N. 9 Periodico Culturale dell’Associazione Onlus Italia Eritrea marzo 2012

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Foto Lusci

PERIODICO CULTURALE DELL’ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIA ERITREA ONLUSTrimestrale - Reg. Trib. di Roma 87/2005 del 9/03/2005Piazza dell’Unità 13 - 00192 RomaSegreteria Lun./Giov. 15.00-18.00 Tel. 06 32 44 055 - Fax 06 32 43 823www.assiter.org - e.mail: assiteronlus@yahoo.it

Direttore responsabile: Lidia CorbezzoloRedazione: Lidia Corbezzolo, Nahom Haile, MichelangeloCiminaleIn collaborazione:

eritreaeritrea.com

Istituto di Cultura Eritrea

SOMMARIOpag.

Ite r

Editoriale .................................................... 3Lid ia Corbezzo lo

Asmara, Eritrea, marzo-aprile 2012 ......... 4Miche lange lo Ciminale

Eritrea

Operation Fenkil: At the Forefront of Eritrea’s Victory as in the Past ............. 10

D anie l Semere

... Of Eritrean Greatest Virtues ................ 13Meron Abraha

Old, Classic and Back ............................... 16J acob Kahsay

The Longest Painting: Transcending Inspiration ............................................... 18

D anie l Semere

“Abashawl: Where the City’s Real Heart Beat Lies...” ................................. 21

Meron Abraha

Archivio fotografico: Antioco Lusci, Michelangelo CiminaleProgetto grafico e Stampa: Arti Grafiche San Marcello S.r.l. Viale Regina Margherita, 176 - 00198 RomaAbbonamento annuale euro 25,00Ass.Iter Onlus c/c postale n. 84275023Finito di stampare: marzo 2012In copertina: Massawa (foto Lusci)Hanno collaborato a questo numero: Lidia Corbezzolo,Nahom Haile, Antioco Lusci, Michelangelo Ciminale, DanielSemere, Meron Abraha, Jacob Kahsay

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EDITORIALEd i Lid ia Corbezzo lo

Carissimi Amici e carissime Amiche,è iniziata una nuova collaborazione tra AfricusEritrea ed alcuni giornalisti eritrei di Asmara.La grande novità è che questi articoli saranno inlingua inglese: poiché saremo anche on-line,abbiamo pensato che per gli eritrei che ci segui-ranno a livello internazionale sarà più agevoleleggerci in inglese. Gli articoli invece che riguar-deranno i progetti dell’Associazione o altri argo-menti relativi all’Eritrea tra passato e presentesaranno in lingua italiana.Sono orgogliosa dell’entusiasmo e della simpatiacon cui i giovani giornalisti eritrei hanno accetta-to di collaborare con Africus Eritrea.Io cerco sempre di coinvolgere i giovani sia neiprogetti di solidarietà sia nei progetti culturali: ilfuturo è dei giovani.Quindi tutti insieme diamo il benvenuto a DanielSemere, Meron Abraha, Ghebretnsae Damr,Jacob Kahsay ,Dejen Kidane, Sirak Kbrom,Samuel Mengsteab.Di seguito troverete la scheda di Africus Eritreaper essere aggiornati sull’evoluzione che ha avutola nostra rivista.

Nel 2002 il primo notiziario dell’Associazione con una veste grafica tipografica si chiamavaASS.I.R.ET Notizie (Associazione Residenti e Rimpatriati dall’Eritrea ed Etiopia).Nasceva con l’intento di dare un contenuto più ampio al notiziario: non solo ricordi asmarini maanche poesia, attualità, opinioni, pagine di storia, progetti di cooperazione allo sviluppo, progetticulturali.Nel settembre 2003 due grandi cambiamenti l’Associazione assume il nome di ASSOCIAZIONEITALIA ERITREA Onlus esprimendo la volontà di dedicarsi esclusivamente all’Eritrea, l’acro-nimo ITER sintetizza il cammino che l’Associazione percorre: ★ il cammino per la vita per lepopolazioni dell’Eritrea, ★ anche il notiziario cambia il nome in AFRICUS che significa AFRI-CANO ma anche VENTO DEL SUD, il titolo è un omaggio alla terra d’Africa.Nel 2010 il notiziario cambia il nome in AFRICUS ERITREA e segna una stretta collaborazio-ne con l’Ambasciata dello Stato di Eritrea, l’Istituto di Cultura Eritrea, il sito eritrea eritrea.com,l’Associazione giovani eritrei YPFDJ.Dal 2012 anche alcuni giornalisti eritrei di Asmara collaborano con Africus Eritrea: DanielSemere, Meron Abraha, Sirak Kbrom, Dejen Kidane, Ghebretinsae Damir. Samuel Mengsteab,Jakob Kahsai.Africus Eritrea conterrà articoli in italiano ed in inglese e sarà pubblicato on-line, saranno stam-pate solo le copie per gli aderenti alla Associazione.

