WE FORGIVE, BUT WE DON’T FORGET
SALIH EBRAHIM ANJABBA
Before I start clearing my stance against the chauvinist who wrote this article under this title (What if the Two Evils Cooperate: Dictatorship, Ethno-Religious Politics and the Loss of Eritrean Identity?)
I want readers to digest Gebre Geremariam’s essay (There are groups and individuals in this camp who constantly try to create division among the mosaic Eritrean people on the bases of religion, ethnicity, and culture to promote their parochial agenda. To such entities, Eritrea is perceived just as a geographical area where people with different religion, culture, native language, and ethnic backgrounds just happen to live there with neither common shared history nor shared identity. They consider the regime as an ethno-religious (that is as a Christian Highland-based), which favors the Christian highlanders and rules and subjugates the other ethno-religious groups by force. This group has different wings. One is the intellectual wing, which is dominated by lunatic writers. Educated and grown up in environments devoid of Eritrean culture, they tend be hostile to some Eritrean cultures and ways of life. These writers did not have the opportunity to feel the warmth of an Eritrean community in its natural environment with all its socio-economic interdependencies as well as with all the rich inter-cultural and inter-ethnic relationships. To be fair to them, they do not know the Eritrean societal fabric; they simply see things from the perspectives of their host cultures, religious prejudices and stereotypes. They happen to know how to write but not what to write in the context of the Eritrean socio-cultural environments. They are just lunatics. The other wing is the “power-hunters” group, which is dominated by liberation era criminals. The degree of criminality in this group is not that much different from that of Isaias).
Attention readers: I am one of those who born from the misery done, by the commandos, and emperor of horror, where 7 of my family members killed, our village korbailie in Hazamo in the high land (in Tigrinya tsorona) destroyed, and burned to ashes. Women buried their spouses, brothers, and fathers. Donkeys left to roam, and wolves celebrated enjoying the meals of the scattered body parts, and this will haunt me forever. The drama will go on, as long there is narrow-minded people within our country.
My dad dedicated his life for Eritrean cause, and never dreamed to stay in Sudan. After independent waited to observe the current situation, and never trusted the EPLF.
I called him from Canada and asked” why don’t you live in the land you dreamed to breath its fresh air of freedom? After a long pause he said” this is poisoned air I rather die in dignity”. I mentioned this saga to inform Gebre the real criminals are not brought to justice yet, and their grandchildren still have the same old mentality (dominate and control).
My people survived the darkest era, where nobody cared, remorse, and at least show admittance of what they did is wrong. I get agitated when an individual, such as Gebre (Who has the gene of commandos and the so called intellectual) always keep repeating the same approach in ignoring Other Eritrean citizen rights. He demonstrated deep hatred against Muslims and other ethnics by comparing them as the level of Essyas and his gang.
To repute his argument I have experienced an incidents in Canada in the nineties, when the patrons of EPLF (I don’t say Eritrean government, because the country is ruled by gangsters), were intoxicated by zealous, and victory. I remember participating an Eritrean independent day which supposes to be for all Eritreans, that night Mr. Estfanose Eritrean embassy representative in Toronto gave speech, praising a prominent figure (Mussie Aaron) who translated the bible from Tigrinya to Tigre. I was wondering if I am attending Christian congregation, because the atmosphere was gushing with religious ceremony not Eritrean independent festival. Ethno-religious politics commenced by EPLF practices and continued after independent, so you have to blame your selves before finger pointing at others who happen to stand for their rights, and grievances.
I was surprised and confused to understand what does he mean by losing Eritrean identity? How he compared the opposition parties across the other side as the same level as essyas’s administration? I think Mr. Gebre is frightened to lose the gains of Tigrinyan in the field of economy, politics, and especially Tigrinya culture during the ruling of PEFDJ. Paranoid that the gains will evaporate in the wind of change, after the demise of the regime. Eritrean Muslims, and other entities never oppress their brothers (Christian highlanders), always clung to peace. All these ethno- religious parties began to surface on the landscape of Eritrean politics, as result of exclusion ,and marginalization of ethnic nationalities ,so people like you with narrow agenda should be responsible ,plus you are the one who start these phenomena as I mentioned before.
