Top Ad unit 728 × 90

Trending

random
.

Eritrea is Africa's Naples: American Tourist


Asmara, Eritrea - (Credit: PAUL/BEYONDTHEHEADLINES)

 Eritrea is Africa's Naples: American Tourist

By Paul,

African countries like Burundi and Somalia garner consistently negative press. Eritrea, on the other hand, garners consistently zero press.

Perhaps this is because the International Press Freedom Index ranks Eritrea’s freedom of press as dead last in the world — below that of even North Korea. It is not then entirely surprising that one of the first articles I find about the country describes it as the “North Korea of Africa”. Another discusses how Eritrea has the second largest standing army relative to general population, right behind North Korea.

These are not normally two statistics that would inspire one to visit a country. But I also stumble upon a Lonely Planet review that describes the capital, Asmara, as “like a film set from an early Italian movie.”

So which is it: North Korea? Or Naples?

When I first call the Eritrean embassy in Washington, the man on the other end of the phone does not sound hopeful.

“So, you do not have any family in Eritrea?”

“No.”

“What about an organization to sponsor you?”

“No.”

“What about Eritrean friends in the country?”

“No.”

“Okay… well, this could be challenging.”

The central government in Asmara issues all visas. US-Eritrea relations are strained at best, rocky at worst, making it difficult for even American-Eritreans to obtain visas. Tourism is virtually non-existent.

When I receive a call from a random Washington DC phone number six weeks later, the same gentleman at the embassy seems as surprised as I am: “They gave you a visa.”

On the ground

Other travelers warn me about the airport. Every penny of currency will be counted, every picture on my camera checked, every serial number of every device recorded.

I make it from the plane to the parking lot in 10 minutes flat.

After a quick nap, I venture out to the streets of Asmara with two Eritrean friends of friends. The ever-optimistic US State Department told me to expect the following:

“The Government of Eritrea is arming its citizens with automatic rifles to form citizen militias.”

“Crime in Asmara has increased as a result of deteriorating economic conditions accompanied by persistent food, water, and fuel shortages, and rapid price inflation.”

“The Eritrean government-controlled media frequently broadcast anti-U.S. rhetoric.”

The first Eritreans I encounter, on the other hand, have this to say, after they recovered from their initial shock of meeting an American tourist wandering the streets:

“Welcome, America!”
“San Francisco is my favorite city in America!”
“I lived in Houston for a few years; I would never walk in the city at night. Here I always do.”

Someone in the Eritrean anti-American propaganda department needs to be fired.

Unlike North Korea, I was able to freely wander around Asmara at all hours of the day and night and speak to whomever I wished.



Brief History

Italy controlled Eritrea from 1890 until WWII when the British awarded Eritrea to Ethiopia. Ethiopia annexed Eritrea as a province 10 years later, sparking a 30 year war for independence between Eritrea (population: 6M) and Ethiopia (population: 94M).

The conflict ended in 1991 with the expulsion of Ethiopian forces. Eritreans overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1993 under an UN-administered referendum.

Unfortunately, independence did not bring lasting peace or prosperity. The two countries continued to fight over disputed borders. Under the guise of security, one party has controlled Eritrea since independence. The country has held exactly zero national elections in the last two decades.

I know this only from public sources, however. Given Eritrea’s political situation, I was advised against inquiring about politics, so limited my visit to experiencing life on the ground. While not ideal, I wanted to both ensure my own ability to leave the country as well as the security of my local hosts.

Naples

From at least external appearances, Lonely Planet had it right — Asmara felt much more like Naples than North Korea.

In fact, it is unquestionably the most beautiful African capital city I’ve visited. It’s truly pleasant to stroll around on foot, with wide sidewalks, towering green trees, and minimal traffic. Breathing comes a bit harder at an altitude of over 7,000 feet, but the mountain air is refreshingly cool, clean, and crisp. The streets are immaculate; “roving gangs” of street sweepers “descend upon” the city every morning at 5am and “attack” litter.