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Luisa Marigliano Ramaglia, maestra del-l'asilo L'Arcobalena di Roma, e un suoex-alunno oggi antropologo,

Michelangelo Ciminale, soggiornano ad Asmaracon l'intento di collaborare al progetto "IlDenden cresce". Assistiti in questo dal presiden-te della Assiter ONLUS Lidia Corbezzolo, tra-scorrono quindi tre intense settimane in compa-gnia dei bambini e delle maestre dell'asiloDenden.È un periodo in cui un'atmosfera di gran fermen-to pervade l'intero asilo: sono in corso i lavori perla costruzione di alcuni gazebo nel giardino, sipiantano alcuni alberelli, vengono delimitati glispazi del futuro orto e di un'aiuola di fiori cheprenderà la forma dell'Eritrea. Anche i bambini - o meglio, alcuni di essi - sonodirettamente coinvolti in una recita, curata anche

da Luisa e Michelangelo. E una piccola delega-zione della scuola partecipa ad una gara di ballotra asili: una competizione con tutti i crismi, doveil Denden riesce ad ottenere degli ottimi risultaticon entrambe le danze proposte, minuziosamen-te preparate dalle maestre. Con le sei maestre del Denden Luisa eMichelangelo intrecciano un legame profondo,per quanto le difficoltà linguistiche lo consentano.In effetti una sola di queste, Alganesh, parla italia-no in maniera scorrevole, e assume quindi il ruolodi interprete e ponte tra le proprie colleghe e gliintrusi italiani.Dal momento che gli aspetti di quest'esperienzasono molteplici e diversi fra loro, i temi verrannosviluppati (tramite il medium fotografico, di cui siè occupato Michelangelo) in sette differenti"capitoli" che riguarderanno:

ASMARA, ERITREA, MARZO-APRILE 2012d i Miche lange lo Ciminale

• La vita di Asmara

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• L’asilo Denden e la zona circostante

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• La costruzione dei gazebo, la delimitazione dell’orto e le attività di giardinaggio

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• La giornata dei bambini in classe e in giardino

• La gara di danza

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• Le maestre e i bambini che hanno parlato della loro esperienza nell’asilo

Abbiamo scelto di incontrarci con quattro bam-bini e una bambina, una maestra-Alganesh.I bambini ci hanno raccontato la loro storia e cihanno parlato della vecchia e della nuova scuola.

Vi presentiamo i bambiniRAI TEKIE: ha appena compiuto cinque annie frequenta il Denden da due anni- un anno nelcontainer e un anno nella scuola in muratura.Abita non lontano dal campo (la scuola si trovaal suo interno) così viene a scuola e ritorna acasa, da solo. È figlio unico, la sua mammalavora, il suo papà no.

ESROM MAHARI: ha sei anni e ha un fratel-lino più piccolo. I suoi genitori lavoranoentrambi. Abita un po’ lontano e viene a scuolae ritorna a casa con un gruppo di bambini delDenden; una mamma o un papà a turno sifanno carico di accompagnarli. Impiegano circa40 minuti.

SBHAT TEKLU: ha cinque anni e abita aZezerat, una zona divisa dal campo Denden dauna fila di rottami (mezzi di trasporto, residua-ti bellici…) lunga più di 10 metri. Viene a scuo-la e torna a casa col fratello più grande impie-gando circa mezz’ora. La sua mamma lavoracome cuoca, il papà è andato via.

SOLIANA HABTEAB: Vive nel campo e rag-giunge la scuola da sola in circa 10 minuti. Ha un

fratello più piccolo di nome Thomas. La mammalavora in un collegio e il papà fa il soldato.

YOSAN WELDEGEBRIEL: ha cinque annie vive nel campo Denden. Ha 4 fratelli più pic-coli. Abita nel campo e viene a scuola da solo. Ilpapà lavora.

