One Year at Awate: What I Have Been Trying to Understand
From Self-Reliance to the Pledged Public On June 7, 2025, Awate published my first article, “The Debt-Free Illusion:…
Dr. Filmon Wolde11 min read
Articles
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Awate Forum’s iSem Writes his First Book
Darkness Without Dawn is a linked story collection that explores memory, tradition, fear, gender, language, and the complicated ways people negotiate the worlds they inherit. The book grew out of a long…
Semere Andom (iSem)7 min read
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From Potential to Performance: Ibrahim Sultan’s Vision and the Foundations of Eritrea’s Developmental State
Eritrea’s challenge is not simply to recover from decades of economic underperformance, but to build the capacity to move from potential to sustained performance. Drawing on the ideas of Halima’s dilemma, Woldeab…
Negusse Micael24 min read
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When Recognition Makes Trust Possible
Saleh "Gadi" Johar8 min read
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Reflecting on the G-15: 25 Years Later
Bereket Mekonnen15 min read
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What the Umbrella Carried: A Story of Diaspora Hospitality
Dr. Sadia Hassanen9 min read
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Woldeab Woldemariam’s Parable of Eritrea’s Democratic Development
Woldeab Woldemariam’s Parable and the Structural Foundations of Eritrea’s Democratic Developmental Transformation Eritrea’s Current Structural Condition Across the…
Negusse Micael18 min read
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Reflections on September 1
It has been a long, long time since I last wrote in this space, yet throughout my extended…
Ismail Omer-Ali8 min read
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A Community Under the Tree: From the Belew Social Life
Authority, Responsibility, and Democracy from Below in Nilb Social Life Traditional and agrarian societies have often addressed social,…
Dr. Sadia Hassanen12 min read
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The Priced Alternative
What Another Eritrea Is Worth, and Who Pays for It This essay asks that Eritrean political change be…
Dr. Filmon Wolde28 min read
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Halima’s Dilemma and Eritrea’s Democratic Developmental Horizon
As my father recounted it to me in my youth, Halima’s resigned observation, ‘Halima Halima aitibelu: Halima nabra…
Negusse Micael9 min read
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If the Camel Was In, Why Was Its Owner Out?
In memory of the late freedom fighter Osman Abu Shanab, whose words and spirit continue to be remembered:…
Dr. Sadia Hassanen7 min read
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The Opposition Must Also Be Opposed
The Pledged Public and the Problem of Power Before Transition In my previous essays on the Pledged Public,…
Dr. Filmon Wolde13 min read
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LEAP OF FAITH II: Reimagining the Political Future of Eritrea and Ethiopia
The Incomplete Inheritance of Eritrea’s Political History Political communities rarely inherit their past in full. They inherit interpretations…
Younis Omer8 min read
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Choosing Eritrea’s Development Path
Eritrea’s future depends on a clear and deliberate choice of development model. Since independence, the country has articulated…
Negusse Micael7 min read
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A Premature Obituary: Semere Russom and the Fragile State of PFDJ’s Elite
Bereket Mekonnen Over a week ago, the Eritrean government announced the passing of former Ambassador and Minister of…
Bereket Mekonnen6 min read
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History from Below: The Testimony of Hassan Arha Nesur
History is often written from above. We remember emperors, presidents, commanders, declarations, treaties, and battles. Nations appear to…
Dr. Sadia Hassanen6 min read
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LEAP OF FAITH
History does not simply move forward; it circles, it spirals, it returns to its own wounds until the…
Younis Omer8 min read
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Redefining the Mission of the Eritrean Opposition
Abstract This study critically examines the current trajectory and mission of the Eritrean opposition, arguing that its original…
Dr. Abdulrazig Kerar16 min read
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The Burden of Gratitude
When a Better Life Becomes a Different Kind of Responsibility The carriage lurched gently as it slipped into…
Dr. Sadia Hassanen11 min read