Eritrea as a nation was established by colonizers who draw a map and called a country but a shared identity can live, and be nurtured through, mutual understanding, respect, and dignity not by force and dictating your culture on others.Differerent cultures and languages can live in harmony and this can be manifested in Switzerland and Belgium and South Africa.
I am one of those who loves to see one Eritrean language, and one culture because may be the conflicts will take a different destination
(I mean between two forces). I am really perplexed, when Mr.Gabere denies that the regime is dominated by Christian Highlanders, although there are evidences which support that, plus how come all these groups in the opposition camp agree on this political term? There is an Arabic proverb says (there is no smoke without fire).Read the document of the Eritrean covenant of Ibrahim Almukhtar, and you might not like it, but give it a chance and grasp it’s content .individual who reaches others must be a real understandable ,compassionate and uses logic not hate. Always fanatics like you never admit and blinded by enmity.
Gebre described the writers of these groups as lunatic who are hostile to the some Eritrean culture (Tigrinya culture) and they didn’t feel the warmth of an Eritrean community. He is right in some way, because when Muslims and other ethnics go to the Eritrean communities, and so called embassies smell hatred from the surrounding environment, which indicates they are not welcomed. I also felt the same reading your article, and I am wondering how you want these groups, and lunatic writers to be attracted to an Eritrean tent? If the so called educated figure likes you don’t have the skills to speak to his adversaries, and make them understand his culture. You proved you are a lunatic writer who lacks the ingenuity to appease, and conciliate others for your cause. Sorry you might have some academic skills, but you miss linking the lead in human nature .before judging others feel their pain and find out the root of Eritrean problems. I quoted from the lunatic writer this (there are elements within the group discussed above who dream and wish to march to Asmara on the back of Ethiopian tanks) yes, that is true a drowning man will clutch at a straw, but if you save him you will gain his loyalty. In case there is no hope any human being will do whatever it takes to survive (have you ever seen the movie of cannibals who eat their friends on the North Pole)
Gebre and his puppets should know if you want cling to power and your culture prevails you have three choices:
1- Drown all other ethnic Nationalities in the red sea. (You cannot do that .May be only in your day dream)
2- Be smart and make a nuclear bomb, and throw it on other Eritrean citizens, then you don’t lose the claimed Eritrean identity. (You cannot do it because people who can do that they know how to lead and you fail to lead a tiny country)
3- Choose the rule of law under a democratic government, and live in peace (equal rights, and justice in everything).
I think we have to choose to live in peace like other nations, if we have the will, and genuine intentions, but I nominate the first and second choices instead of living in humiliation, and shame.
You will never enjoy life by having luxury homes, cars, cottages for vacationing, and have fun on the beaches of Eritrea at the expense of our happiness. Believe me we will be thorns in your throats or margarine headaches to make you lose control, live Insecure, and the dream of utopia country you desired will fade, and dissolve in the clouds.
I understand skirmish of Christian killing took place in early sixties by some ELF veterans. Retaliating for relatives killed by the commandos, and I think psychologically any one suffered lose of relatives will take revenge, but this doesn’t reach to the level of atrocities done by the collaborators of Ethiopian government.
We have to absorb lessons from the history of other nations, such as Lebanon where the Christian used to control everything before 1975 .85% of government jobs held by them in a country 75% of its population Muslims and ignited the Lebanese civil war for 15 years (I know there are other political factors involved) at the end they made a concessions to accommodate Muslim right. Learn a lesson from Sudan where the North used to suppress the South over fifty years, and at the end the process of divorce taking place almost reached to the last chapter.
Tigrinians with all due respect lost the compass, and failed the litmus test to lead. They had been reiterating the same mistakes since the last century .it is time to erase your accumulated sins by thinking million times, before you get into a long civil war, and I hope other Eritreans extend their hands to their brothers(Christian high-Landers) for the sake of a beautiful country the jewel of the horn, and suffering people.
As Eritreans we have to explore ways to penetrate the indifferences to each other’s dignity, respect and rights, and that will lead us to have a prosperous life.
Before I conclude my article I hope tigrinians apologize for their atrocities, or at least correct their attitude, others wise another Somalia in the way. There is a beacon of hope as long there people like
Mr. Emanuel Hidrat who inspire concerned Eritrean. Thank you and keep the excellent job. I love united Eritrea and myself I contempt tribalism, regionalism and degrading each other’s religion.
I want to declare before all Eritreans” we forgive but we don’t forget”
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