Assemblea dei bambiniRAI: Quando eravamo nei container non erabello. Non c’era spazio per giocare e eravamopochi bambini (25/30). Adesso siamo 60 bam-bini e possiamo giocare tutti. Quando eravamonel container e scrivevamo, potevamo stareseduti solo 5-6 bambini, adesso possono stareseduti 35 bambini tutti insieme.SBHAT: Ora abbiamo matite, pennarelli, lacarta e anche la carta colorata. Adesso è piùbello scrivere e colorare.ESROM: Ci sono i giochi di fuori che sonobelli, c’è anche la palla e il canestro per ilbasket.YOSAN: Quando c’erano i container i giochidi fuori erano rotti e non erano colorati.ESROM: Era stretto e non c’erano le finestre,c’era tanto caldo. La lamiera di sopra (il tetto)era aperta e quando pioveva entrava l’acqua ebagnava tutto. La pioggia faceva tanto rumoreche faceva paura.SBHAT: Anche le divise non erano così e tantibambini non ce l’avevano proprio.RAI: Poi sono venuti i dottori e abbiamo fatto

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le visite agli occhi, alle orecchie, al cuore e alleossa.YOSAN: Hanno costruito la scuola, ma primasi veniva poco poco, solo la mattina. Ora stiamotanto tempo.SOLIANA: Nel container non si lavavano lemanine e anche i gabinetti non erano puliti enon erano belli.RAI: Quando sono venuti i dottori abbiamopreso le mutandine, i calzini e le scarpe. Abbiamomangiato la pizza, i biscotti e i pop-corn.YOSAN: Alla scuola nuova abbiamo detto lapoesia “Addio container”SBHAT: Nel container non c’erano le matto-nelle e venivano i topi. Mangiavano il legno epoi uscivano e noi avevamo paura.SOLIANA: Nell’ufficio delle maestre ci sonobelle sedie e noi abbiamo le sedioline, i tavoli e i

grembiuli. Ci sono le docce e pure il gabinetto.ESROM: Abbiamo i quaderni. Adesso c’è lospazio e possiamo prendere i quaderni da soliperché c’è lo spazio.

Abbiamo chiesto ai bambini cosa voglionofare da grandi

Ecco le risposteRAI: il meccanico.ESROM: Il dottore che quando uno si amma-la lo posso guarire.SBHAT: il poliziotto per dire ai ladri e a quel-li che ammazzano che non lo devono fare.SOLIANA: Il dottore a quelli che si ammalanoe aiutare le persone che non stanno bene.YOSAN: Autista dell’aereo perché voglioandare e vedere le altre città.

Michelangelo Ciminale, antropologo collaboratore dell’Associazione Italia Eritrea onlus da marzo 2012

• Le attività ricreative avviate anche grazie al contributo del gemellaggio con l’asiloL’Arcobalena

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Massawa hasalways been animportant place

in Eritrea. Its strategicimportance in terms of loca-tion, economy, politics andculture has made it a target

for many colonial powers. It has been colonized

by Portugal, Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, andItalian. It became the capital of Eritrea until thiswas moved to Asmara in 1897. Massawa wascaptured by the Ottoman Empire in 1557; dur-ing the 19th Century it was ruled by Egypt withottoman consent. Following the defeat of Egyptat the battle of Gura’e, it came under the controlof Italy in 1885.

OPERATION FENKIL: AT THE FOREFRONTOF ERITREA’S VICTORY AS IN THE PASTby D anie l Semere

All along this time Massawa has served as ahub for the socio-economic and political life ofcolonial Eritrea. Perhaps that is the reason whya fierce battle was fought between the Eritrean

liberation forces and the last colonial power inEritrea, Ethiopia.

In February 1990 the port city of Massawa was

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liberated by the famous operation of Fenkil. Asudden and swift attack changed forever thefuture map of the liberation struggle. At theheart of this operation, February 8, 1990 was ahistoric day. At that day the liberation armystarted it victorious journey from She’eb in twowings. In the first wing, the Eritrean fightersambushed the enemy camps aroung Gahtelay;and the second force marched to the mountainsof Shekor through Mai Atal to Dogoli andGurgusum. Just within a day the Eritrea liber-ation army destroyed enemy camp in thoseareas. In the following days, the second wingwent on to the main road of Asmara-Gahtelay.The first half of this force went to the easternside of Gahtelay and Dgedegeta as result ofwhich the liberation army liberated all the areasof Demas, htumlo and Edaga demolishing anumber of enemy military camps. This ulti-mately led to the liberation of Massawa and itsenviron on the 10th of February 1990.

The liberation of Massawa by Eritrea libera-tion army was a major victory heralding the fullliberation of the country. Everyone knew thatindependence was inevitable. The desperationof the enemy was reflected upon mad bombard-ment of the city and its people with napalm andcluster bombs. However unlike the first libera-tion of Massawa in 1977 this liberation was tolast till full independence.

