capitaleritrea » people

Seminar: The Specific Problems of Eritreans in Germany

capitaleritrea — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:11:40 +0000

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Selam,

To all Eritreans and those interested in Eritrea!

Due to considerable problems which Eritrean families are confronted with in Germany (Diaspora), a huge seminar is scheduled in Mannheim Germany to directly address these problems in plain-language.

Problem: Analysis and Prevention

The following topics will be discussed: Problems of integration, education, motivation, problems within families, problems of identification, drug problems, juvenile delinquency, diseases (AIDS education), social constraints and much more.

Everybody who wants to make a positive contribution to support the Eritrean community and the integration into German society is hearty welcomed to come.

Language: German

Date & Time: 11.09. 2010 18:00

Place: Haus der Jugend C2, 16 -18, 68159 Mannheim

With best Regards,

Organizer,

Biniam Kiflai

Email: Biniam1@web.de

Art Competition: “I Dream Therefore I Am”

capitaleritrea — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:32:28 +0000

Eritrean Artistis

The Delegation of the European Union in Eritrea is organising for the second time on a row the Art Competition “I Dream Therefore I Am”.

The competition calls on the youth and adults to express artistically their personal dreams, dreams for their family and dreams for their country or to interpret the theme “A world where no one is left behind”.

Participants are invited to create a work of art expressing their dreams in their preferred form of the artistic expression.

The competition is open for three different categories – Youth 11-18 years of age, Adult Non-Professional Artists and Adult Professional Artists. Participants from categories 1 and 2 must be resident in Eritrea, whereas category 3 is open to any participant from other countries in the region. The deadline of the competition is the 01 September 2010.

The European Union marks 2010 as the “European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion”. Therefore, the theme of this year’s competition is “A world where no one is left behind” The title of the competition goes back to the 19^th century Swedish Author Johan August Strindberg and expresses the feeling that every great idea starts with a dream.

During last year’s competition ten Eritrean artists received a prize for the best art works by the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Eritrea, Ms Paola Amadei, at the official awards ceremony.

This year’s prizes awards range from 800 Nakfa and an art kit in category Youth and 3000 Nakfa in category Non-Professional Artists to 10.000 Nakfa in category Professional Artists.

Keep the Coolness

capitaleritrea — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:08:49 +0000

In 1988 the top songs from the US single charts came from artists like Guns N’ Roses, Tracy Chapman, George Michael and Neneh Cherry – “Bufallo Stance”. This was three years before the Eritrean war of independence ended and Eritrea was freed from Ethiopian occupation.

At that time, I was a 13-year-old boy living with my family a typical Eritrean Diaspora life between two cultures.

As a teen, Sundays were usually extremely tiring and again on this particular Sunday, apart from a boring day, there was nothing special going on, except the usual Eritrean coffee ceremonies where parents light a fire in the living room together with friends.

Trying to ignore the group of grownups discussing about life and their beloved country with emotional gestures, I sat on the floor moving closer to the TV screen. This was my way of demonstrating against the intruders, their noise and the aggressively smelling aroma of Eritrean food and coffee.

All of a sudden this 15-year-old French girl singing “Joe le taxi” and swinging to cha, cha, cha drums appeared on screen.

Her voice blew me away and nothing was able to distract me from staring at the TV, there was no noise just gestures, no smell just fresh air.

There had been nothing, absolutely nothing with girls in my mind until that day and I would not tell anyone that this had changed. As a young boy you do not want to loose your overall coolness by admitting you like girls.

Nine years later, I would arrive in Eritrea for the first time and take a taxi ride from the airport to the heart of Asmara in a yellow Opel with Kidane behind the steering wheel not Joe.

This time, I would fall in love with a whole country and I would not be ashamed to tell and spread the news about this wonderful place.

Eritrean Man Pleads Guilty to Alien Smuggling

capitaleritrea — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:20:28 +0000

WASHINGTON, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Samuel Abrahaley Fessahazion, 23, an Eritrean national, has pleaded guilty to helping smuggle illegal aliens to the United States for private financial gain, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton.

Fessahazion, aka “Sami,” aka “Sammy,” aka “Alex” and aka “Alex Williams” pleaded guilty yesterday in Houston before U.S. District Court Judge Nancy A. Atlas to one count of conspiracy, and two counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to come to, enter or reside in the United States in violation of law for the purpose of private financial gain.

“By bringing this smuggler to justice, we have broken a chain that runs from Africa to South and Central America, directly into the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer. “We will not allow these dangerous smuggling organizations to profit from bringing people illegally into the United States.”

“This prosecution strikes a significant blow to a criminal organization engaged in a sophisticated international alien smuggling operation,” said U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas, “and highlights the continuing cooperation and success of multiple law enforcement agencies in interdicting such activities.”

“Breaking this global alien smuggling network puts smugglers on notice that we are coming after them and we will shut them down,” said ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton. “ICE will continue to identify the most dangerous international human smuggling organizations for investigation and prosecution.”