Cafés dot the sidewalks. The gelato rivals that of Rome or Florence. Cappuccino is considered a national addiction. The national cuisine resembles Ethiopian, but Italian restaurants almost outnumber Eritrean ones.

Immaculately preserved cathedrals and mosques line the main squares. Christian and Islamic houses of worship stand in close proximity. The population is split between the two religions, but I am told no one can tell a person’s religion unless they ask. Everyone attends each other’s weddings regardless of religion; my hosts had over 4,000 guests at their ceremony.

Walking is a slow process as every third person stops and offers a warm greeting. I did not receive as much attention as in other countries as there are still quite a few Italians living in Asmara, making Eritrea the first and last time I will ever be mistaken for an Italian.



Allies versus enemies

Eritrea undoubtedly has issues, but it seems the US government has taken a particularly harsh approach to the country. When you compare it to a country such as Bahrain — which relentlessly cracked down on protestors during the Arab Spring — it seems the US approach to Eritrea is disproportionately heavy-handed. That being said, unlike Bahrain, Eritrea isn’t housing the US Fifth Fleet.

Despite warnings about militias and armed gangs, I saw a grand total of three traffic police and zero militias — unlike Bahrain where every 10 minutes a pack of 5 armored police cars roared past. Even without a visible police presence, crime seems extremely rare.

In many respects, I found myself thinking back to my travels to Iran. Simply because a government is autocratic does not mean a country is either unsafe, unfriendly, or lacking beauty. Here’s to hoping that one day, both governments will reconcile their differences and make it easier for more people to enjoy the charm of the Naples of Africa.

Sponsored Ads
Eritrea is Africa's Naples: American Tourist Reviewed by Admin on 5:36 PM Rating: 5

63 comments:

  1. "Simply because a government is autocratic does not mean a country is either unsafe, unfriendly, or lacking beauty"


    exactly unless it's china XD

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bismam.


    He went to Eritrea for two days and was able to write all that. I don't know how someone can visit a country for such a short time and feel confident enough to write such an article.

    ReplyDelete
  3. http://www.leeabbamonte.com/africa/a-loop-around-asmara-eritrea.html



    Another tsaada's opinion

    ReplyDelete
  4. Least he went to Eritrea to write a piece about the country he experienced. That's better than 99.9% of the so-called journalist and intellectuals who write about Eritrea from their cubicles in the West.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ~PAUL, you said
    "Someone in the Eritrean anti-American propaganda department needs to be fired"
    IT is good that you have seen it first hand your self that the Eritrean anti American propoganda is doing some S%Ty job, as an Eritrea they have been at it for some years that you needed a pen a paper to count it but as of recent (1991) the US has put iself again onthe wrong side of hsitory to no ones benefit.
    I challenge, you for all this shoddy work is placed right at the heart of admistration that can not distinguish between day and night.
    So show me how you can get rid of them so that Eritrea and US can have a cordial and respecful relationship with out this fire starters..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Agree but don't you think then the government in Eritrea should allow journalists into the country?

    Oh I almost forgot Eritrea doesn't accept any foreign journalist into the country.

    "There is no current independent media in Eritrea. All media outlets in Eritrea are from the Ministry of Information, a government source. The lack of freedom of the press in Eritrea is heavily criticized. Among other matters, Eritrea has the highest number of jailed journalists in Africa."[1]

    http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2013,1054.html



    Will you delete the truth as usual :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What about the AFP journalist that reported from Eritrea last year? This was her blog: http://blogs.afp.com/correspondent/?post/Reporting-from-the-world-s-worst-country-for-journalists