Today, after all those years of hardship the cityenthusiastically celebrates its anniversaries offreedom. Celebration continues a full one weekwith colorful events. Thousand of pilgrimsfrom all over the nation and even abroad, flowto Massawa to celebrate the event. Usually thecity is well prepared for the arrival of guestsand streets and different buildings are embel-lished with the national flag and light works.The majestic sear illuminates the mood of thecity through its reflection of the lights.

More than 20 years of independence,

Massawa now exhibits the developmentalendeavor of the nation adding to the festivemood of the city. There are some tangibledevelopmental endeavors. In order to reno-vate and transform the city there has beensome projects that have been going on sinceindependence. One of the relatively biggestprojects in the city has been the constructionof the new international airport. This projectsthat has used up 48 million Nakfa will be play-ing a crucial role once the free trade zonestarts in full swing in the future. The othermajor developmental activity has been theextension and renovation of the port area.This project required around 190 millionNakfa for its completion in the first and sec-ond phases. According to the plan the rehabil-itation and extension of the port area includesthe construction of large jetties, concretepavements for erecting three new cranes, andlayering railway tracks and installing electriclines and poles. As one of the major WarsayYekaalo development campaign also, inMassawa there have been a number of hous-ing project along with extension of the road insegalet ketan and segalet dahlakn are but fewexamples of the post independence recon-struction of the country.

These are but few examples of how the city isrehabilitated to become a modern port and atthe center of the country’s economy. TheFenkil celebration therefore is a moment ofreminiscence for two major events; how the lib-eration of the city demanded a hefty price andhow Massawa is becoming the symbol of ourdevelopment campaign.

Operation Fenkil is a victory with fewmatches in the world. The operation was asignificant historic juncture that opened thegate towards total independence terminatingthe reign of colonialism. Now all these yearslater after the miraculous victory, the citycontinues to develop revealing that the port

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Daniel Semere, is a researcher at Research and Documentation Center, he is also a columnist in Eritreanprofile.

city symbolizes not only military victory butalso development miracles registered by thecountry.

The Eritrean people had been able to securetheir rights to self-governance on their ownterms not because they had waited for charity

and sympathies from others, but they had con-fidently struggled depending on their owncapacity first and foremost. The Fenkil opera-tion is then a living reminder that if we hold onto our principles in our present or futureendeavors the long-term vision of the countrywill ultimately be realized.

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... OF ERITREAN GREATEST VIRTUESby Meron Abraha

Aland ofundiscov-ered treas-

ures, Eritrea hasbeen endowed witha stock of diversetourism resources.These yet unex-plored natural, his-torical, cultural anda r c h a e o l o g i c a lwonders pose great

potentials for the country’s future in tourism,making it an ideal and fascinating tourist desti-nation.

From the sweltering heat of the DanakilDepression to the cool mountains of the high-lands, Eritrea has been deemed as the land ofstartling contrasts and one of the four great civ-ilizations of early history.

Its nine ethnic groups united as one peopleoffer visitors a hospitality that has to be experi-enced to be believed and the chance to discov-er a new dimension in exciting cultural experi-ences, a glimpse of a different Africa.

One thing that stands out as a distinct Eritreanfeature, and one that has earned its people

great praise and admiration from visitors, ishospitality.

Giacomo Lombardi is an Italian tourist whocame to Eritrea for a 10-day visit and ended upfalling in love with the people and culture of thecountry.

When I met him, he had just returned from athree-day excursion to the Dahlak Islands andwas completely mesmerized by the experience.

“While on the Dissie Island, I ventured into theinhabited part and was really surprised to findthe dwellers all eager to welcome me into theirhomes,” Giacomo said and went on saying thathe lived a first-hand experience of what he hadheard about Eritrean hospitality before. Seeingis believing indeed!

The Drum of Harmony

Eritreans have long been associated with thegreat notion of hospitality. When it comes towelcoming guests no other peoples can do itbest other than Eritreans. And that radiatespride for us.

Music (traditional) always makes part of thehospitable welcome that each ethnic groupaccords its guests at any given time. And acommon instrument that features in all thegroups is the drum.

Whether hung on the shoulders or beaten byhands or sticks on the ground, its beat alwaysemits a distinct message for every occasion —be it for welcoming guests, launching cam-paigns or other activities…

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During welcoming ceremonies, men sway withtheir swords while women ululate and danceoff their feet to the beats of the drum. As aguest you find relief and contentment with thewarm reception being accorded to you and inno time you are busy exchanging greetingswith your fellow country folks.

“Welcome!” “Thank you!” “How are you?”

As the drums keep beating the pleasantries fol-low, enabling you to realize that in spite of ourdiversity, our unity always prevails. TheEritrean culture!