According to plea documents, from at least June 2007 until approximately January 2008, Fessahazion was the Guatemalan link of an alien smuggling network that spans East Africa, Central and South America. Specifically, according to the court documents, Fessahazion illegally entered the United States at McAllen, Texas, on March 20, 2008. He applied for asylum on Sept. 30, 2008, claiming in his application that he was traveling across Africa in 2007 and 2008, fleeing persecution in Eritrea. However, according to court documents, Fessahazion was actually in Guatemala during that period facilitating the smuggling of East African aliens to the United States. Fessahazion was granted asylum by the United States on Nov. 13, 2008.

Fessahazion admitted that for profit, he encouraged or induced at least six and up to 24 illegal aliens, primarily East Africans, to come to, enter, or reside in the United States knowing that they were not authorized to do so. Fessahazion admitted he moved aliens from Honduras through Guatemala and into Mexico illegally, at which point he referred aliens to a smuggler who brought the aliens into the United States.

In one instance, according to court documents, Fessahazion and his co-conspirators moved two illegal aliens from South Africa to Sao Paulo, Brazil, then through Venezuela to Honduras where they were instructed to contact Fessahazion. Once in contact, Fessahazion sent a driver to pick up the two aliens and bring them to Guatemala City, Guatemala. In exchange for $800, Fessahazion took the two aliens by bus to a house bordering Guatemala and Mexico. There, working with a co-conspirator, Fessahazion provided information to the couple on how to cross the border into Mexico illegally and how to proceed once in Mexico to the United States border. Fessahazion and the co-conspirator provided the couple with a guide who physically took them into Mexico and provided contact information for an unidentified smuggler known only by the alias “Matamoros,” who would in turn take the two aliens to the United States from Reynosa, Mexico. In February 2008, the couple was illegally brought to the United States by guides working for “Matamoros.” According to court documents, the guides carried guns and ferried the couple across the river on the Mexico/U.S. border in inner tubes.

In another example, an alien was moved from Dubai to Brazil, then to Honduras via Colombia and Costa Rica. According to court documents, a co-conspirator told the alien he could get him from Dubai to Brazil, at which point others would assist the alien each step of the way to the United States in a “chain like” fashion.

According to court documents, once the alien arrived in Honduras, Fessahazion sent a driver to retrieve him and bring him to Guatemala City. In exchange for $700, Fessahazion took the alien to the Guatemala/Mexico border and, along with a co-conspirator, gave the alien information on how to cross the border into Mexico illegally and how to proceed once in Mexico to the United States border, including contact information for “Matamoros.” The alien then traveled into Mexico, contacted “Matamoros” and traveled to Reynosa as “Matamoros” instructed. In December 2007, according to court documents, guides working for “Matamoros” took the alien and others to the United States illegally by ferrying them across the river on the Mexican/U.S. border in inner tubes. Shortly after crossing the border into the United States, the alien and others were apprehended.

At sentencing, scheduled for June 14, 2010, Fessahazion faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Pragna Soni of the Criminal Division’s Domestic Security Section, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Gallagher and Douglas Davis of the Southern District of Texas.

The investigation was conducted by the ICE Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Washington, with the assistance of SAC San Francisco, the ICE Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit, ICE Office of Intelligence, ICE Office of International Affairs and U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s Office of Alien Smuggling Interdiction.

For Three Dollars More

capitaleritrea — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:38:07 +0000

A high-level meeting in London of political and business leaders will consider this week ways of raising 100 billion dollars to fight climate change. And yet another one in Washington will search for ways of finding, and funding, more three-dollar stoves around the world.

The second one is more ambitious than it sounds; it aims to get more than half a billion clean stoves around the world. But working with the little and the tangible, it might just be more effective than the London meet. And, it brings simultaneous health benefits.

The Britain-based Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy is pushing strongly for cleaner stoves around the world. “Fighting climate change and improving the health of the world’s poorest people are often seen as competing priorities,” says a report from the Ashden Awards. “Yet some technologies address both tasks at the same time.” For example, the cooking stove.

“Almost half the world’s households, some three billion, eat food cooked on fires and stoves burning wood, dung, coal, straw, husks and charcoal,” says the report released in London Sunday evening. “Pollution levels from smoke and gases such as carbon monoxide are typically hundreds of times those that would be tolerated in the streets or a factory.

“An estimated 1.6 million people die annually as a result, including around a million children under five, mostly victims of childhood pneumonia.”

Getting half a billion stoves to these households will begin to address the problem substantially. But that’s a lot of stoves, and it’s not clear how these households will get them.

“That’s the big question which the United Nations Foundation/Shell Foundation meeting in Washington DC will be looking at next week, so we may have some detailed strategies after that,” Dr Anne Wheldon, technical director of the Ashden Awards, tells IPS in an interview.

The clean stoves certainly exist, and at that price. “For instance, in Cambodia traditional stove-makers have been trained to produce an improved version which sells for only three dollars,” says Wheldon.

