I can’t remember the captivating open deserts of Barka without remembering Jahray. The morning star used to be a natural GPS, though it only shows north; one must identify the other four directions if need be.

Jahray is bright. Its direction is predictable, and it loyally appears in the sky for about eight months. Then it disappears, and the sky becomes like an orphan that has lost its guardian. For months it adorns the sky, beaming a bright light. Then it disappears, only to appear again after some months.

Jahray is feminine Venus; it is about the same size as Earth. It is also the sixth-largest planet and the goddess of ancient Greeks. In some regions, it is known as Kokheb tsebah (morning star) and Kokheb drar (evening star). I will finish this towards the end… stay put.

Self-Flagellation

In the Horn of Africa, self-flagellation is an obsessive ritual. Where people lack an explanation for perpetual failures in all aspects of life, and fail to find an all-fitting explanation, they tend to resort to self-flagellation: we are the reason!

The elite, backed by the restless youth, and who are supposed to lead social change and transformation for the better, are so compulsive that they fail to face the problems honestly. Whatever project they start lacks clarity. It starts with a big bang and then withers and disappears. Lack of persistence and steadfastness are the biggest problems. A little, seemingly big leap is exaggerated and then ruthlessly attacked. Then the total disappointment left behind is so overwhelming that it is back to the usual self-flagellation.

Recently, I followed a Facebook page where the argument, appearing to be a dialogue, raged.

The movement known as “Berged” (brigade) has been making big noises, bravado, and photo ops with hired cheerleaders. Others saw that as a make-or-break competition, formed their own groups or revived old ones, and everyone went back to the trenches.

The Unsettled Situation in the Region

In the long years of observing such movements, high moments do not continue for long. Most founders do not think of finding ways to capitalize on what has already been built, but on duplication. Unfortunately, they end up diminishing themselves and others.

The Berged brand has gained the blessing of Abiy Ahmed’s government, along with a faction of the TPLF that has allied itself with Abiy’s government.

In the recent past, the group has signed up with a Washington PR firm that has helped it promote its name widely. Known Western activists with an extraordinary interest in the Eritrean issue are all promoting it. And though Eritrean politics is low on trust and overly suspicious, Berged has attracted a lot of suspicion.

There are tangible and intangible reasons for the suspicion.

Firstly, the groups do not reflect the social reality of Eritrea today, and they seem content with their narrow constituency.

Secondly, today’s active generation is far removed from the political and social realities of the past, the 1960s and 1980s.

Thirdly, since the principles of citizenship and nation do not change, the older generation failed to create a robust bridge that keeps the principles of rights, freedom, and justice, while discarding issues that time has relegated to the past and that should be buried, so that the current active generation can inherit a clear description of their worries.

Fourthly, many might think that egos age gracefully with the persons. They don’t. The veterans might be stronger and able to influence, but only if the path is redefined.

Fifth, bigotry, sectarianism, and regionalism shouldn’t have a place in today’s Eritrean politics. Unfortunately, they have become a testimony to “old habits die hard.” That is prevalent across the Eritrean landscape—ruling party and opposition alike.

At any rate, the role of veteran patriots should not be diminished. They tenaciously stood their ground for generations. But everyone is human, not a machine that can keep pace with developments unless they change from within.

Sectarian Tendencies

Religious sentiments are strong, particularly in weak socio-economic societies. And it has reached a level where religion is not taken as a spiritual force, but as a political identity. But identity politics is destructive. It is also well established that identities are fluid—they are emotional, not physical.

In recent years, quoting the Quran and the Bible has become a dangerous arsenal in the hands of the present activists. Faiths that have survived thousands of years are not going to disappear with a mediocre push. But pushing aside faith is not the target of most activists; the goal is disruption driven by hegemonic tendencies. It is in pursuit of the notion of slave and master. It will not work. It cannot succeed.

Even a fraction of that dream cannot be realized unless a never-heard-of genocide is committed. And if that wild dream is not subdued wisely, it will not wither calmly—just look at the geography and social map of the Horn of Africa and surmise. Why would some crazy, low-rate politicians and activists contemplate that? It is a dream of a mini-Armageddon where not many would be left alive to enjoy the fruits of their imagined, insane dreams.

Venus, the Greek and Roman Goddess

Venus was the Roman goddess corresponding to the Greek Aphrodite, the goddess associated with love and beauty. There are different traditions about Aphrodite’s birth. In Hesiod’s Theogony, she emerges from the sea foam formed around the severed remains of Uranus after Cronus mutilated his father and cast the remains into the sea. In Homer’s Iliad, however, Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

In Arabic, Venus is the planet al-Zuhra, and it has long been associated with beauty and love. In the Middle East, Zuhra, it is mostly confused with ZAHRA (flower), a common feminine name—it could have been a corruption of the original Zuhra.

Her ungodly rivalry sparked events leading to the Trojan War. And though she was married to Hephaestus, true to Greek mythology, she had an affair with Ares and relationships with mortals, one of whom was Anchises, with whom she had Aeneas, the Trojan.

The Romans developed their own traditions around Venus and associated her with prosperity and military success. According to Roman mythology, Venus and Aeneas were part of the ancestry of Rome. Julius Caesar claimed descent through the Julian family from Aeneas and Venus, and in 46 BCE dedicated a temple to Venus Genetrix in the Forum of Caesar.

Whenever my late father heard such talk, he would dismissively say, Fesseria, nonsense!