Generosity

Anywhere in this country, a stranger can knockat a house and his hosts won’t hesitate to pre-pare him a meal worthy for a king. That’s the

spirit of Eritreans towards welcoming guest totheir homes.

Sharing your blessings is and has always beena national value well instilled in the minds ofour people. They let you in their homes andoffer you all they have, on top of their brother-ly love and affection.

Being on a trip you resist the temptation ofstaying for a longer time and just linger for awhile, fascinated by their hospitality. And thenyou proceed on your way only to find warmerreceptions.

Even in the vicinities of the hottest place onEarth, where the village of Sireru, the most ele-vated place in the region, is situated, warm hos-pitality is guaranteed. The residents are veryhumble and hospitable and they welcome theirguests with traditional music and dancing.

Even if they don’t share the same language astheir guests, the language of love and respectbrings them even closer.

As if you haven’t heartily appreciated the affec-tionate welcome at Sireru, that of Fodie, still avillage in the same region, totally puts you at aloss of words for their humbleness.

There and then, you forget your differencesand realize your likeness. And deep downinside you feel it: that can only be preserved bystaying united at all times.

Beauty Never Lasts…

Beauty has its own time and place. The attireyou liked, the tattoos you noticed or theappearance you admired… all have their ownway of impressing you.

From the smiling Afar woman to the beaming

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Meron Abraha, is journalist and web chief editor for Shaebia.org.

Hidareb gentleman, the internal and externalbeauty enables you to take pleasure in it. Yourealize that you want to remain there foreverand be in awe of the beauties that seem to haveeluded you all this time. One thing is true: youreyes have already had their feasts.

And before you have stopped admiring all the

attractiveness around you, you are remindedthat you have to depart, yet to find more beau-ties to marvel at.

You would like to stay on for a little longer butit’s just as they say: good things never last longenough…

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Giovanni Agnelli founded Fiat(Fab b ric a Italiana A uto mo b iliTorino), an automobile manufactur-

ing factory, in 1899. It was the same year thatEritrea officially became an Italian colony andasphalt roads quickly made an appearance inmost parts of the country. Not long after that,Fiat cars began rolling through Asmara andother towns.

Elders claim that the Fiat Zero , a model thatwas built in Italy in 1912, was in Asmara almostsoon after production. The Zero was soon fol-lowed by the Fiat 509 around 1925 – it was atiny car, which could barely squeeze in twowell-built men. The Fiat 500, which was alsocalled the Topo lino arrived in the mid 1930s.

However, the most famous of them all wasthe Balila or the Fiat 508. The car was tiny andlooked like a mouse. Balila was also more pop-ular with the Italians in the late 1930s whenMussolini’s fascist laws had imposed a strictcolour bar on Eritreans. Thus, the peoplecoined a song seemingly intended for the carbut aimed at expressing thier resentment forthe laws of segregation. A few lines from thesong in Tigrinya are below:

Balila ye Balila,Asmera d o Atiki Aegarki Yiseb e ra

Balila O h Balila,Hav e you arriv ed in Asmara,May your le gs b e b roken!

However, the Fiat was not always a symbol ofItalian oppression as far as Eritreans were con-cerned. In time, Eritreans were allowed to ownand drive cars by themselves and that is whenthe following song was sang:

Tezaw eri Balila Tezaw eriyeShew a’te Hirkam Koynu Mezaw eriye

This song is attributed by some to the singerBeyene Fre while some say it was the lateVittorio Bossi’s song. It roughly translates as:

Rid e on the Balila, R id eIt only c o sts se v en hirkams (quarte rs) torid e…

So, the song went on and with this there was ashift in the Eritrean hostility towards carswhile at the same time there was an increasedownership of cars by Eritreans. Asmara’sstreets were soon replete with the Fiat 1100 or

OLD, CLASSIC AND BACKby J acob Kahsay

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the Musone –big nose – which has served asthe blue taxi for decades until the early 1990s.

At the same time, the Fiat 600, one of the mostpopular cars in the Eritrean automobile histo-ry, made its mark. Amazingly, the Fiat 600– Se ic ento – is still in use, especially preferredby driving instructors.

The Italians were allied with the Germans inthe Second World War and as such, there wasno Fiat monopoly in Eritrea. On the contrary,the Volkswagen Beetle vied for the local mar-ket with the VW Type 1 dominating from thelate 1930s up until the 1950s and beyond. TheVolkswagen was very popular because of itsefficiency, greater room and its wonderful air-cooled engine.

The VW Beetle has by far won the popularitycontest among the classic cars in Asmara.

First, it is widely in use today and has weath-ered the sands of time in rather good shape.