“We are also starting to see the factory-scale production that can make cheap stoves available more readily on a global basis. A very basic stove produced by the Shengzhou Stove Manufacturer has an ex-factory price of 3.50 dollars, with other models at eight to 12 dollars. Envirofit has also started mass manufacture, with some higher price range models with more features to them.”

Success on scale has been achieved in China. An estimated 180 million improved stoves were introduced from 1983 to 1995, and cook for most of the population, the Ashden report says. China has recently renewed efforts to provide a new generation of yet more efficient stoves.

But scaling up is now feasible elsewhere too, says Wheldon. “Provided that a stove is developed that people really like to use, it is quite feasible to get to the 100,000s scale, and there are a range of ways of doing this that work well in different circumstances – for instance, a government-led programme in Eritrea, an NGO-led programme in Bangladesh, upgrading of existing commercial production in Cambodia. Such programmes could probably grow to the 1-10 million scale.”

The Ashden calculations suggest that a global programme to manufacture the half-billion improved stoves needed to convert the world’s poor to safer cooking could save hundreds of thousands of young lives a year – and at the same time cut global greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of up to one billion tonnes of CO2 a year.

“Such investments ought to attract large sums through the carbon market,” the report says. “We calculate that improved cooking stoves can keep a tonne of CO2 out of the atmosphere for as little as one to three dollars – an exceedingly good deal in a market where offsets can be sold for 20-30 dollars a tonne.”

The carbon market could fund cleaner stoves in a number of ways, says Wheldon, such as “directly subsidising a government or NGO programme that provides stoves at low cost or sometimes zero cost as with the Eritrea stove programme, directly subsidising commercial sales, or supporting an umbrella organisation that coordinates independent producers, and takes responsibility for quality control and monitoring, as with the Cambodia stove programme coordination.”

Since 2001, 18 stove projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America have won Ashden awards, most of which have gone on to expand and develop, the Ashden report says. Time now, it says, for a scaling up of these successes. Source: (IPS)

Wim Wenders Inspired by Integration Model Set by Idyllic Town in Calabria

capitaleritrea — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:33:57 +0000

ROME, Italy, March 22 (UNHCR) – The picturesque Calabrian hilltop town of Riace on the sole of southern Italy seems to have a lot going for it; glorious weather, fields of fruit, mountain scenery, great food and the nearby Mediterranean.

Yet, in the 1970s and 1980s, people were leaving the region in droves and heading to northern Italy, other parts of Europe and even further afield, unable to earn a decent living back home. Riace was well on its way to becoming a ghost town. There were hardly any shops, the last bar had closed, nobody was working in the fields and there weren’t even enough children to fill the local school.

Fast forward to today and the town is thriving, its solid stone houses echoing with laughter and happy voices, its mediaeval streets busy with artists, traders and tourists. But many of Riace’s 1,700 inhabitants are not even from Italy.

Much of the credit for the turnaround in the fortunes of Riace goes to Domenico Lucano, who, working with UNHCR, has set an example of how integration can work in a country under fire for its tough immigration policies. Mayor Lucano came up with the brainwave of repopulating the town with irregular migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, the Lebanon and Somalia.

It’s a story that has enchanted German film director Wim Wenders, who has made a half-hour documentary drama about Riace shot in 3-D. The premiere of “Il Volo” (The Flight) was held in Rome on Friday with the support of UNHCR, whose regional representative, Laurens Jolles, attended. “The film portrays refugees and migrant workers in a much more positive light,” said one person who attended the screening.

Wenders, whose work includes the award-winning film “Paris, Texas” and the “Buena Vista Social Club” documentary, had first come to Reggio Calabria in September last year to film a short fictional story about migration in another nearby town, Badolato.

But he changed his mind after meeting some refugee children – three Roma brothers from Serbia and a nine-year-old Afghan boy called Ramadullah – who were living in Riace. Wenders decided to make something a bit longer, which would tell their story and that of the mayor and his vision for the town.

“I realized I was more attracted to the children’s stories than to the one I was shooting,” said Wenders, adding that real “people are always more important than fiction.” The result is a moving documentary drama that could help people to understand the reality of immigration and how foreigners can contribute to Italian society.

Lucano, the courageous mayor, recalled how the transformation of Riace began 12 years ago. “A boat carrying some 250 Kurds [men, women and children] was brought by the wind to our shores,” he said, referring to a boatload of people who had probably set off from North Africa in the hope of reaching Europe. “At the time, Riace was dying,” he added.

The Kurds had landed close to the spot where a scuba diver in 1972 discovered the so-called “Riace bronzes” – two exquisite full-size statues of bearded Greek warriors – and briefly put the area on the map. “The wind has brought us a special cargo, and who are we to turn it away,” Lucano thought at the time, reasoning that the refugees were simply following in the footsteps of Greeks, Arabs, Normans and other past visitors.

