Tag: independence day speech
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Eritrea Celebrates — but Its President Is Somewhere Else
I. A Preface of Reluctance and Recognition For more than two decades, I avoided President Isaias Afwerki’s speeches. They were predictable, monotonous, and devoid of substance — exercises in tedium that tested the limits of my patience. His demeanor, too, has always unsettled me: the way he talks, the way he walks, the way he…
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Delusion and Confusion: Awet NeHafash or Awet Nwedi Afom
Isaias Afwerki vs. Reality: A Speech Drenched in Delusion. That was illustrated in his last public appearance to deliver the Independence Day speech. As usual, it was a speech drenched in delusion. Listening to Isaias Afwerki’s speeches should be classified as punishment. They are stale, tedious, and laced with bitter pronouncements that parch the tongue.…