Second, its unique design – and some even saysexy allure – has driven many youthful ownersto renovate and overhaul the Beetle in whatmay be the Eritrean version of the popularAmerican TV show Pimp my Rid e minus thecameras.

These days, there are many VW Beetles andyounger and bigger models such as the VW1100, 1200, 1300 being given more garage-timethan they ever had since they rolled off theirfactories decades ago.

Although the Volkswagen originally came in amild green or white color, it is now being paint-ed pink, yellow and even bold red. The contem-porary tastes and demands may seem eccentricbut at the same time, they have rejuvenated theVWs and added color to the streets of Asmara.

Nonetheless, there are still many classic carsseen rusting in old houses or being taken apartfor scrap metal. It would be advisable for peo-ple to think about acquiring the cars and bringthem back to life.

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THE LONGEST PAINTING: TRANSCENDING INSPIRATIONby D anie l Semere

We are living in aworld inundat-ed with so

many challenges. From theeconomy and financial meltdowns to nuclear arma-ment; from regional warsto immigration, the global

problems have proliferated and they havebecome very difficult to solve. The actions indi-vidual nations take affects the world in generaland this automatically makes the problems andchallenges of nations interdependent. And oneof the pervasive challenges of the world todayis the issue of environment. Indeed climatechange is the first issue that is truly global thatno one can get away from as everybody is atrisk. Breaking news like flooding, the meltingof the poles, the rising of the sea level and theconsequent sinking of coastal areas, ozonedepletion, no more come as a surprise. It isrepeatedly said that global warming may be thefirst challenge in history that human societiesacross the globe should act upon together as itis a shared threat. All these challenges necessi-tate the need for a coordinated global effort andpolitical will for their effective solution. And asthe nature and the most important characteris-tic of most of these problems is that they putthe future in danger, it automatically entails theneed for awareness from everybody; and espe-cially the youth.

That’s why the longest painting in the worldwhich was accomplished by Eritrean youthorganized under the NUEYS, was given thetheme “Pollution Free world”. Although theproject was carried out having as the finalobjective of putting it in the Guinness World

Record book, its representational effect has farmore implication in terms of its theme and par-ticipants and also its associated significance. Inthis respect, the longest painting has tried toaddress the issue of one of the most importantchallenges of the world, which is environmen-tal pollution. Moreover, the fact that the taskwas done by the youth has symbolically repre-sents the solution for such a global challengelies on the awareness we should create on theyouth, who are the future of the world.

The power possessed by youth is a recognizedforce at all time. And its significance is thattheir energy can be used for both constructiveand destructive purposes. This is what makesthe youth at the centre of any equation. And iftheir potential is tapped adequately and isbrought together, our massive youth power canwork wonders in any endeavour we take on.And what makes youth associations all over theworld important in any task is their representa-tion of the active force of the youth. As mediumwhere many talents of the youth come togetheryouth associations are often areas where prom-ising futures are conceived. And it is the paint-ing clubs under NUEYS that has taken up onthe task of accomplishing the longest paintingin the world which was successfully completed.

This painting with the theme “pollution freeworld”, live up to Eritrea’s belief and commit-ment to deal with the global challenge ofEnvironment through the involvement of aconsciously aware, organized and dedicatedyouth. Eritrea has a vested interest in protect-ing the environment. And this has historicalreasons. Due to colonialism Eritrea had notbeen the owner of its own affairs. And the

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direct result of this take its toll in the socio-economic, political, cultural, and environmen-tal aspects of the country. So at independenceEritrea had to start from the scratch. And nowthat it has taken its matter on its hand, the longroad for reconstruction of the country hasbegun. And this was with the rich experienceof the successful struggle for independencethat assured that nothing is impossible if thereis a conscious and organized youth ready tomake the sacrifice for the objectives in the bestinterest of the society. Many progresses havetherefore been achieved in various fields likeeducation health, infrastructure, and othersocial sectors. One of the major priorities ofEritrea is the environment as it is directlylinked with the core principles and values ofthe country and the government. The majorendeavour of the nation which includes socialjustice, self-reliance, and food security has a lotto do with the environment. The majority ofthe Eritrean people live in rural areas engagedon agriculture which is affected by the envi-ronment for better or worse. Hence, much hasbeen invested to protect the environmentthrough soil and water conservation efforts,terracing, constructing dams and check dams,planting of trees, environmental awarenessefforts and so on.