Lucano set up an association, Città Futura (City of the Future), which began offering migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers free board and lodging as well as electricity in Riace’s empty houses so long as they agreed to work for a living and learn Italian. “The Kurds [eventually] went to Germany, but left their mark,” Lucano noted. “Riace opened its doors to Eritreans, Ethiopians, Afghans and schools were able to reopen.”

The newcomers have been repaying the faith shown in them by helping to revive the fortunes of Riace. The women make handicrafts while their men are involved in construction and opening shops; both are helping to bring in the tourists, who can now stay in renovated town centre buildings.

Today, about 250 of Riace’s 1,700 citizens are foreigners. They include many Palestinian refugees resettled recently in Italy with the help of UNHCR after spending years living in dusty Al Tanf camp in the no-man’s land between Iraq and Syria.

Meanwhile, Laura Boldrini, UNHCR’s spokesperson in Italy, said the refugee agency was happy to support the example being set in Riace and other nearby towns. She also praised Wenders’ film, saying that Il Volo was “a tremendous tool for awareness-raising that upholds a model of cohabitation based on exchange and mutual interest, both for refugees and for the development of local communities.”

Eritrean Gets Jail Term for Attacking Officers

capitaleritrea — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:43:54 +0000

A 27-year-old Eritrean who resides at the Marsa Open Centre in Malta was given a a six-year-jail term suspended for two years after pleading guilty to slightly injuring two police officers late on Friday.

The Marsa Open Centre is one of the two main open centres in Malta hosting asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants granted humanitarian protection after their release from the detention centres.

The Times of Malta reports that Teame Gebremihret Tesfamaryam from Eritrea was thrown out of a bar in Rabat after he became noisy and the owner called the police.

After the incident police took him to the nearest police station in Rabat, a village just outside Malta, where he became aggressive.

According to the newspaper the Eritrean man became aggressive and started to attacked and resist two police men during his arrest.

Tadese Breaks World Record in Half Marathon

capitaleritrea — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:06:20 +0000

Zersenay Tadese

Lisbon, Portugal – Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea smashed the World record in the Half Marathon today, clocking 58:23* at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon.

Tadese, the winner of four successive World Road Running and World Half Marathon titles, eclipsed the mark of 58:33 set by Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru in 2007.

Following the uncooperative weather the day before this IAAF Gold Label Road Race, nobody expects great things from the race today, but the Gods protecting this event came through. After a little bit of fog appeared on Lisbon’s famous 25 Abril Bridge, the sun was smiling through the clouds throughout the race.

So, that was the perfect signal everybody wanted as the race commenced. With the start at sea level (without crossing the bridge) the elite field ran against the clock as the organisers predicted.

By the 10th kilometre (27:53), the race was practically defined. By then, Tadese was running alone against the clock – the rabbits lasted for only nine kilometers – and produced the race of life. So far, that is!

20Km World record first to fall

Inside of World record pace, even when he reached 15Km in 41:33 (four seconds behind Felix Limo’s 41:29 World record set in 2001), Tadese forced the pace to another level. The Half Marathon World record was well within reach when he crossed the 20Km marker in 55:21*, 27 seconds faster then Haile Gebrselassie’s World record of 55:48 set in 2006.

The reigning World silver medallist in the 10,000m forged onward to clock 58:23, smashing by 10 seconds Wanjiru’s mark set at The Hague in 2007.

“I felt very good, and looking for a performance just like that,” said Tadese, who had a previous personal best of 58:59 over the distance set at the 2007 World Half Marathon Championships in Udine, Italy.

“I’m in a good shape. Kilometre after kilometre I achieved more courage and determination and always believed that I can get the world record.”

Afterwards, Tadese opened the window to the near future. “I hope to be in the same shape and to use the same skills to try for the world record in the London Marathon.” Impressed the event’s organisation, Tadese promised to return to what he described as “ a marvelous city and course!”

By the 10th kilometre is was clear that there were two races today, Tadese’s run against the clock, and the one for the runner-up spot. By the 15th kilometre Kenyan Sammy Kitwara, the winner of 2009 Rotterdam Half Marathon and the 2008 Paris Half Marathon, was 24 seconds behind Tadese, and by the finish the margin didn’t change. He was second in 59:47, a personal best, ahead of his compatriot Emmanuel Mutai, the 2009 World silver medalist in the Marathon, who clocked 1:00:03, also a personal best.

Duncan Kibet (1:00:21) was fourth and Gilbert Masai (1:00:28) fifth, both with personal bests.

Two-time World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco was still in contention for a podium spot at 15Km, but faded in the waning stages to finish a distant sixth in 1:00:33.

Amid the African domination, former European 10,000m champion “Chema” Martinez of Spain was the first European across the line, finishing 11th in 1:02:52, 46 seconds ahead of the first Portuguese, Hermano Ferreira, who was 13th with 1:03:38.

Arusei dominates women’s race.

With the spotlight on the men contest, the women race didn’t get quite the same attention, with the results considerably more modest.