    Or the Italian journalists this year. I suggest you refrain from talking about things you obviously haven't a clue about.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Paul, are you saying because you got your visa with few questions and got out of the airport within 10 minutes and surprisingly because you didn't see many militias carrying rifles that Eritrea is not North Korea? I guess you can probably paid to write this by the lawless government of Eritrea.
    The reason why Eritrea is being recognized y the North Korea of Africa is because there is no freedom of speech, religion, assembly and most of all no due process of law. There is no question about the beauty of our country and the well behaved citizens of the sacred land. The problem is we have a government that enjoys the suffering and misery of our people. By the way have asked to visit the more than 360 prisons scattered all over the country? Shame on you!!! As a free person grown in a free society you should had been exploring the lives of most Eritreans and sided with the oppressed. Simply, your trip was fruitless.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Solomon
    Simply you are a dreamer go where the white man went and enrich your self.
    If you happent to be Eritrean your family are expecting you to come to them, some how educated in what ever field you and not to be an opposition on cmputers.
    IF you think there is no freedom well "ENHOLE MEDA ENHOLE FERES" ybahl and your dead mentor Chuwawa Meles has told you so but you are FERAH or agame enemy of Eritrea mouthing behind a door like a rat in a hole bla bla bla..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wedinakfa, this is one weakness of you to categorize me with agame or Meles. I know it is very hard to swallow the truth.
    Had I said you are agame it would have make sense to the fact that you don't know the current situation of Eritrea. By the way before you called yourself "wedinakfa" are you up to date with the 2 percent? Nakfa meysaweti aykonetn sifra jeganu eya neyra kemzi higi biwekaru keytkebet kola.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I need to check my copy of the itinerary from less than a year ago. I must have been somewhere else for 17 days to be exact. I can't be that biased or blind. So much has changed in such a short period of time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Solomon
    Why are u trying to make peoples mind small. Your weak wheeled mind choosed to bark, like bado gereweyna, Eritrea is on the right truck like it always used to be. I don't care if you are agame or who ever u are. Eritrea live forever, and PFDJ is the one lead the true Eritreans, not punk like u, to bring this freedom, and also, the Government of Eritrea and the people of Eritrea are working hard to eradicate famine once for all from Eritrea, and they are succeeding on it. Solomon screw u now.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wedi Nakfa
    Why don't you do us a favore by moving back to Eritrea if you think it is the land of freedom??

    ReplyDelete
  14. haha i tried that for a year... Not so free.

    ReplyDelete
  15. are you for the gov't or people? It's as simple as that.

    ReplyDelete
  16. "There is no question about the beauty of our country and the well behaved citizens of the sacred land. The problem is we have a government that enjoys the suffering and misery of our people." This is very true and you couldn't have put it better. I am very, very proud my country is independent, but it's kind of shaming to know your people still have to wait in breadlines like the great depression.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You can help more than the PFDJ. It's been 20+ years and we're actually doing much worse than we were before 2000. No bread,running water, and electricity. I went on the 2012 sawa trip, and let me just say; it's very degrading for a country to put your own citizens second to accommodate tourists. There were rolling black-outs in asmara to save energy for the sawa festivity's. Even coca-cola was withheld from the general public to make sure they had enough for them. BUT i guess it is justified when the citizens living abroad are forced to pay taxes.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Where in the article does it say he stayed gor only 2 days?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Where Is Z CruiseJune 5, 2014 at 8:47 AM

    and how long did he stay?? How much money did he have in his pocket??

    ReplyDelete
  20. Where Z...,
    what a personality you got! All you want to hear and see bad thing about Eritrea. Have nothing good to say about this country except demonize it on every opportunity you find. It looks like you got more personality issue that you need change. You can't be negative person and preaching about change.

    ReplyDelete
  21. If u don't like things there, go back and fight, cyberwarrior.

    ReplyDelete
  22. @Solomon
    Don't ever underestimate your adversaries. A lot of different parties have interest in the region of Eritrea. Safeguarding the nation should always be a priority. However, the government have to step up in improving certain changes to the country. I am with you in regard to freedom of speech, due process, term limit at Sawa, freedom of religioin. Otherwise, the government is doing fine. Especially not selling the country for the highest bidder is exemplery. Bager serdo bageru bere.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Listen Guest,
    I have been to Mexico , Domenican (Punta cana), Guyana (george town) and it was the best place for me as a tourist with pocket full of money. But in reality there are a lot of shit going on in these countries (drug, crime, police brutality.....). Now, would it be fare for me to say the same thing as this journalist is saying???

