The Fighter’s Letter (Paulos Natnael)
The Fighter's Letter (Paulos Natnael) I am happy to let my readers know that my book, "The fighter's Letter", a novel, has just been published by Africa World Press/Red Sea Press. Please visit the website to order the book
The Fighter’s Letter
(Paulos Natnael)
I am happy to let my readers know that my book, “The fighter’s Letter”, a novel, has just been published by Africa World Press/Red Sea Press. Please visit the website to order the book there. Here is the link: http://www.africaworldpressbooks.com/servlet/Detail?no=1169
“The fighter’s Letter” was conceived from a single incident in the early 1990s. The theme is the Eritrean independence war and its huge psychological, political, and social implications on the people of Eritrea; the vast migration of people, unheard of before in the region, driven by the madness of war; the unintended consequences of that migration including culture shock which destroys lives, drives some to suicide, abuse of alcohol and drugs, and other social ills. And, finally, the civil war and its social and psychological consequences, and the social upheaval it caused in the traditionally conservative Eritrean society.
The book describes the chaotic Ethio-Eritrean social and political landscape starting from the mid-1970s—when a military Junta overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Eritrean youth began joining the rebels (the ELF and EPLF) fighting the Ethiopian government for independence of Eritrea—to the few years after Eritrea’s independence in the early 1990s. The tens of thousands of youth that poured to the “field” then became part and parcel of the deadly struggle between the two Fronts for Eritrea’s control and ultimate military and political supremacy (which struggle ended in the defeat and ultimate demise of the ELF in the early 1980s), while at the same time, engaging in fierce fighting against the newly-installed communist-supported Ethiopian Dergue regime.
The novel begins with the story of a young man pursuing his dreams of a higher education in Ethiopia’s premier university, Haile Selassie I, in Addis Ababa, only to end up a year later in America, a foreign land. Broadly, it tells the story of an extended family’s participation in the Eritrean revolution, the fates of several of the family members, and their own struggles in life in Eritrea, under the brutal military regime or fighting the regime in the field, and later in the Sudan and the United States of America. The book also tells a parallel story of deception born out of intense desire to leave debilitating poverty and depravity in Ethiopia in order to make ones dreams and the dreams of loved ones come true in America.
P.S. For those who may not know, Africa World Press/Red Sea Press is located in New Jersey and is owned and operated by the wonderful Eritrean patriot, Kassahun Checole. Kassahun founded the publishing house in the 1980s and has published hundreds of books from authors in the United States, Europe, Eritrea, Ethiopia, several other African countries.
Gura November 16, 2014
Congratulations,
welcome to assenna, the most real-fearless Eritrean website that is not shy to deal with any controversy in Eritrean politics and Ghedli history, to name the few. It is only in Assenna and its radio affiliate that one can listen to the brave ato Yemane Teklegergish exposing and narrating the ugly experiences and secretes in Ghedli, AKA, the Eritrean revolution or Sewra, as well as the screaming cries of the many kidnapped Eritrean refugees in Sinai-Egypt and the harsh Kufra dungeons of Libya and the many Lampedusas.
The history of Ghedli is not yet written but if one is to judge it by its concrete results on the ground — the current shameful status of “independent” Eritrea in the world, and the miserable and degrading life of Eritreans — even by comparison of Eritrea under the former Ethiopian military Junta, i.e the Dergue, which came to lead Ethiopia with Col. Mengistu at its helm, there is apparenlty little to celebrate in Eritrea and its Sewra or independence war, at least for my generation. Just ask any Warsay generation who had lived in the “National Slavery” since 1997 and a misery of journey to seek asylum in the neighboring nations with all the ugly tragedies of kidnapping, rape, organ harvest, desert prisons and finally the wide Mediterranean Sea with its open deadly mouth.
The only heritage the young Warsay received from the generation of Issaias Afewerki and his likes, as one astute Eritrean observer noted is a life of misery full of disgrace and demeaning, easier said as Wurdetn Hisretn.
I have not yet read the book and I am looking forward to read what ato Paulos Natnael wrote above, “The theme is the Eritrean independence war and its huge … implications on the people of Eritrea.”
Thanks to Radio Assenna and the heroic gutsy people like ato Yemane Teklegergish and the many like him, the Wrasay generation is wiser enough to measure Ghedli history and the war of independence with a better and critical yardstick.
Ghirmai November 17, 2014
Yes it is sad that Eritreans are in another form of oppression this time around. but-and a big but-don’t beg for freedom, as no one is going to give you just like that. If the current regime is denying you the freedom you deserve, then claim what you deserve–freedom. Fight and earn it. Comparing the regime with previous regimes is not going to help.
FAILED PEOPLE November 17, 2014
“And, finally, the civil war and its social and psychological consequences, and the social upheaval it caused in the traditionally conservative Eritrean society.”
A friend called me and said the following (I do not share his humorous analysis)…but here it is…
The war between ELF & EPLF was a war between Arab agenda (ELF) & Ethiopian agenda (EPLF)….The real civil war happened between PFDJ/EPLF & WOYANE..two Ethiopian forces.
Paulos M. Natnael November 18, 2014
First of all, let me thank Amanuel and the demo.archive.assenna.com staff. Even though I read Assenna all the time, I had never posted on Assenna before, and when I asked them to post the book announcement for me, they did without question or hesitation. For that I am grateful.
Now, let me address Gura’s comments. I follow Assenna and I have listened to Pilot’s and Yemane’s story with fascination and sometimes disbelief. I thought I knew most of the EPLF history; I heard about its prison system from ELF POWs as early as 1982. But I keep getting surprised. It’s demoralizing to learn the story of Pilot; what he went through for fifteen years. It’s sad to learn the day to day life of the EPLF tegadalai, for example, which was made much harder by the paranoia of its leadership. The way the tegadalai was treated by the EPLF leadership was criminal. Prohibiting fighters from congregating more than three at a time which clearly shows the controlling nature of Isaias and his cohorts in the leadership, was for example unheard of in the ELF.
In the broader context, regarding the Eritrean revolution, I still believe, despite its outcome, it was the right of the Eritrean people to seek independence. Just because the revolution was hijacked by dictator Isaias Afwerki (just like Mengistu hijacked the Ethiopian revolution from the people in the mid-1970s), it does not mean the Eritrean people were wrong to fight for their independence. That is where I differ with many of those who write at Asmarino these days. I disagree with YG et al. whose views are that Eritrean independence war was wrong and they see Eritrea’s salvation resting in Ethiopia.
So, I am not asking anyone to celebrate anything. The book is not a celebration of Eritrea’s independence. It’s a novel, telling a story partially or mostly based during the time of the struggle by those who participated in it and those who did not but supported it from afar. Hope you will read it with open mind.
Thanks,
Paulos