Negarit

Foreigners and warlords build nation states based on selfish interest, though most of the time warlords build nations by accident. Free people established nations based on geography, history, and conquests based on security and viability. In short, states are built on a foundation of values that provide sustainability, confidence, and …

Ten people lived in a room with a leaking roof. The rain wouldn’t stop, and the floor became wet and slippery. On several places the water accumulated and formed ponds. The small room became uncomfortable. The people used cups and spoons to scoop the water and managed to clear the …

“Robbing Paul to pay Peter, is a common saying. Our Dellalas (brokers and careerists) pretend be Paul and Peter in on. The article below was written in Jan 12, 2011; I think it’s till relevant. My apologies to the few (very few) that I respect who made the last pilgrimage …

Is Eritrea tiny? How tiny is it? I will try to show that the myth about tiny Eritrea is simply a perception created by the chain of lazy journalistic work. Unfortunately, even Eritreans repeated that when describing their country to foreigners: “we are a small country by the Red Sea…” …

Your Excellency Prime minister Abiy Ahmed, Happy New Year to you, your family and the people of our region. Last April I was elated by your election to the position of Prime Minister, and for the first few days, I was very optimistic and very impressed with the way you …

[I wrote this article more than  12 years ago (April 25, 2006). I remembered it when I was talking with a friend two days ago and read it. I am republishing it because I think it is still relevant.] I was always intrigued by the idea of talking to the …

[this is an archive edition of Negarit from August 2, 2004, and again today Nov. 29, 2018, maybe you could see how today is what it felt 15 years ago.] I keep thinking of my aunt because some people call home, talk to their aunties and use them as proof …

[This article originally appeared on November 14, 2001, it is updated for republishing] A Lion dons a crown and holds a banner; on top of both the crown and the banner’s mast is a cross. That was the emblem of “moAa ambesa ze-amnegede yehuda, grmawi qedamawi atzie haile sellasie, ngusse …

The following post contains my personal notes as well as quotes taken from the Arabic obituary that was issued by the Eritrean Liberation Front on the death of one of the prominent leaders of the Eritrean Liberation Army. In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. “Among …

If there is anything Eritreans and Ethiopians (and beyond) agree upon, it is the fact that PM Abiy has stirred a seemingly calm sea. Undoubtedly he has inspired many people—he even made the stiff Isaias giggle and behave like a teenager. Of course, he has embarked in a grand scheme …

As we push towards reconciliation, we have to expose the wounds of the past that always pop-up to hinder the journey. Real reconciliation should not be considered for the sake of political expedience alone. The festering wounds need to be recognized and healed to reach a meaningful and lasting peace. …

[This article is being republished on awate.com with the consent of the Editorial Team of Discourse Magazine to which it was contributed. The maiden edition of the magazine which is published by The Ethiopian Foreign Relations Strategic Studies Institute appeared on Thursday, 19 January 2017. You access the Amharic audio translation of this article …

Americans do not declare something over, “until the fat lady sings”. It’s a colloquial language referring to a fat lady who apparently used to sing before the end of Operas. For the last six-weeks, everybody was waiting for the Ethiopian Parliament to sing and officially declare a prime minister. It …

A bright educator has passed away. A great teacher who left his marks on our personalities has passed away. Ustaz Mahmoud Mohammed Ali has died. May he rest in peace. Almost sixteen years had passed when I visited Ustaz Mahmoud in his house in Abu Dhabi together with my late …

(Due to the never-ending bickering concerning the Nile River (more accurately, the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam), today we decided to republish this archive content from June 17, 2013) If you notice, most fires of war are fueled by those who would not be burned by it. To them, it is just like …

A famous commercial tagline goes, “Never let them see you sweat.” And there was a man who never let them see him sweat. A free-spirited man who faced adversity, jail, and deprivation, but never capitulated. How could he? How could he when he was blessed with a free, stubborn soul …

(This is a speech delivered on Saturday, March 26, 2011, at a conference organized by the Eritrean Ethiopian Friendship Forum in San Jose, California: “Ethiopia & Eritrea: Healing Past Wounds and Building Strong People-To-People Relationships.” March 27, 2017) One night a man came upon a child who was searching under a street …