    ReplyDelete
  24. and if you say it is good there, go back and live there, little dog

    ReplyDelete
  25. Dear,madote do u have the power to limit the use of different NNames in one ip,?pls do otherwise agames won't let ppl discuss nor engage in useful way.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Where Is Z cruiseJune 5, 2014 at 4:00 PM

    He is for the Junta, not for the people.

    Listen to John Lennon lyric
    You can shine your shoes and wear a suit
    You can comb your hair and look quite cute
    You can hide your face behind a smile
    One thing you can't hide is when you're crippled inside

    You can wear a mask and paint your face
    You can call yourself the human race
    You can wear a collar and a tie
    One thing you can't hide is when you're crippled inside........

    WediNakifa, you can not hide the suffering of Eritreans no matter what you try. The whole world knows it. Go to Eritrea and talk to the people, they can tell you they had better with Derg than the current government.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow! you said, "go to Eritrea and talk to the people, they can tell you they had better life with Derg than the current government." Those who adored life under the Derg regime are murderers, delusional Pent Costal followers and pro-union. Now you have a totally a malfunction cruise. Shame on you to belittle the people of Eritrea.

    ReplyDelete
  28. do as i say not as i doJune 5, 2014 at 5:18 PM

    No checks and balances in the Government of Eritrea.


    But i must be Agame for asking the gov where it gets its information from?


    Ministry of Information is 100% correct, how dare i question anything they say.



    I am not a soldier who has to follow all orders of my superiors. I have a brain and I utilize it!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Where Is Z CruiseJune 5, 2014 at 5:39 PM

    Yacob on Cali

    I have talked to many people in Eritrea (last year), most of said life was much better during Derg. Atleast their kids used the Airport to leave the country. Cheaper water, electricity, food......

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dear sinit, i put the dear infront of your name for the obveous reason, you take your time to grow and you can make an informed comment, and kidane comes from kidan; not meaning cloth. So take your time,,,

    ReplyDelete
  31. I read all your comments above and all i read is a counter argument to what good said about Eritrea, then I ak you this? what do you propose the Eritrean government should do to improve? and also what do you see stoping Eritrea from improving as a nation? and what can the general Eritrea within or abroad can do about it? give me a pragmatic answer, don't give me that coca cola story thats childish - e.g this man came from Eritrea and said the water comes intermitently and shabia "gibrom kikefie" released the water soon after the heavy rain!!!!? get my drift..

    ReplyDelete
  32. Shut up I bet you can't do 1% what PIA is doing even the ppl who's talking can't do 1% of what he is doing you guys whin a lot you idiot agames you only mention prisoners are you stupid do you want Eritrea to have no prisoners and let country sellers and rapists free shut the FUCK up look at other big country's before you open your shity mouth you agame go to your website EthiopiaAgameShit.com and see how many Ethiopians he killed and how many ppl got sick and died by hunger

    ReplyDelete
  33. Where Is Z CruiseJune 6, 2014 at 1:09 AM

    Implement the constitution
    Hand the power to the people
    Release the prisoners

    ReplyDelete
  34. Here we go again!! Solomon, read, understand and respond accordingly!! You sound ignorant again. Paul is not supporting the government, in fact he made it very clear that the political situation is far from perfect however, this does not warrant this level of hostility from the US administration. Countries like Bahrain are far more worse than Eritrea, but America chose not to do or say anything.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Do you still dream and see yourself as our future leader ? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  36. Too young to see the bigger picture Snit. Take your time boy!