As in the men’s race, Peninah Arusei was in the lead from the early stages, and passed 15Km in 48:14, more than 1:30 ahead of her closest pursuer. The winner of the 2010 Koyang Half Marathon and 2009 Berlin Half Marathon, didn’t falter en route to her 1:08:38 victory, eight seconds slower than American Kara Goucher’s course record set last year. But she was well clear of the runner-up Askale Tafa of Ethiopia who clocked 1:10:46.

Finishing off the podium, at age 40, was local heroine Fernanda Ribeiro. The former Olympic, World and European 10,000m champion clocked 1:12:17.

“It is fantastic being in the podium of a race of this dimension,” said Ribeiro, who is still very much revered in Portugal. “I’m very happy to be here, and achieving this podium for the third time in my career.” In previous appearances, Ribeiro finished second in 1999, third in 2000, and fourth in 2006.

IAAF President Diack pleased with race organisation

Among the guests this year was IAAF President Lamine Diack, who was invited to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the race. Diack was especially pleased to be on hand to witness Tadese’s World record on his first visit to this race.

Among the runners was Portuguese Prime Minister José Socrates.

António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF

Leading Results -

Men -

1. Zersenay Tadese ERI 58.23 WR*

2. Sammy Kitwara KEN 59.47 PB

3. Emmanuel Mutai KEN 1.00.03 PB

4. Duncan Kibet KEN 1.00.21 PB

5. Gilbert Masai KEN 1.00.28 PB

6. Jaouad Gharib MAR 1.00.33

7. Gedion Ngatuny KEN 1.01.07

8. Mathew Kisorio KEN 1.01.10

9. Samuel Kosgei KEN 1.01.57

10. Ernest Kebenei KEN 1.02.01

11. “Chema” Martinez ESP 1.02.52

12. Silas Sang KEN 1.02.57

13. Hermano Ferreira POR 1.03.38

14. Alberto Chaíça POR 1.03.52

15. Luís Feiteira POR 1.04.38

Women -

1. Peninah Jerop Arusei KEN 1.08.38

2. Askale Tafa ETH 1.10.46

3. Fernanda Ribeiro POR 1.12.17

4. Maria Jose Pueyo ESP 1.13.21 PB

5. Olga Glok RUS 1.14.00

6. Ksenia Agafonova RUS 1.14.24

7. Elizaveta Grechishnikova RUS 1.14.30

8. Mónica Rosa POR 1.14.35

9. Constantina Dita 1.14.39

10. Cruz Nonata da Silva BRA 1.14.59 PB

* pending the usual ratification procedures

Source: (IAAF)

Eritrea: Thomas Kelati to Become Polish Citizen

capitaleritrea — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:24:57 +0000

Thomas Kelati

Basketball guard Thomas Kelati has applied for Polish citizenship in late January, according to Polish media reports. The Eritrean-American professional is currently playing for Valencia in the Spanish ACB league and has strong ties to Poland.

Kelati used to play for Polish Basketball club Turow Zgorzelec and is married to a polish woman, with whom he has two children.

Polish officials have already received all necessary documents and say that the naturalization case might be finalized in June.

Under Polish legislation the application procedure could have been shorter for Kelati if he had been married for at least three years to his wife. The couple married two years ago.

As a Polish citizen Kelati could play for the Polish national team. However, according to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) only one naturalized player is allowed to play in a national team.

Kelati struggled to find a new team throughout 2009 as things were not as smooth as expected for the guard. He initially had made a deal with Olympiakos, but his contract was terminated after a medical team discovered health problems.

He returned to America to sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. One month later Lakers waved the guard announcing that he did not make it through to the final roster.

Following his four year academic career at Washington State University, Kelati went to Europe and helped Belgian team Dexia Mons-Hainaut winning the Belgian Championship in 2006. In the same year he transferred to Polish league team Turow Zgorzelec and continued to play for Spanish team Malaga in 2008.

The Hawya Tribe

capitaleritrea — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:38:03 +0000

There was a tribe of the Hawya in Serae Eritrea, ruled by Dejach De’bul, a strong and feared ruler of Mereb Mellash, about 600 years ago. They were of the Great Belew tribe. He was told that he would have a daughter whose son will crush his rule. When the girl was born, his only child, he had her secluded from the public.

The lonely girl grew up and used to watch people from her window. One day she saw this tall and handsome soldier Ambessajir, and fell for him. He was from far away tribe Selewa from the south, and lived with his mother. She was so obsessed that although he could not come to her home, she had herself rolled with hay and taken to him. The romance did not continue for long when he was discovered and caught.

When he found out who the father was, one of his soldiers, Ambessajir, he had him killed, by burying him shoulder deep and horses running over his head, crushing his skull. This was the highest punishment those days.

At those days, the aristocrats were too feared and had full power over the common man. This daughter of Dejach De’bul, named Mariam Hanna, or Wehadet or We’alet, became pregnant and hid from her father. The son grew up with his mother’s tribe.

