Author: Aklilu Zere
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The Courage to Be Eritrean: Navigating a Moment of Crisis
Eritrea stands at a precipice, a chasm in the unfolding narrative of our nation. This juncture demands not merely the reflex of action, but a descent into the very core of our being—a profound interrogation of what it means to be Eritrean. As the shadow of Ethiopia’s threatened war for Assab looms, we are compelled
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From the archives: How About Then?
[Editor’s note: This article was published on August 14, 2010, it’s being republished] …And my companion subscribed to it in his own name and-with a smile-in mine too, stretched his right arm up along the wall and leaned his cheek upon it, shutting his eyes. But I did not wait to see the end of that
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“Time Traps History in a Lie”
[this article was first published in Feb 24, 2021] Dear Awate Nation. I have been AWOL from my Awate for long time. I know I have absconded my responsibility and I apologize. The following is my homecoming gift. This is also in the Memory of my Beloved Comrade Adhanom who chastised me every time we
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The Tears of Isaias the Sadist
Every year since 1991 Isaias Afwerki conducts diatribes and sheds false tears to commemorate our martyr’s day. And sadly enough, some websites advertise this fiasco. One real proof of respect for those who passed away is not what you say about them or their deeds but what you do with their will and to the
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The Black Hole That Devoured Light (Archives)
This article by Aklilu Zere first appeared on Branna column, on Jan 14, 2010 The following are Thoughts of wisdom from Paulo Coelho in “Brida”: In life, each person or group of people can take one of two attitudes: to build or to plant. The builders might take years over their tasks, but one day, they finish
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The Good Tegadalit
As the saying goes, “Behind every successful man, there is a strong, brave, wise and hardworking woman”, it is also true without an iota of doubt: behind the successful Eritrean Gedli, there was a strong, wise, courageous, selfless, resilient and hardworking Tegadalit This article is incomplete and imperfect. And the main reason is, I humbly
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The Departure of a Good Man: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Nelson Mandela was a Good Man. He chose to be Good and stuck with it. He lived Good. He practiced Good. He acted Good. He spoke Good. He listened Good. He mentored Good. He taught Good. He walked Good and talked Good. He even danced Good! Mandela exemplified the presence of Good. He was a
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22 Questions
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do
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What (Italian) Colonialism Did To My People Of (Eritrean) Kebessa
[Editor’s note: We usually try to limit article lengths to 5-7 pages, and when a piece is longer, we will usually serialize it. But then, there are some articles that have to be read at one sitting…preferably printed, preferably on a lazy Sunday morning. This article by Aklilu Zere–all 26 pages, all of the nearly
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Reversal Of Fortune
“Courage in a vilified enemy is a despicable discovery.” By David Mitchel Events are happening so fast for those who choose stagnation. But change is governed by its own dynamic laws and no human force can stop it. In reverse chronological order the following events unfolded recently: PDFJ thugs were found guilty by a jury
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How About Now?
The seed that was planted last year in Addis has germinated and has started growing. It is growing healthy and robust. If I were the farmer or the Gardner I will be a satisfied person. That is my answer to my question. Will this satisfy the curious reader? I don’t know. But again I shall
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The Fish That Divided The People: A Novelette
“Some people weave burlap into the fabric of our lives, and some weave gold thread. Both contribute to make the whole picture beautiful and unique” a proverb. I do not know now, but in my time and hundreds of years back, fish was not part of the highlanders’ diet. The whole eastern part of the
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An Almost Forgotten Article
This article was the only article that I wrote in 2004 but was not posted on Awate.com because it violated a tenet: multiple posting. I had posted it on Gebeel and Dekebat websites and I just remembered it when I read Semere Tesfai’s recent posting. Here it is being reposted as is without any modification
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Discriminate barbarity and the era of Exodus: Part 3 of 3
(Discriminate barbarity: Part 1 and Part 2) As the strugglers grew in numbers their task also grew in quantity, quality and complexities, needing new approaches and new strategies. As a Gardner knows the plant he tends, those who started the struggle thought they knew the struggle no matter how the circumstances changed. Before, when they
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Discriminate Barbarity And The Era Of Exodus: Part 2 of 3
(Discriminate Barbarity And The Era Of Exodus: Part 1 of 3) The king of Ethiopia chose to have friendship with both the Arabs and the Israelis. To please the Israelis, he bashed the Arabs. To please the Arabs he suppressed the Ethiopian Jews called the Falashas. Both the Arabs and the Israelis called the king
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Discriminate Barbarity And The Era Of Exodus (1 of 3)
“A Glass house dweller” …Instead of not throwing stones, I try to throw stones in pairs. For every one I throw at someone else’s glass house, I try to throw one at the equivalent place on my house. . ..By throwing stones at my house, I discover the weaker windows, places where there is room
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Eritreans’ “Picnic” To Death
“They will come back. They are going for a picnic. They will come back one day.” – Isaias Afwerki, interview with Reuters, October 21, 2009 As I try to write this article, my heart feels heavy; my hands numb, my blood curdle and my brain oscillate faster than a Hadron collider. I do not know
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The Era Of Chaos: The Mistake Of The King
(This is the third and final part of a series title : The Era Of Chaos. Links to previous parts are provided at the bottom of this article) The king missed something, he directed his efforts only towards the men. The fundamental mistake of the king was to try to exploit higher consciousness that did not
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The Era Of Chaos: The Flag
In the previous portion, we read that the British trained and formed a local police force and made sure that the force they should not interfere or get involved in politics. In cities and towns carried guns but batons, on the countryside they carried guns. They were village men with village roots and the gun
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The Era Of Chaos: Colonizers And Women
“Ah my friend, ‘its true” cried old Natty Bumppo, slapping his knee. “A man cannot know hisself if he don’t know where he came from.” Jacob Franklin Templeton The following is a narrative of a man born in the era of chaos. It is a long narrative seen through his innocent, childish eyes and is