    ReplyDelete
  37. The above is a good point! This forum is for us to learn each other not to blame one another. I am following the radio program in the Voice of Eritrea from DC. If you follow that program from the beginning it gives you clue. I remember once there was a comment by a name Daniel who said where did this smart mouth came. Prioritizing our needs has to come first. I am not interested in preaching or pretending. I believe those of us who were on our teens during the Dereg regime surely remember how the King of Ethiopia and his cabinet ministers died. I see the same old stories repeated here. Human beings come first. The brutal killing of each other with different parties has a bad memory in many of us. When ever we criticize we should see the pros and cos of our comments. Any idea is said good but comments which lacks positive outlook only destruct us i.e efforts done and the good will of our martyrs. The government of Eritrea has done excellent job on the MDG goals for the people. This shows us that there is a dual interaction between the people and the government. I see many youngsters living their countries in some cases adult and old people. Why is that so? Is it material interest or else competition between ourselves? (yesewe werek ayademek!)Being dissatisfied and killing ourselves with cigarettes and alcohol leads us to development? We should be honest to ourselves and help the government to fill the gap and appreciate what we have in a discipline manner. This is my personal view and I wish y see it very positively.

    ReplyDelete
  38. "I am very, very proud MY country is independent, but it's kind of shaming to know YOUR people still have to wait ...."
    So what do you mean by "your" people? Half of your sentence claims that you are an Eritrean and half of it says you are not. Qondaf agame. Learn how to write in English first.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I live here, in Asmara.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Tanika we tanika!June 6, 2014 at 8:16 AM

    Z Cruise guy, whats up with name? it is kind of old Eritrea moved on from where you keep on placing her. we love our country regardless of what you preach here, you keep on blabbering about nothing, kept on reading your comments, arguments and counter arguments, I find them to be counterintuitive.." life was much better during derg". you are trying to distinguish yourself from the government of Eritrea and you care about the people. you keep on tripping yourself, when you make comments such as the above. I for one for example would prefer the current Eritrean government than any of the oppositions I have seen, I will give the people who fought to give me a proud identity a chance to prove themselves, and they doing a great job. It does not mean the road is smooth, we know the road to progress is as thorny as the road to freedom. But people like want everything on their plate, and would rather give up the fight and expect a welfare, subservient nation that beg for wheat, mind you we did not say we don't need money from the world bank, but we said we pay the interest so lets spend it our way, we said let us do it our way, and for that we are demonised and we have seen what happened in the last 10 years. what I don't understand about people like you is that your argument is not healthy, it is all hate. I have never seen any tangible positivity from any of your likes. you think change will come by barking like a hood rat from your corner, let me tell you, that will be that just an empty bark. As I said before, the road to development and prosperity is not easy and we will get there with or without people like you, it has been done before and it shall be done again, people like you are delusional far from the reality of the world, who thinks that mana will fall from the sky, we will work hard and we will make it. those who keep on barking will continue, as they have in the past 23 years. instead of wasting your time here I suggest you work hard today wherever you are so you can retire well among your people, offcourse I am assuming you might be young and naïve when I suggest this, we will let you in, that is indeed if you are Eritrean.

