selamat!
Ever since Tewolde steam rolled his experience on the side-walk in
front of the Egyptian Embassy in Asmara several shared and continue
to share their undesirable experience. To top it, Tekie's account
of his encounter at the same embassy were entertaining and most of
all educational. Education is probably the single most important
action that we should concentrate on to change bad habits of foreign
subjugation and backwardness. Eritrea is in the process of
discovering its soul and being managed by her sons and daughters for
the first time in its history. Remnants of foreign dominance and
influence, particularly the undesired ones, and the integration of
its own people's values and customs, the beneficial ones, will take
time to materialise.
Most of the time, when issues echoed back and forth in Dehai, ideas
that I want to share or points that I want to point are mentioned by
someone and I ride out the storm and save bandwidth. I have no
talent as a writer or story teller to amuse or entertain you but I
want to express my views from Eritrea focused to Eritrean focus since
I believe the problem is not limited to Eritrea. Are we that
different from the guard at the Egyptian Embassy? or are we different
form the various clerks that Tekie mentioned? Particularly those of
us who lived in the "civilised" world for some time but grew up in
Eritrea. Are we collectively setting examples for our young kids to
respect "foreigners" and think less of our own kind? I also
understand the danger of generalisation of ones own tunnelvision.
Sometimes I even encounter different interpretation for the same
event from different people of different background or region. You
are well advised that when I write of so called experience or
observation are anecdotal and it does not mean I haven't observed
changes that are for the better either As every body else my desire
is that every Eritrean or non-Eritrean for that matter to be treated
equally inside Eritrea or outside.
Some of my observations and experiences in the treatment of so called
foreigners (guests) by Eritreans is not equal. Some treat
differently depending on the colour of the guest's skin, whites being
the better treated. I think this is a colonial (white) legacy, even
though most of us did not experience it first hand, we grew up and
were raised by parents we lived it and told us this or that story of
the "racist" Italian policy. Some that I remember being told
during Italian colonial era - Eritreans were forbidden in some
corners of the city, were forbidden to ride a taxi, and if my memory
served me correctly, even riding a city-bus they were relegated to the
back. The daily life did not change substantially for Eritreans even
after the demise of the Italian colonialism for the Italian
remained intact with their economic power until the systematic
uprooting to Ethiopia by the Haile Selasie regime and the change of
guard which is a different story altogether.
I remember also what might be considered words of "wisdom" in
lamenting Ethiopian colonialism's harsher treatment: "The Italians
forbade us to talk, kicked us in the rear, and threw us a bread; the
English (Brit.) allowed us speak uninhibited, did not kick us in the
rear and did not gave us bread either; the Amhara (Ethiopians)
forbade us to talk, kicked us in the rear and snatched our bread."
In some casual discussion among friends, this scenario have risen as
multiple choice, as which one is better, and my choice always was
non of the above. I guess it is from this experience that when ever
I set a multiple choice exams, at the top I write - choice e is
reserved for non of the above and if you chose e, give the correct
answer that would have been. In the above given choice, my rationale
was anything that takes your human dignity can not be negotiated and
can not be considered better either.
Here are some of my experience in this part of the world albeit not
well composed or entertaining:
A long time ago a friend visited me in an office where I was working
as clerk. As we were chatting the cleaning lady came dusted my desk
and left. My friend was amazed and saw it as if the table was turned
around for he saw a white person cleaning a desk of black person.
In an Eritrean event an invited guest speaker, white, was addressed
as "The honourable ..." while Eritreans who addressed the same crowd
were introduced by name only. There is nothing wrong addressing
someone with the honourable or the right honourable if they deserves
it. Probably it was done in the name of respecting a "guest" but
what would it be the take of young Eritreans in the audience? The
person addressed as the honourable was a clerk at a government office
and as I observed him that night, his character does not have
qualities to be respected leave alone to be addressed "The
honourable."
An ironic parallel to the above, a guest was invited to make a
presentation to an all Eritrean audience. The topic and the name of
the speaker was known ahead of the time and on the scheduled date
the place was jam-packed to standing room only. Finally when the
audience saw the speaker there was an air of disappointment. The
gentleman was an African, black, retired professor of English and
well mannered. What type of signals are we sending our kids?
There were also numerous instance were a computer generated
invitation comes from this or that organisation or as Mobae would say
it from Tom, Dick.. or is it Abdu, Gebre ..to attend an event and
great eagerness to go is displayed. Once there, we exhibit our best
behaviour. Time schedules and other organisational demeanour are
well respected. On the other hand, if the invitation comes from
Eritrean organisation the approach and treatment given by some of us
is diametrically opposite.
I think it was Tesfay who raised the scenario of disappointment of a
kid raised in Diaspora when he goes to the promised land. What about
the differential treatment he observes by his own people here?
What would be his self-esteem? As I see it the problem lies in us
and to correct it is upto us.
The solution to all this, as I indicated above, is education and this
forum is accomplishing that aspect. I understand sometimes we became
impatient for we want the right thing to be done right away. Butt if
we reflect back at each of us and examine the time it took us to
arrive at the level of consciousness we have today and demand action
to be taken, we will be tolerant for we can not mature all off us at
the same time and see the issue with the same eyes. Certain desired
changes might not occur in our life time, I guess as Eritreans we
know that, but efforts to change to should be continuous.