What made the longest painting unique is itssymbolical and representational nature. Justas the project represents the message of raisingawareness by involving the youth (the mostimportant players) to the worlds most urgentand important problem (environmental pollu-tion); it also symbolizes the need for unity bothin Eritrea and the world by involving childrenfrom the 6 regions of Eritrea and from bothgenders. The theme of the painting was divid-ed into seven continuous and interrelatedphases that gives complete pictures about thetrends and processes affecting our environ-ment and the effort needed to create the idealenvironment free from pollution. Each phase

was represented in around one kilo meter ofpainting.

All along the process of painting the works ofthe children were constantly inspected and fol-lowed by the five witnesses. As the task, it wasknown, would take a long time, it would be dif-ficult for personnel of Guinness to follow thework from the beginning to the end. Andhence, as per the requirement of the GuinnessWorld Record, a valid work should have theaccount of at least two witnesses of whom oneshould be a professional in the area or field ofthe task that is being attempted. These witness-es should be influential persons in various fieldsand in no way should be affiliated with thebody or institution attempting the task, in thiscase the NUEYS.

On Saturday, 26th of November 2011 thepainting was staged at the outskirt of the capi-tal on the road from Asha Golgol throughHmbrti. In the ceremony where different gov-ernment officials, religious leaders, diplomatsand invited guest were present the measure-ment was conducted. The task of the measure-ment was carefully done for about 5 hours byexperts. And the measurement was confirmedby the witnesses to be 7.166 km long, thelongest painting in the world. It put Eritrea inthe nomination for Guinness World Recordbook.

The event is indeed significant at different lev-els. The task of the Longest Painting is a mani-festation of the growth and organization of thearts club and it proved that it has put the skill,dedication and perspective of the youth to awhole new level and beyond. It created a con-ducive atmosphere where the painters mainlythe youth and children would be able to exer-cise and express their artistic talents for a nobleobjective. The project also stands as a testimo-ny to NUEYS’s living up to its responsibilityand expectation in the task of developing the

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youth and organizing them towards the issue ofutmost urgency and importance. There is nodoubt that the painting has a left a deep impres-sion on the participants that anything is possi-ble; even fighting pollution. Materializing sucha long painting with such a big effort on theirpart is certainly a source of inspiration, instill-ing in their receptive mind that nothing isimpossible and out of reach if you come togeth-er, define your problem, put your mind to it,and work hard. Isn’t that what the world needsfor its challenge one of which is saving ourenvironment? Such a lesson and message in theheart of our future generation is indeed thestrong point made by the project. Moreover ithas proved that guided activism bears fruitsand enables inspiration to transcend across theworld.

Daniel Semere, is a researcher at Research and Documentation Center, he is also a columnist in Eritreanprofile.

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“ABASHAWL: WHERE THE CITY’S REALHEART BEAT LIES...”by Meron Abraha

Just theother day Ihad the

opportunity toa c c o m p a n y ,Samuel and Weini,a soon-to-be-mar-ried couple toCherhi, the beauti-ful restaurantperched on top of ahill, in the Aba

Shawl area of Asmara. On our way back, wemade a brief detour to one of the ale houses,where my friends enjoyed a mele lik of suw aeach. Back in the US, where they have lived forthe last 25 years or so, they had heard of AbaShawl and the great communal life.When we got home later, Samuel asked me if Iknew anything about the history of Aba Shawl.Apparently, his elder siblings back in the USalso wanted to know why it was so importantthat a song be made of it.That got me wondering: I didn’t know the storymyself, not the whole part anyway. So I begandigging and the first thing that came to mymind was to refer the book by Yishak Yosiefentitled Zanta Ke tema Asmera (History of the

City of Asmara).According to the book, “… the hill and thewhole area around it known as Cherhi AbaShawl today was originally called as GmbarAba Aw ts and that Shawl was in fact the nameof a horse, whose owner had been appointed assanitation monitor of the area by the Italianadministration. The man used to call himselfboastingly Abu Shawl (implying owner ofShawl). He had built a hut on the hill and theresidents would look up to it and say that’s AbuShawl’s house, and through time, the namestuck to the whole neighborhood…”“Italian colonizers formed several urban planswith the core objective to separate the racesand sanitize the urban landscape by keepingthe natives in a prescribed area. Aba Shawl wasproposed for demolition with relocation of thenatives further away. That move was not fullyrealized. Later during the Ethiopian coloniza-tion, however, the city administration decidedto demolish part of the area to widen thestreets. Consequently, many left Aba Shawland moved to other neighborhoods in Asmara.And that’s where the popular song of the early1970s, D ehan Kuni Aba Shaw l (Farewell AbaShawl) by renowned Eritrean singer AlaminAbduletif comes in.

