In Search of Liberty – 2^nd Narration, 28/09/2018

How did WE ERITREANS get to where we are TODAY?  Every Eritrean MUST ponder on that fundamental question. A short viable answer (perhaps, an excuse) may be this: it was (unbelievable as it may seem) the Act of an African Houdini, camouflaged as a LIBERATOR of ERITREA. It was a daring Act – with extraordinary dexterity, maneuvering tactic, deception, cajoling, lying, betraying and zigzagging of treachery.   Issayas Afewerki Abraha brought down ERITREA, a population of five to six million, flat on its face under his ‘BOOTS’. In thirty-year period of fighting [in the name of “LIBERTION”] Issayas Afewwrki Abraha was on his own  way to the fulfilment of his age-old diabolical, hateful and long-range plan against the entire Eritrean people. He was on his way to make himself the absolute Master of the entire Eritrean people.  And he bestowed upon himself the Presidency over the hapless society of Eritrea, with unbound authority.

No single opposition was heard from a nation that has gone through 30-year war for Liberation, for Freedom, for Equality, for Democratic Governance. NOT A BLIP of CONCERN & OPOOSTION was witnessed. In other words, ERITREANS, UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, were like the legendry ኣንጭዋ፣ አብ ማይ ዝኣተወት። To Issayas Afewerki Abraha, however, it was a CONFIRMATION of his own demeaning opinion about the Eritrean CHARACTER. He knew he was “free” in the liquidation of Eritrea, for any reason, by any means necessary.  It is a classical case of revenge madness.  He reached at the status of being respectable member of the renowned United Nations Organization, as equal member together with the mightiest leaders of Nations.  His ego was boosted beyond proportion, but he has yet more to accomplish before he is through with Eritreans and Eritrea. Again, as the insightful Tigrigna saying goes: ዘይትብላዕ፣ ዘይትስተ።

Here is an interesting anecdote: In a moment of relaxation with a comrade, over a glass of alcoholic beverage, Issayas Afewerki Abraha revealed his intention in two simple loaded Tigrigna words: “ከርእየክን እዬ”። I already referred to this anecdote in my seemingly endless commentaries. Tiring as it may sound, however, it is worth repeating it a thousand times to be etched in our consciousness as a permanent reminder of the greatest deception ever perpetrated by a SINGLE mortal human being over the ERITREAN PEOPLE.  In short, it must be an eternal LESSON to ERITREANS, in soul searching endeavour, and admit who we are.  In other words, how was it possible for one mortal individual to galvanize the entire population of Eritrea, with their eyes wide open, on the verge of jumping over a cliff to oblivion?  If the question is irritating to Dear Eritrean Readers, my only response is to say SORRY, but keep on being inquisitive as it is our natural endowment to do so for our own survival. In short, our silence and refusal to see the reality of our ‘make-up’ goaded us to self-destruction. Let us face it:  THE PROBLEM IS WITHIN OURSELVES.

Issayas Afewerki Abraha would never have succeeded had he not understood deeply the WEAKNESS of Eritreans. He realized that, when things come down to a critical level, Eritreans become their own enemies!!!  It is NOT a strange or mysterious phenomenon, applicable only in Eritrea. It happens all over the Globe. But, needless to say, that should not be an excuse for Eritreans to keep on flogging themselves to death.

Taking the time period of the last one-hundred-and-thirty (130) years, “Eritrea” [so-baptized by colonial force] was never able to identify itself by indigenous name due to the multicity of ethnicity. Like wise, the unity of the diverse people within a common concept of independence, freedom, and democracy was not possible to mushroom.  Needless to add, the fact that Eritrea is a member of the UN Organization does not automatically make it a democratic State discharging Freedom, Equality, Justice, Productivity etc. to the PEOPLE of the country.  In fact, to digress a little bit, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Nations of the MAORITY  MEMBERS  of UN Organization have NO liberty, NO freedom, NO justice, NO equality ….. in their respective so-called “free” countries that are ruled by absolute dictators who have no regard for their own people. Our beloved Africa is a glaring example – but surely NOT a consolation to Eritreans (or to other nations) by any stretch of argument. Thus, against the overall reality, perhaps, the terminology used by the President of the United States of America, though offensive, would, never-the-less, describe perfectly the situation of the under developed countries >>> “shitholes”!!!  A talkative Dictator, President for Life, of an African State, with Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph D), reacted to the opinion of the US President with ‘100% agreement’.

 Back to Eritrea:                                                                                                                                                                  In the anal of human history, we find “demented”-geniuses who had the ability to galvanize societies to their own consequential demise!!!  In Eritrea, the self-liquidation of ’thyself’ phenomenon was accomplished under the quasi-identical force in the name of “Eritrean liberation Force” and “Eritrean People’s Liberation Force” – ELF and EPLF. It is estimated that the loss of Eritreans fighting each other was much more than the loss of Eritreans in the entire 30-year war against Ethiopia. I stand to be corrected.  In any case, in  parallel with that mutual-destructive war, Eritreans were also fighting for Independence against Ethiopia.  In the end: ELF lost and disintegrated; EPLF won and continued its war against Ethiopia and admirably won that war too.

With the above extraordinary victory, Issayas Afewerki Abraha became the Idol, the hero, the saviour of Eritrea and the earthly God to the ecstatic people of the entire spectrum of Eritrea. Scholars of the highest calibre showered their admiration and allegiance to the semi-god dear Issayas Afewerki Abraha. They nudged against each other at his ‘door steps’ [so to say] to get a glimpse of attention from the ‘Emperor’. Ordinary people worshiped him like God. Any foolish ordinary citizen showing an innocent hint of less than admiration for the semi-God would meet the same fate of Mussolini of Italy right at the main avenue of Asmarina, Eritrea.

Eritrea is a victim of itself. WE ARE WHAT WE ARE. One hundred and thirty years of experience did not make a dent in our psyche to change our sociological behaviour against each other, which is based on our most cancerous diseases of RELIGION and REGION.  WE ARE OUR OWN ENEMY.  We are doomed. Call it CURSE = መርገም. By the way, had the ELF were to be the winner — instead of Issayas Afewriki’s EPLF — the end result would have been exactly the same, though aligned to another direction. Either way, however, the ERITREAN PEOPLE at large would remain exactly in the same condition of slavery, exodus, with THAT eternal appeal of “ሽገይ ሃቡኒ…...ኣይተጸብዩኒ”።   

Rezen