One day, the chief was sitting outside and saw boys play with a ball game called the Karsa. Dejach De’bul noticed that one boy played very well that the other boys could not wretch the ball from his hold.

He admired this boy and said, to his aide “If this boy could be one’s grandson?” The aide found this opportunity to tell his master of the story, and answered, “My Lord, promise us not to be harsh and be understanding. Can you promise me one thing- kidan? (In the old times, when one gets kidan, he is allowed to say his word and not be punished) Dejach allowed him to speak and the aide replied? This boy is indeed your daughter’s son”.

The chief was so shocked of his not knowing and his daughter had a bastard, and that he knew nothing of it all these years.

But the whole tribe were dissatisfied that their chief had harshly punished their favourite soldier. Dejach De’bul regretted having killed Ambessajir that he forgave his daughter and had the grandson named as his heir.

The son grew up. His mother used to tell him how her father had his father Ambassajir was killed for loving her. Eritrea has still paternal laws. Other kids scolded him of having no father. As a young man, he wanted to vindicate his father.

He felt very sad of his father’s being punished this way and thought of revenging his death, and decided to wait for the right moment against his powerful grandfather.

He became a man and married and became strong. His grandfather had come to forgive, liking and thrusting and relied on him. One day, Dejach De’bul, his grandfather was going for a trip, which would take a year.

He appointed this grandson to be his viceroy, and had him swear the oath of loyalty, three times, as was customary. But after a month of his travelling, the powerful grandfather was taken sick and died of cholera, in a far away country. The grandson inherited the whole country.

This became ripe time to revenge his father’s death. So he prepared a big feast to all male members of mother’s clan, the Hawya. He had a big tent built right by a cliff, known now as Mi-kit-kat Deku.

He had all fine food served. But inside the beer, he had poison, that is, elephant’s bile, added to it. All the guests ate and after drinking of the poison felt dizzy, and he had them thrown off the cliff, so that newcomers would not notice. The hill he built the tent is still called Das Hawya.

But, one member of his mother’s clan, Gebre Hiwet the blind, had perhaps been suspicious of this grandson. When he came near the tent, he asked his daughter who was leading him, if she could see anyone coming out of the tent. She is to have said the famous words “Das Hawya, zi-atew imber zi-wet-sih aye-re-aynan!” The tent of Hawya, entering only, not leaving do we see. Meaning that see could see them entering the tent of Hawya, but saw no one coming out of the tent.

Gebre Hiwet the blind then cried “This cursed son! He has killed all of my brothers! Quickly, lead me out of here before he kills us too!” And they quickly went away, to flee. The grandson had almost all members killed and then remembered the shrewd Gebre Hiwet the blind. He asked if he had been inside.

When told that he never entered, the grandson realized Gebre Hiwet had been suspicious and had fled. Gebre Hiwet the blind was the only male member of the Hawya tribe to be alive, and he should be killed. In the meantime, having vindicated his father’s harsh death, this new ruler proclaimed that his name was Jir Gedela. He may be the father of the Adkeme Melega’ tribe.

Soldiers were sent in pursuit of Gebre Hiwet the blind. He had gone some time earlier and being wise, he told his daughter to watch out for horses. When the horse hooves were heard, they hid under a tree. He, being blind, counted the horses’ hooves, piling a stone for every horse. After they had passed, the daughter wanted to travel on.

But cautious as he was, he told her to wait until the horses passed, returning. And return they did, having had trouble riding through swampy ground. Then, Gebre Hiwet the blind piled the stones one by one for every horse returning, and all were counted for.

This resting place still bears this incident’s name, i.e. a town called Tera Imni, pile of stone, to this day, in Serae. When they decided to rest from their journey, they did so in what place he named Hadire, meaning, I slept the night. When he was surely far away from danger, they temporarily settled in Ma’reba, sunset, which is still called so, in Akele Guzai.

But he missed his home Serae and wandered to a hilly place and continuously asking if Serae could be seen. In this mountain, in now Segeneiti town, at night his daughter could see lights of Serae. He decided that they would settle there, calling the hill Adi Serae, now known as Aserwe Mountain. There were other tribes already there, the Degera people. They intermingled with them. But they slept in this wild uninhabited mountain.

One evening, a lion that had eaten many goats of the people, roared near them. The frightened daughter cried that they were doomed. The brave blind father told his daughter to heat stones. When the lion came close to them and opened his mouth to eat them, the father had his daughter give the hot stones inside the lion’s mouth that when he fell, the father killed him with his spear. He then told his daughter to cut out the lion’ eyebrows (Fare) and kept it safe.

The next day, Degera man was shouting words of their bravery, and dancing warriors? Dance, that they had killed a lion. A killer scalps the lion’s head and wears the fur around, to show around. All the people assembled and were praising them.

Then Gebre Hiwet the blind asked audience to the chief and was granted so. He said that if the braves had indeed killed the lion, where the lion’s eyebrows were. Surprised, the people noticed the lion’s eyebrows were missing. He then pulled out the eyebrows and claimed he himself had killed the lion. He was much hailed.

