What Foreigners Are Saying About Eritrea

Pushkin Square in Asmara

What Foreigners Are Saying About Eritrea

When it comes to foreigners describing Eritrea, you will get different opinions based on their profession. For journalists and authors such as Michael Wrong and Dan Connell, they will describe Eritrea as being the worst place on Earth even though they haven't been in the country in years. And when they did visit Eritrea, they didn't describe the country the way they are describing it today.

So what changed?

The main reason why Wrong and Connell hold extreme negative views about Eritrea that goes against their own experiences when they did visit the country is because they are being motivated by financial gains. These individuals have written dozens of books and articles about Eritrea for profit. They learned early on the more sensational the story;  the more profit they can potentially earn. As a result, Wrong and Connell's descriptions of Eritrea went from "Africa's little Italy" to "Africa's North Korea". Their descriptions of Eritreans went from a "patriotic and proud people" to "a nation of slaves". These extreme descriptions are given by the same individuals separated by less than half a decade. Either Wrong and Connell are bipolar or they learned extreme negative descriptions pays more.

Beyond the monetary gains, another thing that is motivating these individuals to not only lie about Eritrea but also arrogantly think they are vital to the success of the country could be because they suffer from the White Savior Complex. These individuals support brutal policies against Eritreans in the morning (sanctions), fund charities/NGOs to lure migrants out of the country in the afternoon, and receive awards/pats on the back for writing stories about the ordeal in the evening. In essence, they are being rewarded for their human rights violations (supporting sanctions) and human trafficking (luring people out of the country), all because they sell stories soccer moms in the West like to read. In many ways, these middle aged slacktivist are Eritrea's version of the phony Kony 2012 movement.

For the foreigners whose profession does not involve selling stories, they typically have positive things to say about Eritrea. They tend to describe the country with a balanced perspective; giving the good and the bad. In fact, for many of them, their experiences in Eritrea is the main reason that led them to invest in the country. So when it comes to foreigners' opinions about a country, those that do business inside the country are the ones who are tend to be the most genuine since they wouldn't risk their own money on a country if they didn't believe the country wasn't how they were describing it.

The following are quotes mostly made by foreigners who are doing business in Eritrea or reporters quoting what foreigners working in Eritrea told them. As you can see, these people's version of Eritrea is completely different from the extremely negative descriptions Wrong and Connell are selling for profit.

"....the feelings and views shared by folks who live and work there [Eritrea] are far different than the opinions of outsiders. One gentleman said he feels safer in Asmara than he does at some places in the UK." — Daniel T. Cook

"Google 'Eritrea', read all the trash, and then go see for yourself. You'll be pleasantly surprised." — Unnamed Tourist

"A visit to Eritrea defies many of the preconceived notions and stereotypes surrounding the country. We believe that Eritrea is a more favourable destination for foreign investment in mining than it is given credit.” — Raymond James

We really trust the [Eritrean] government. We really like working in Eritrea. There is no petty theft. There is no underhandedness. It's a straight forward place to operate. — Michael Horley

Asmara is considered to be one of the most beautiful and safest capital cities in Africa and I can certainly attest to that. — Michael Horley

"Higher ups point to the lack of corruption. Nearly "corruption-less" sounds like a stretch, but that's how many are advertising Eritrea." — Daniel T. Cook

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