    ReplyDelete
  41. bla bla bla, same noise again and again we moved on from that brother wakeup! the power is still with the people, it is the children whom the people gave to Eritrea to bring Eritrea home, still holding it together. keep on barking from the sidelines. why don't you widen your scope and redirect your thinking from barking for someone to do something, at a minimum initiate some decent suggestion to change things, every country has prisoners, and the constitution will be ratified by the people and be implemented in due course, if you only know the genius that kept Eritrea to day as one and strong, this country would have been a banana republic if it was not for the strong wielded people of Eritrea and its leadership. Mark my word in due course you will know and it will be part of our history that keep on shaping us as a nation and people.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Snit wedey aytgage,
    Eritrea kemti bsnitn Hadinetn thnetso zela iti kulu ab agelgilot zrikeb zelo serawit nAkhatkum nUshtoy weledo Tuum nabra ketestemaQru ilu dhay wuladu keyHasb nhzbn hagern zwife zelo nmen mesleka? Kemti senkuf Hasab zelewom zbluwo keymesleka iti HaQi. nHna Adetat Ertra zrkabom wuludna zkhefelnala hager deqi suwuAt (deqideqna) zQesnula Hager ktkonelna aregitn, nuushto wedi Hamushte Amet keyterefe imni ysikem, Ade wulada Hazila difiE tbl zela. nmen kHisho mesleka? etom ab dege konkum lomi twarazeyu zelekhum tsibaH tsetser zeyblu lumuts godena ShenaE ktblilu, tsuruy may ktsetyulu Hatsbtat kKHutun, Agrab kgribu, Hager kelemlmu, hiwetom zeHlifu zeluwu, itom tmali miinti natsnet demomin rhatsomn zkhefelu iyom Ab zbanom zelo tsor Hdri suwuAt slezkhone iyu zwedey. Alem Eritrawi bHawi nebelbal kTbes inkelo abey nera? Men zeray neyruna bzeyka tegadalayna? napal balbal inabele hiwet htsnatn aregewtn keHirir inkelo itom zneberna hyaw mskir ina zwedey.
    Iti zegerm kulu Halifu teresiU Hji mstom Qeteltna derigom, izi mengisti izi nHna ayndelyon, ndHrit melisuna, ab dkhnet atina zblu keyHaferu Ane intay mbelkuwom mesleka.? nkhulom Ab gzye dergi yHshena nziblu ....
    1. ayeneyti qushet iya khe mebrahti znebera ?
    2. ayeneyti Ade khe bumba ab af geza neruwa ?
    3. ayeneyti leyti khe bzey raEdi bomb nay Ethiopia qesinu Hadiru wuladna?
    4. ayeneyti weladit iya lomi anbiban tsHifan zeytikhiEl ab Ertra? ab gzye dergi ykhun zkhone gezaiE ab ertra tmhrtn Hkminan rekhibu? kndey imo knblo?
    Hzbi Ertra Hade idn Hade afn koynu HAGEREY ilu sle zmekete kulu Halifu. Neza Hadnetna kbtinu kusto teAsiru, kusto Hadimu inabelu agul mkhnit nay hukuyat iyu. Qedem ab gzye sewra tebahilu iyu zwedey. Babur gedli tesfa zQoretse inawredet, alekhu msakhi nzbela tebaE inagos-goset iya ab shitoA betsiHa imo anes alekhu msakhi ilu Hadnetn Kbri Hagern nQdmit seriU zseAaba HaQifa, neti nAwrajan dHretn hzbi kfelali, btihkit ab Aratu koynu zHalim ndHrit reTriTa tHmbeb, BaBur Hzbi Iya imo ms Hzbikha teseQel, wey ab tsimuwa kof ilka ambahuQ kem wedina Where is Z-Cruz (abey ala ita merkeb?) zblo zelo Halami, bkhofu kulu seb ktgberelu zmne hukuy aytkhun. Idka zeyHaweskalu gubuEy ktbl newri iyu. mesHaQ guanot keynkhewn wegeney wegenka mbal terifu, Shama Shama diA nbel bzey tegulaba izom deqey.
    bflay ab gdam zelekhum Eritrawyan bHlinakhum, bmenfeskum deldilkum, agul mfilisaf gedifkum, netom ab zeywetsiE ida atiyom zefanewukhum betesebkum ktkiHsu Abi Halafnet alekum. Itom ab gdam zAbekhum intekhone welwilom kostirom zeEbeyukhum weledkhum ktkiHsu wuray tmhrtikhum gberu bgizekhum bEdilkumn ayt'tsawetu. mekaydikhum atsebiQu. Kbri nay gezaE riisun Kbri Hagerun zeyHlu aykebrn iyu izom dekey.nEritra ab kulu kurnaAt Alem bsenai gbrkhumn bjigninetn ktsime terakhum awefyu. neza bdem jeganu zmetset Hager nzemedey zemedka zeykonet nay Habar iya imo bHabar nelemlima izom deqey.