They said that if this blind man were brave with his handicap, what strong sons he would rear. For this bravery, he was given land to farm, presently known as the Hawya land, south of Segeneiti town, and a girl, from the Injen (look below) house of Degera village, for marriage. But the girl refused to marry a blind man.

Time went by. They were the only survivors of the Hawya tribe. Without him, there will be no more descendants. He had to bear more children. The only female with him was his own daughter.

He proposed that as they were to perish without descendants, she, his daughter should bear him sons. The daughter was very shocked. He explained. But still, what would the villagers say of this scandal! The father said that people would talk for a short while and forget. To prove so, he told her to go to the market naked, but wearing a hyena’s hide.

When she went to the marked as he said, all people gathered around her sneering and laughing at her. Returning home, she told her father of what had happened. The next week, he told her to repeat with the hyena skin again. She did so. Some cried that the crazy one had come, saying “Is not she from last week?” and were less curious to see her. The third week in the market, nobody bothered her saying is that same crazy one.

Her father now made her understand that people tend to not care after a while, and they lived as husband and wife. She bore him three sons. It is also said that a Degera woman with beady eyes was given to him and she bore him three sons but died.

With his sons from the Degera woman, and these 3 present ones, he settled in the land the Degera people had given to him. They had given him land so they would not quarrel with him over land ownership later. And the land was called Ad Hawya after his tribe’s name. The Degera man who gave him the land was called Zena Gabriel. One son went to Agame.

One to Hazemo, three settled in Segeneiti, and two went further to their land of origin, in Serae. Gebre Hiwet divided his land equally to all his sons, like they were all from one mother. Two of his sons went to his ancestral country to see.

When the two sons arrived in their father’s village, water was scarce with no rainfall for a long time. One of the sons struck his stick on the ground and water gushed out that their horses drunk enough. The villagers who were watching them curiously, happily drew plenty water to their homes. The village elders were astonished of this water. When told of these two strangers, they knew they must be Gebre Hiwet’s sons.

They followed them to Segeneiti and begged them to return to Serae. The villagers asked for forgiveness and begged them to settle there, and they agreed to return after the seven years the community re-divided lands of Segeneiti.

Their former lands and wealth were returned to them. But fearing another ambush, those who returned did not settle in one village, but spread around. They are found in Ad Gawel, Adi Hayo, and Ad Hawya of Serae villages. Now the clan have spread to other areas too, like Ad Zewabo, Wekerti and Enda Emmanuel villages.

About 40 years ago, the Hawya, with the initiation of Aboi Berhane Gurumu (of Hawya tribe in Segeneiti, he told me of this meeting) met in Segeneiti and had a feast in Asmera. Hawyas from Wekerti and Inda Emmanuel were with them. But they did not continue after that. (Other tribes also ceased to meet when the Derg time came and it was too dangerous to move around). Enda Emmanuel village is mostly from the Hawya. In Segeneiti town there are several dozen farmers of Hawya now. Source: (Eritrios Net)

DNA Test Proves Eritrean Girl is Irish

capitaleritrea — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:43:48 +0000

A six-year-old African girl is to be given an Irish passport following DNA tests that prove she is the daughter of an Irish soldier who died before she was born.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had refused to accept that Martina Padwick was the daughter of Martin Padwick, a soldier from Cork who died in December 2002 shortly after returning from a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Asmara, the Eritrean capital.

The Irish government may now be required to offer her protection and make provision for her education, as all Irish children are legally entitled to free primary schooling.

The existence of the child, born in June 2003, has been known to the DFA since 2004, but officials refused to issue a passport on the basis that Martha Woldu Hagos, her mother, needed to “establish by formal means” the father’s identity. She met Padwick while working in the kitchen at the UN compound in Asmara.

The DFA agreed to carry out a DNA test last October after The Sunday Times highlighted the case.

Hagos said: “The DFA wrote to me last week to say the DNA test had proved that Martin was Martina’s father. I don’t know what to say, I am so happy. Actually I am the happiest woman in the whole of Eritrea right now.”

Anthony Joyce, a Dublin-based solicitor who represents Hagos and her daughter, claimed they had suffered while waiting for the government to recognise Martina as an Irish citizen. “Martha suffered discrimination in her community as a result of having a white child. She was living in poverty, and at one stage she considered putting Martina into an orphanage where she could be guaranteed food and shelter,” said Joyce.

“Martina’s case should send a warning to the DFA. In certain circumstances the government is obliged to have ‘due regard for the natural and imprescriptible rights of the child’ under the constitution. This case highlights the need for the state to prioritise applications for Irish passports from minors living abroad.”

Brian O’Shea, the Labour party spokesman on military affairs who raised Martina’s plight in the Dail, criticised the DFA’s handling of the case. “No Irish citizen should ever be treated in such a manner,” he said.

