Eritrea’s path is clear

Eritrea’s path is clear
Amanuel Biedemariam

That is only possible through dogged struggle by squashing-clearing every little pesky, stony and thorny scrab along the way. Yesterday 12/13/2015, Ambassador Girma Asmerom and Embassy of Eritrea’s public seminar in Washington DC. The meeting was very informative and I shared my views on line. This was a significant and important meeting. We have not had such a meeting in a long time so it was a timely-desperately needed meeting. Above all it addressed some important issues that have to do with our communities. And it was important because it addressed our specific responsibilities and how we can participate in order to make our lives and most importantly the lives of the people in Eritrea successful.

To sum it up:

Eritrea is fighting an existential fight. The enemies do not want to see us succeed as a country.  These efforts are led by the US. Weyane is an eager servant that jumps super-actively at every assignment. Djibouti is using these as an opportunity to pocket money therefore the dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia serves them well.

They have tried all that they can to undermine our independence. After the war ended and failed to accomplish its goal it was natural for them to move to the next step. That is why they pursued the sanction and Somalia had nothing to do with it. The Arms embargo therefore was designed to tie our hands while our land is occupied.

Our diplomatic efforts are therefore designed to expose the lies and challenge them pragmatically. Legalities and justice are none existent. Everything they do is predicated upon their interest.
Eritrea is lucky in that we sit A) in one of the most important strategic waterways B) Eritrea is rich we can sell fish and live on it not to mention other resources that are abundant C) Eritrea is Endowed with the most dedicated brilliant people. That also is what makes us a target hence, we are careful on how we move forward.

We are the masters of our destiny. How they try to define us is not what we are. We have our history, legacy and own stories to tell. No one can defend for our rights it is only us and by us. These people that claim to be concerned about Human Rights in Eritrea are part of the strategy designed to undermine our very existence. Human Rights are tool they want to use to deter others from doing business with Eritrea in order to make our economy irrelevant and ensure that Eritrea does not become viable as a nation. To that end they want to vacate Eritrean youth and stop them from building and defending Eritrea.

Their campaigns are multipronged and consistent. It targets the president because they feel if you get rid of the head the body falls apart. President Isaias Afewerki has been and remains a target. By attacking the president they are attacking the values and history associated with it. They attack our history, our ways, culture, customs and values. They have manufactured a fictitious culture and picture of Eritrea that does not look anything like Eritrea. They are trying to define Eritrea as a country that accepts women being raped everywhere. They are lying that anyone who uses internet or watch TV goes to jail. There are lying aimlessly and endlessly. They are also trying to make the global migration issue Eritrea specific.

Our diplomatic goals therefore are aiming to counter their lies and we pursue matters our own way.  Firstly, everywhere we go we talk about Ethiopia’s occupation of Eritrean territories. Everything else is (“Chew Berbere” Amabassador Girma) neither here nor there. Secondly, we talk about the illegal immoral sanction.

The Role of the Diaspora is well defined and must be played effectively. This requires us to understand our responsibilities and roles. Their aim is to kill our economy. Our roles must be to support Eritrea’s economy however we can. We have to promote, sell and buy Eritrean products. They have targeted our music, cultural riches and arts. When a new song comes up they copy it and sell it. Piracy of Eritrean Music and videos is prevalent on YouTube. This is done deliberately to A) frustrate the artist and render his/her work worthless. This has economic implications as well because these artists are being denied the fruits of their work. This is done to frustrate the artists and push them to quit. Music is tool of our struggle. During our struggle music was one way that we communicated. By killing Eritrean music they aim to kill our message. Hence, fighting this is our responsibility.

We have to protect and defend Eritrean products. We also have to play active role on developing and marketing our products with pride. For example the coming New Year Eritrean women are urged to buy Eritrean Zuria to help Eritrean economy.

All Eritreans are urged to play it smart and know how to challenge these hostilities while building their nation and developing the economy. Stop Hawalla practices. It is not smart. To trade dollar for Nakfa from a country of dollars is not good for our economy. We have to be smart on how we send money. Also, we need to ensure that we open accounts in Eritrea with dollars. It could be a thousand or $500 and that will go a long way to fight their attempts and help ensure our economic viability.

We have to send the messages however we can that no matter what they do that their challenges will be met with stronger united challenge. We have to write the Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea (COI) and tell them our stories. Let them know that the 500 people they interviewed to craft the history and life in Eritrea is not representative of our life. It does not reflect the realities in Eritrea. We have to write to reach not only the COI but all involved. That is our responsibility what we owe to our martyrs.

Summary

We are in a good place as we have laid the foundation to a great economic future that sees past the MDG’s of the world. As we usher this new era we must understand that our challenges are going to mount. But we need to understand that only Eritreans can solve Eritrean problems. One of the most important points is that Eritrea owns her issues and that must never change!

Action day at ECCC DC 600 L St. NW to write letters this Saturday December 19, 2015 all day. Sunday if Necessary

Awetnayu@hotmail.com

Sponsored Ads