Articles

Self-identification is an essential facet of self-determination; a reviving society habitually pursues the quest for self-identification. Responding to the collective question of “who are we” construes a stumbling projection for any community to define its cherished common values, to collectively counter social wrenches, to regain deprived rights and chart its …

Sign of the Times   On August 1, 2009, I happened to be in Washington DC, visiting a family friend who was in hospital following a serious surgery. As I was about to leave the hospital, a brother of the patient and a man I have known for many years …

For years we kept writing, revealing, and screaming about our wounds and the wrong policies of PFDJ. This mild struggle of “telling” was mainly intended to inform the uninformed members of our society and the international community about the inhumane acts of Isaias and therefore inspire Eritreans to fight for …

I paused reflect after reading Semere Tesfai’s article (Ali Salim’s Land Argument: A Mirage of Power Ambition (awate December 10, 2009), in which he challenges Ustaz Ali Salim who have been debating about the mother of all our issues and problems, with transparency and clarity that most Tigrigna intellectuals (the …

The protesters who enjoy democracy and happy life with their families in the West don’t care about the sufferings inflicted upon Eritreans by the regime. Their slogans proves: “We are the government and the government is us.” The slogan describes them perfectly, and the data that appeared together with “The …

“The sweetest moment in a dictator’s life can be when democracy triumphs, he’s deposed, his name becomes synonymous with misery and terror, his former subjects look forward to a prosperous country without him but with the support of the West and the United Nations, and foreign correspondents leave his wrecked …

The rallies of shame. The rallies of emptiness and senselessness would expose an entity to a world that already knows the reality of the regime on the 22nd of February in the West, of course, not in the known as Eritrea. The dictator understands that the rallies will not reverse …

Ali Salim is not just a person – it’s a political pulse of a nervous, restless and concerned community – it is a voice of a community that’s worried about the uncertainty of its fair share in Eritrean politics – it is a fundamental question of what is there for …

I was supposed to return to my station but the schedule was postponed due to a technical travel emergency. During the long relaxation period I had—physically and mentally—I stayed away from the political climate and spent my time in social and cultural activities—even the Internet was not available to me …

Congratulations! Of course the sky is falling down. It is only that skies fall down from so high that they need time before they physically crush down so loud and every body hears the noise. In fact, it has already fallen down in all of the most important aspects of …

On the twentieth of December 2009, Mr. Michael Abraha published  an inflammatory article on the American Chronicle  website in which he called for the unraveling and dissolution of the Awate institution, accusing the Awate.com website of being in serving the projects of Islamic extremism and boldly calling Mr. Saleh Johar, the editor …

Shaebia has been pursuing a warped educational policy; I can confidently say that education is not alive in Eritrea. But at least there is a relatively good infrastructure (solely big buildings) and promising bright students that overcame the obstacles of Shaebia who is good at constructing schools, roads and dams―you …

Background   On December 23, 2009 the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) through Resolution 1907 imposed sanctions against the State of Eritrea. The decision to ostracise Eritrea was almost unanimous, and followed a vote by the 15 Council members in which China and Libya abstained and objected respectively. The Security …

One the early morning in a chilly winter day, at a hamlet in the highlands of Eritrea, an wise old man parts his son with the following wishes: hawi bizuhat ayendidka, ganzeb bizuhat ayebl’eka (may you stay safe from the fires of many and may you be saved from the …

A conference organized by Citizens for Democratic Rights in Eritrea (CDRiE) was held on Jan 9, 2010. As usual participants came very late and the conference was opened about half an hour later than scheduled. Though this is typical of any Eritrean gatherings I had high expectation given its high …

Well, 2009 has come to a close and what a year it has been! I am a regular of many Eritrean websites, particularly Awate.com, Assenna.com and to some extent Asmarino.com although mostly as an observer and occasionally as a sleepy participant. And starting last month, I have been visiting some …

When Shaebia came to power in 1991, we welcomed them clapping our innocent hands in delight considering that freedom belongs to the entire Eritrean people and not only to the Tegadelti. However, our optimistic expectation proved to be disappointing. They punished the Eritrean people in a series of episodes. The targets …

My son was surprised by the conduct of his computer rival in a chess game and he asked me: Why does my contender in the game withdraw and acknowledge defeat before the end of the play which I am about to win? I replied these are khawajat (the civilized people); …

After the humiliating defeat of the Axis powers in the Second World War, Mussolini, Italy’s prime minister and the leader of Fascism, was captured attempting a flee to Switzerland. Of course, he was later summarily executed and his dead body brought to Milan. As the Mussolini’s corpse was displayed in …

  In the first Part of this series, I paid a tribute to Adei Semainesh and hoped that her spirit would guide us to understand and cherish each other across ethnic, cultural and religious divide. I commented on Ali Salem’s tone and suggested the need for a code of conduct …