“This child was forced to live in what can be best described as adverse conditions in Eritrea for years, although she was an Irish citizen. The state had a responsibility to Martina, but didn’t fulfil its obligations to this girl. Any proposal by this child and her mother to come to Ireland should be treated as sympathetically as possible.”

Billy Timmins, the Fine Gael spokesman on foreign affairs, called on Micheál Martin, the foreign affairs minister, to introduce new procedures to ensure similar cases were dealt with more compassion.

John Weakliam, country director for Vita in Eritrea, an Irish charity that helped Hagos, believes there may be other children living in Asmara who were fathered by Irish peacekeepers. “God knows how many soldiers fathered children who still await their birth rights,” he said.

“There is a popular perception in Ireland that African women are queuing up to conceive and become a burden on our state. On the contrary, these mothers and their children suffer discrimination at home.”

Neil Nolan, a spokesman for the defence forces, said the military was aware of the case, but was unable to intervene. The DFA refused to comment. Source: (TimesOnline)

Local African Leaders Seek A Common Mission

capitaleritrea — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:33:20 +0000

By Stefano Valentino

“Si, se puede,” “Pabst, please” and now, “African Unity” is the latest political mantra echoing in the Mission.

The African Advocacy Network will hold its inaugural meeting early this year at its headquarters at 522 Valencia Street to explore ways to promote stronger cooperation within the African community and with other ethnic groups in the Bay Area.

To this end, the network has extended an invitation to the leaders of other communities, including the Latino, Asian and Arab communities, as well as to the Oakland-based Black Alliance for a Just Immigration.

“We think we can learn a lot from the experiences of well-established communities and we might better achieve our goals by cooperating with them,” says Adoubou Traore, who was born in the Ivory Coast and is currently a language teacher at Cañada College in Redwood City as well as project director of the African Advocacy Network.

An Afro-ethnic Mosaic

“Coordinating workshops and events can be really challenging because African immigrants are dispersed all over the Bay and are not as tightly connected as Latinos or Asians are,” says Joe Sciarrillo, a paralegal at the network, which was created last June. An estimated 38,000 African immigrants live in the Bay Area, with approximately 4,700 in San Francisco. The largest number of immigrants come from Ethiopia, but there are also substantial numbers from Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.

Still, creating services that cater to all of them has proven to be difficult, at least partly because local governments frequently fail to identify them adequately.

“The first challenge that African immigrants face is being under-counted, since most local government forms do not list Africa as an option for country of origin, so African immigrants are often counted as ‘African-American,’” explains Tomás Lee, director of the San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs.

This social fragmentation also reflects Africa’s cultural and linguistic heterogeneity and the geographical distances within the continent itself.

“Very often it’s only when we come to the US that we meet other African immigrants for the first time outside of our countries of origin,” Traore said.

“It takes time to overcome the anxiety resulting from the contact with individuals who are different from us, learn about each other and focus on what we have in common – being African and away from our homeland.”

Starting Small, Growing Quickly

The organization has a growing number of clients who accept free social services, case management, housing assistance, resources for employment, job searches and legal assistance. A third are from Ethiopia and Eritrea, a third from French-speaking countries in Western Africa, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Senegal and a quarter are from English-speaking countries, mostly Nigeria and Ghana. Newcomers from North Africa, in particular Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, add to the mosaic of ethnicities that the network is seeking to stitch together.

The majority reside in San Francisco, including a great many in the Mission.

The upcoming meeting will focus on how to support unique ethnic identities while simultaneously forming a greater African movement, helping people resolve immigration issues, organizing joint cultural events, providing educational services and fundraising.

Another key focus will be on promoting business awareness within the community and encouraging people to patronize each other’s services.

“Many Africans we see don’t even realize that some compatriots live in their same neighborhood, thus missing the chance for accessing mutual support,” Sciarrillo says. “For example, few Africans living in the Mission know that one of their community members has a thriving computer repair business (Bay Computers) and that another one runs a taxi service.”

Promoting Dialogue Between Communities

The African Advocacy Network receives funding from the Mayor’s Office of Community Investment, through the San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network, as well as from the California Endowment through Dolores Street Community Services. Both the legal network and Dolores Street are based on Valencia Street.

The way the network operates is a unique example of inter-community collaboration.

“AAN is a project of Dolores Street, which traditionally serves Latinos, and as such it represents the first official form of cooperation between the two communities,” Sciarrillo says. “Up until now, these two communities have collaborated but there has never been a formal organizational integration.”

Many clients who need specialized legal assistance from immigration attorneys are served by the Asian Law Caucus.

The Arab community, through the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, also assists the African network by providing office space at below-market rates.

Another important issue on the agenda is how to work together with the African-American community.

“Our current level of intercultural understanding is not as great as we would like it to be,” Traore says.

“We are different from each other: many African-Americans no longer know much about Africa. Many African immigrants only know of the mass media’s narrative when it comes to African-Americans. It’s going to take a great deal to educate both sides. African-Americans can serve as powerful source of support for newly arrived African immigrants. And we can help them to recover their historic roots.” Source: (Missionlocal)