    Senay zeben ygberelna
    semaEtatna bkhbri yzekeru.

    ReplyDelete
  43. What generalization? I wonder on how many people you base your assertion on. Its only natural that there will be a few who would have benefitted under the Ethiopian administration. To claim that life was better under the dergue would be disingenuous. I wonder if you experienced life in Eritrea under the dergue? Do you remember the 6pm to 6 am curfew and people being shot because they exceed the curfew by 5 min? Do you remember how long it used to take to travel to Keren and other cities? Do you remember the condition under which those outside of Asmara lived. You talk about cheap electricity but fail to mention that outside of Asmara, the electricity supply was limited and was turned off during the night. I think you know nothing about pre and post independence Eritrea. People like you who have probably never stepped out of Asmara think that Asmara is synonymous to Eritrea. The achievements of the Government of Eritrea is there to be seen by those who wish to open their eyes and mind.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Txs. Y ve clarified it well.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I found the following a good step. Guys, don't y think this is a good recognition to our beloved country? Pls read the whole lot from dehai news.


    Funding for solar in Africa
    The European Commission has announced 16 energy projects that will receive
    more than AUD $139 million in funding to help bring clean power to rural
    Africa.

    The rural electrification projects include hydro, wind, solar and biomass
    projects across nine countries (Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cameroon,
    Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, and Rwanda) and will benefit 2
    million people. ..............

    ReplyDelete
  46. Wow! You are a one low life and out of touch dude...what in insult to Eritreans which were murdered, stubbed to death, run by tank, and burned alive...because they're simply Eritrea! All the problems you mentioned is temporary. For that reason you glorify the degree regime, what a clueless person you are!

    ReplyDelete
  47. I live in Eritrea dergi time.it is hell.the only place i know is asmara at day time and my home at night time,because we had ti be at home before 7 pm.how do u like that agame.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Kerenino, most users have a dynamic IP address. Which means you can have different IP addresses in a day, all you have to do is reset your router and you will be assigned with different IP address.... So it's not possible. However, if you are using a mobile device, the device or smart phone would have a unique ID.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Orchestrated propaganda is being unleashed by the usurpers to hoodwink the public into the impression that things are getting better, of which the drafting of a new Constitution instead of the implementing the 1997 ratified Constitution and amending if needed be; the sudden upswing of diplomatic activities; the most expensive celebration of Independence Day etc. are examples.
    Genuine Eritreans,
    You do not have to take my words for it; listen to the Hero, Dejen Ande, who grew up in Sahle and had developed deep trust in Isaias Afewerqi ,even when he was in the under ground dungeon. It took him four years to realize that his idol was a phony, a wolf in sheep clothing.
    As I have said many times before, the 1998 war between Eritrea and Ethiopia was the result of conspiracy between Isaias Afewerqi and Meles. It was a well planned plot to break the backbone of our Defenses, Economy and Social Fabric , the result of which we are observing with our own eyes.
    The Hero, Dejen Ande, was thrown into the dungeon precisely because he unwittingly asked questions about their deeply held secrets with regard to the defective old Russian war planes and about sending another Air Force Pilot to his death by ordering him to fly on the same route where other pilot just before him was killed by the enemy fires.
    Those defective war planes were not purchased to work on the field of operation. Rather they were purchased to dupe Eritreans into thinking that the war was true woyane invasion and that Isaias Afewerqi had every thing ready to repulse the offender.
    Dejen's questions were about to unravel the secrete agenda of the plotters, and had to be swiftly taken away to prison. It was therefore to protect their secrete agenda that they took him away, and despite his incessant pleading, in writing and verbally, to inform him of his crimes that they gave him deaf ears for fifteen years.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Where Is Z CruiseJune 6, 2014 at 5:10 PM

    Brother Yakob,
    What about the "giffa" in Eritrea?
    What about " menkesakesi" every block
    How many hrs does it take for the resident to take from Asmara to Keren? How many time would soldiers ask them for "menkesakesi"
    Do you know the government does not issue passport for the majority of the people? What about arresting, jailing people without trial?
    Last question- which planet do you live in? It seems you are couple light-years away from the earth.

