If you are a person who still considers PFDJ as a regime with some rationale and decency, then your support is about to grant you an eternal life. You, of course, need to die now before the regime does--so that you would have a free pass to Paradise. If you are living in the Diaspora and die for any reason, you are required by GoE [Government of Eritrea] now to get a paper from a head of a church in your area for your body not only to be flown to Eritrea but also to receive proper burial and prayer services to be held for you. Otherwise, there will be no Fithat. 

This was announced a couple of weeks ago in no uncertain terms by the Archbishop of the Eritrean Orthodox Church in North America when he came to Seattle to maledict Priest Tekeste. The Archbishop stripped Qeshi Tekeste of his priesthood for, according to him, opposing the Eritrean government for deposing the previous Pope and refusing to recognize the current one.  

Of all the diplomatic blunders the GoE is accustomed to perpetrate against itself, perhaps no one can understand why it always replenishes the Ethiopian government’s PR agendas with more subjects. The offer by Ethiopia to accept Eritrean deportees from Egypt will now be replaced by a good gesture of that nation’s government in extending its hand and in welcoming Eritreans to bury their dead in exile. And this puts our government in breach of the last taboo on earth which I couldn’t exactly find anywhere if Hitler had also done the same.

After calming himself from the shock by the awful news of this decision, an Ethiopian friend told me with humor that it is not only humanitarian for Ethiopia to do so but also it benefits itself from the hard currency the accompanying family members bring. Aboyn adeyn bebeynu tseletom.

Yes, Eritrea is losing money from Burial Tourism. This loss might have forced the government of Eritrea to reconsider its decision if I hadn't suggested it in here. Now, there is little chance as pride has replaced pragmatism in the government's dictionary.  

The Priest, the Devil and the Snake: changing roles? 

No humor! In the traditional Orthodox Christian home that I grew up, I was taught that a priest is a spiritual leader who preaches God’s words and forces the devil to shun away with the power of the holy spirits he invokes against it through his prayers. And a snake is a cursed creature for its sinister role in persuading Adam to make the mistake against God’s will.

After the Archibishop’s rhetoric, however, I am perplexed how bad the religion is also disrespected as well. The Archbishop unashamedly instructed his audiences not to address the priest he was maledicting, Tekeste, as Qeshi since there is no devil but him. He said that the devil has fled after learning of Tekeste’s presence in town. Then he advised them to follow the wisdom of the snake on the basis of which they tried to take over the Church by storming it before a Sunday Service. “Like a snake which would not be hit on its head and get killed unless he leaves his hiding hall, don’t abandon your church to Tekeste but force him to go out instead,” he advised.  

What comes around goes around! Though maledicted, Qeshi Tekeste, according to some sources, is now heading to court to prevent the PFDJ supporters from snatching the church out of his grip. With the help of the police, he has for now survived from those PFDJ supporters who tried to storm his church. The Priest who is rumored to have been able to own different properties under various names, has previously won a court battle (when his current foes were his allies) to divide the Trinity Church into two and its followers along awraja lines. Now many wish both parties good luck in their respective court fight not because a certain decision in favor of any one of them is desirable, but rather the process may teach and enable them to appreciate the rule of law. 

Isabots: They even used to nauseate DIA 

I heard that during one of DIA’s [Dictator Isaias Afwerki's] townhall meeting in LA during the good old days where he spoke to a large Eritrean crowd, he was answering a question in Arabic when he noticed that much of the clapping hands that were interrupting his explanation repeatedly were non-Arabic speaking Eritreans. Then he interrupted again and ridiculed them: “ entay Teredikum ikum eske teTaque” – meaning what did you understand to clap your hands like this! 

Jendayi Frazer was at the University of Washington last month to make a policy speech to academics and the general public on African affairs. In one of her explanations about a question on Eritrea, she elaborated how difficult it is to talk to DIA either in person or other means. She said that he never picked up the phone on many occasions she or the Secretary of State called. A loud clapping echoed in the hall, interrupting her explanation and leaving other participants to wonder what they were up to. With such daring supporters no wonder that his next target are the dead.