May 24, 1991. Independence Day! The memory may have faded but few will forget the joy they felt when they first witnessed or heard about the triumphant march of battle-weary EPLF soldiers into the streets of Asmara. Across the board, Eritreans were ecstatically happy and the dancing and celebration would … more
Yosief’s Circular Journey in search of Ethiopia: an identity Crisis or just plain mischief? When I suggested ignoring Yosief Ghebrehiwet in my last article[1], I had no idea that he had already netted quite a few disciples or that his views were spreading. Since then, I learned from many quarters … more
If you return to awate after a few weeks or even a few days it is hard to catch up but skimming quickly through some of the discussions that passed, the most outlandish was that triggered by Yosief Ghebrehiwet who unabashedly declared that the struggle for independence had been useless! … more
Why? When that three-letter word is uttered (or rather blurted out) by my daughter, I sometimes wish the word never existed (J). Tell her it is time to go to bed, she wants to know why. Explain that she needs to sleep because she will wake up early to go to … more
The conference is almost here! In a few days, hundreds of Eritreans from all over the world representing all kinds of political organizations and civil associations will converge in Addis to participate in what will surely be recorded in Eritrean history as an important milestone. The grand gathering will attempt … more
If you think you know the history of Eritrea, here is a pop quiz: when did Eritrea’s armed struggle for liberation really begin? Was it on 9/1/1961 when Awate fired his first shot as many Eritreans believe or late October 1961 when my late uncle joined the revolution? If you … more
Two men surveyed the scene in Eritrea from afar. One saw (or thought he saw) a new era of freedom and prosperity and turned to his companion with tears in his eyes and said “how lucky we are to finally witness the birth of a free and democratic Eritrea” … more
It is always better to look ahead than to look back; better to propose solutions than to lament the past but the future is so inexorably linked to the present, the present so intimately intertwined to our past, that to ignore the past is to guarantee future failure. As George … more
As I was passing by the brilliant young Eritrean who sells hotdogs near where I work, I noticed that he took off the picture of president Obama that always hang on his stand. When I asked him why he said he was mad at him for breaking many of the … more
Tomorrow more than a billion Christians will be celebrating Christmas all over the world. For Tewahdos, the big day falls on January 7. A day of intense joy for some; a quite day of contemplation and prayers for others; still a nightmare for others, Christmas – whatever secular accretions it … more
The term “non-violent” or “peaceful resistance” has a nice ring to it. It suggests that the person espousing it must be for peace and all others for violence. For those who want to distinguish themselves from the rest of us (run of the mill Eritreans), no other slogan would do … more
Since his debut back in May 25, Amanuel Sahle has enriched Awate.com with several eloquent and highly readable articles. In its introductory piece, Awate.com said about him that “he spends most of his time reading on and writing about social and philosophical issues”. What awate.com failed to mention is that … more
I want to begin with a series of congratulations… (skip 4 paragraphs to go directly to the topic) 1. Congratulations first to awate.com for the sleek new look and for ten years of steady and reliable reporting. The site continues to earn our respect and admiration for its creative and … more
“I will speak to it”, Shakespeare once wrote in Hamlet, “I will speak to it though hell itself should gape and bid me hold my peace.” Hell is not “gaping” but Ali Salim and Semere Tesfai are certainly generating enough heat to cause us to gape and will not “hold … more