D ehan kuni aba shaw lSe lam kd mi mfraski Ad e kulu d ikha,A layt zektam ne rki…

Roughly translated this goes as

Farew e ll Aba Shaw l, gre e ting you b e fo re you fall A mothe r to all the poo r and

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A care take r fo r o rphans.

“… I sang this farewell song because I feltsorry for the people of Aba Shawl who lived inlove and harmony. To me destroying AbaShawl meant destroying the long standing cul-tural ties, value systems and social fabric of theinhabitants. I felt sorry for the broken heartsand shattered dreams of the young lovers andold acquaintances of that place. Of course, Iwas not against developmental projects in gen-eral but I felt that it should not have been doneat the expense of the poor and the needythat were left homeless and uprooted followingthe demolition project. Fortunately, the demo-lition work stopped right near my house…”Alamin Abduletif was quoted as saying bySophia Tesfamariam in her article “Taking inthe Sights and Sounds of Abba Shaul.”Indeed, homes extended to the street side, withthe smell of fresh coffee and the variety ofsounds – the laughter of children, the clickingof pots and pans, running water and of course,all types of music, all these attest to the livelysense of community of Aba Shawl.What I’ve put as the title above is a phrase Itook from what a certain Edward Dennisonwrote about Aba Shawl in his guidebookon Eritrea. His exact words read: “… Further north,beyond the Market square and Afabet Street, isthe old ‘indigenous’ quarter where the houses,to this day, are considerably more modest intheir construction and size. The disorganizednarrow lanes and humble mud walls of thedensely populated dwellings here are by nomeans a slum. This area known as Abbashaul,is where the local population was herded underthe Italian rule and little has been done since tocombat the negative impacts that were instilledthen. It remains a deprived area, with no run-ning water and poor sanitation, but there is anelectrical supply and, above all a very strongsense of community. It is as enjoyable to wit-ness this part of Asmara where the city’s heart

really beats, as it is to the shabby chic aestheticof the old European quarter.”Let me part with an extract from the same arti-cle by Sophia Tesfamariam:“…On more than one occasion I had looked atAba Shawl from my look out point and won-dered what lay hidden below the odd patch-work that served as the rooftop for so manyhomes beneath. There were corrugatedmetal sheets, stones and mud, wood, tires andother materials spread out over the rooftops,keeping the neighborhood and its secrets wellunder cover. So what was the secret placebelow? I could not wait to go there andimmerse myself in it all...Unlike poor neighborhoods in some countrieswhere crime and violence is rampant, AbaShawl is a poor but it’s a place where cama-raderie, compassion, creativity, pride and dig-nity call home. It is a place you can visit all onyour own and not worry about your safety orthat of your belongings. I didn’t want to justdrop in, I wanted to experience it in its totalityand feel completely at home. Visiting withsomeone who knows the ins and outs of theplace or grew up there helps. I got lucky, I gotboth. I had the pleasure of having my specialfriend Girmay Yohannes (Sandiago), a veteranfighter and a renowned comedian/historian/lin-guist/intellectual accompanying me for the day.Sandiago had promised to show me every-thing that Aba Shawl had to offer and I wasready – I had to see it all and experience ittotally. I didn’t know what to expect but Idecided to just go with the flow and enjoymyself fully. Sandiago told me about the many foreign andlocal artists and writers who come to AbaShawl seeking inspiration, to live amongst itsdwellers and bask in its heartbeat- the joie devivre that defines Aba Shawl 24-7.Abba Shawul is home to a number of talentedand renowned Eritrean artists, musicians andintellectuals. Many trace their roots to this nos-talgic neighborhood... For them, Aba Shawl is

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not just about the past, but very much of thepresent, real and emotive, to selfishly guardand defend. Abba Shaul casts a dreamy spell onall whose paths have brought them there. Many have sung about and written about thisbeloved neighborhood and there is no doubtthat many more will sing her praises in thefuture. Alamin in his song prided in the sacri-fice and contribution of his beloved neighbor-hood was making towards the beautification ofAsmara. For him and others like him who havesung about this place, it was not about the realestate as much as it was about the aura, the

sounds rather than the sights, the welcomingneighborliness and the optimism and fervor ofthose carving out deep and meaningful livesamongst the poverty and meager stonedwellings. The fear of Aba Shawl’s gentrifica-tion still exists today and residents there tellme that they are afraid that developments inthe area would destroy Aba Shawl’s distincthistorical character and charm... I agree. Itwould be close to being sacrilegious for AbaShawl is a living phenomenon and not simply aplace of multiple dwellings packed one on topof the other…”.

Meron Abraha, is journalist and web chief editor for Shaebia.org.

Foto Lusci