    Have a nice day!

    ReplyDelete
  51. Where Is Z CruiseJune 6, 2014 at 5:38 PM

    Tanika

    The government has commode crime against humanity. It's officers and generals have enslaved us for over a decade. It has forced our people to immigrate all over the world through crossing borders. Do you know how many parents lost their children??? I'm sure you don't care because you have not been hit yet. People like you start to cry when the sword of Issayas pointed at you. You have a nerve to tell me all countries have prisoners!! Please tell me how the Eritrean court system is?? After you listened to MIG29 pilot Dejen, have you asked yourself why the put him in prison without any trial??? What about Bitweded Sherifo, Aster (Sheriffo's wife), Aster (Petros's wife), Petros, Haile.......

    ReplyDelete
  52. Paul,


    The only thing I would change in your article is the title. I would suggest or would have used this title instead. "Naples Europe's Old Big Asmara." The logic being that if Asmara is New Naples then Naples is Old Asmara. Glad to hear your visit to East Africa was pleasant.


    AmEritrean GiTsaTse

    ReplyDelete
  53. msakha alekhu 'ftaH kurkur' wedey hehehe


    Anekua bAQmey klewis ksinkit nBologna tebegise alekhu. Ajokhum Shama Shama, idey idka nbel. bGobo Aynina ayniTamamet.
    Tenkol mewdeQi iyu izom deQey.
    Bah keyblom tselaEtna snitn Hadnetn ykhun Hlagetna.


    Ertrana nzelAlem tAmbib !
    suwuAtna kemti bahgom k'khonelom nteHaQuaQof !


    Festivalatna bahlawi wuray HADINETNA slezkhone afdege arHina nzimetse bfiQrn tHtnan Hagosn MERHABA nbel.


    Chiwa bahli mikibibar slezkhone tshiAte bherat Habirna nsiHaQ izom deqey.


    Senay Qnyat !

    ReplyDelete
  54. Yes what about the 'giffa'? When was the last time that happened. To take the trip to keren as an example, under the Ethiopians there were 9 checkpoints in a 90 km stretch and it was a trip that took the whole day. Today you can do a round trip to Keren in one day. But I believe you are focusing on the wrong things like passports etc. When you talk about Eritrea you have to talk about the whole of Eritrea. Those outside of Asmara have seen the most dramatic changes since independence. Changes in education, health care, communication etc. Changes that have help improve their living standards.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Forget john and listen to wedi tkul' "faida yebLun" and take a chill pill!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Where Is Z CruiseJune 7, 2014 at 5:39 PM

    Kerenino,
    Are you afraid to different opinion? The only thing you need to do is to come up with counter argument if you have one. Why are you trying to stop people's opinion btw??

    ReplyDelete
  57. Where Is Z CruiseJune 7, 2014 at 5:41 PM

    I know you wanted to say Wdi Tquabo, but you realized he jumped off the sinking boat.

    ReplyDelete
  58. No, i understand but I'm saying it's the thought. I know someone who uses it to clean the erosion on his car battery.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I am learning

    ReplyDelete
  60. Abraham,
    I typed that half in 2nd person.. you, her, he, she. It's kinda like saying, "I'd like to share my injera, but it can sometimes be embarrassing if your injera does't turn out well". It's kinda to reach out to the reader. I understand your concerns though.

    ReplyDelete
  61. why are you talking in riddles, give it to me straight boss... and yes it doesn't mean cloth: it means promise.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Well that was because of their current situation then. It was war, wasn't it? They didn't start implementing curfews, and a number of other things, until gedli became a serious threat to them.

    ReplyDelete
  63. FYI "Faida yeblun Mis kulu hananee, Nqhat'yu wesany" wedi Tkul not Tkabo.

    ReplyDelete

All Rights Reserved by Madote © 2016

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Powered by Blogger.