democratic Struggle?

    It has been more than 10 years since different Eritrean opposition groups officially united under the umbrella of what was then called ENA and now EDA. Many Eritreans hoped for better and were optimistic about the future of Eritrea. Due to the absence of clear vision, strategic plan and lack of access to information about

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  • The Brussels Conference: A Democratic Right

    The coming days a conference will be held in the Belgian capital Brussels on the policies of the United States (US) and European Union (EU) towards The Horn of Africa in general and our country Eritrea in particular. In this article, I will refer to this Brussels Conference 2009 as (BC-2009).  The purpose of this

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  • Watchdog Journalism And Vigilant Society

    A group of freedom fighters that we thought of as lambs turned out to be as beasts of prey. I am writing this piece in reaction to what our respected sister Selam Kidane published under the title of, “No The Sky Isn’t Falling … But Foxy Loxy Does Exist”. My focus will be on the

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  • Cabbages And Kings And Why The Sea Is Boiling Hot – VIII

    This is a continuation of the response made to comments in earlier postings either on the Awate website or by personal mail.  Affirmative Action and opinions on official languages were dealt with Part VI and a special piece on languages on Part VII.     Once again I am obliged to dwell on the language issue

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  • Cabbages and Kings and Why the Sea is Boiling Hot – VII

    “The time has come,” the Walrus said – “To talk of many things:Of shoes and ships and sealing wax – Of cabbages and kingsAnd why the sea is boiling hot – And whether pigs have wings”Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll A few of my readers had expressed they were looking forward for a

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  • Cabbages and Kings and Why the Sea is Boiling Hot – VI

    “The time has come,” the Walrus said – “To talk of many things:Of shoes and ships and sealing wax – Of cabbages and kingsAnd why the sea is boiling hot – And whether pigs have wings”Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll    The time has come to pause and consider readers’ reactions so far

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  • Cabbages and Kings: Why the Sea is Boiling Hot (V)

    After reviewing historical developments which influenced the divergent mindsets in Eritrea, part IV dealt with the lack of a collective mindset at the eve of independence and the attempt by the PLF regime to impose its values on the public and create the “New Eritrean”.  It was concluded that a positive collective mindset is a

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  • Cabbages and Kings: Why the Sea is Boiling Hot (V)

    In the previous parts I attempted to review the historical background that brought divergent mindsets within the Eritrean polity.  Here we are at the verge of the end of phase one of our independence, and we find ourselves at odds with each other on outlooks and expectations as regards basic issues such as form of

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  • Ramadan Reflections (Part 4 & 5)

    What follow are the last two portions (4 & 5) of the five part series that Omar Jabir wrote during the month of Ramadan.  The series appeared on Alnahda1.8.com during the months of August and September, 2009; Awate.com has translated all five parts to English believing it would serve a wider audience. Notes that appear in brackets

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  • Quotes Of The Month

    A diplomat willing to serve as Israel’s ambassador to Eritrea is yet to be found!    “They spend their lives living in places like Rome, Paris, Buenos Aires and Beijing. They spend their days shaking hands and smiling, and their evenings drinking wine with influential folk from all walks of life. They eat regularly at

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  • Eritrea: Mismanagement Of Land & Human Resources

    The main difference between developed and developing countries is in the way they are managed. Any progress on the national or individual level depends on this field of knowledge—management. Since it held power, the regime has managed Eritrean affairs in the worst manner, and this is due to the system applied (sectarian) that recruits incompetent

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  • Arabic In Eritrea : Its History and Its Reality (III)

    Arabic language: the Popular Front [PFDJ] confirms that the Arabic language in Eritrea [was] imposed by the English and [it is] the language of Rashayidah.   Is it possible to reach this level of ignorance of history, or it is a determination to be fraudulent and deny rights because of political blindness and mental deafness

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  • Governing Eritrea: A Battle Of Two Conflicting Ideas

    I abhor violence. But I do not believe on peaceful resistance at any cost, especially if there is no space in which to wage a peaceful resistance. Nor do I believe that we have to be pacifists to follow the principles of nonviolence. We are the people who are denied of our rights to freely

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  • Eritrean Opposition: All Are Secular (II)

    And I say that [in the title], because, if anyone reads the Charter of the Eritrean Democratic Alliance, he will discover that all the organizations that signed it, whether Islamists, nationality-based or otherwise, are in fact secular because the Charter confirms the separation of religion from the state, and that citizenship is the basis of

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