Why despair when you can change the world by your actions.  Dalai Lama.

The London Festival is organized collectively by all those who share the values of justice, rule of law and respect for human rights which is grossly absent in present day Eritrea. They are the civil society organisations, human rights activists, opposition political parties in the United Kingdom and they all share the same dream to see democracy Eritrea. They are trying to organize and mobilise their limited resources in order to fight against repression and bring about social justice.  Their mission is greater than their life. They saw the need to rebel because the PFDJ festivals again and again have failed to reflect the inner life experience of the Eritrean population. Worse than that is the PFDJ supporters in the Diaspora have failed to put pressure on the government to change the policies that is damaging the economy and society of Eritrea. What supporters of Governments do all over the world is put pressure to drop bad polices and make policies friendly to the people or else the Government gets alienated and unpopular. In actual fact the Diaspora supporters have let the Government down by celebrating failed policies. They could have engaged the Government in constructive criticism during seminars in festivals so that bad policies are amended. But they won’t.  On the contrary they label “Weyanes”; the offended (Koreiti) and other forms of character assassination to people with good intention but conscious enough to put constructive criticism. It could have been good for the people, good for the government of the day and good for unity. Unity of the people is not practical if the Government and its supporters fail to tolerate differences of opinion. No doubt the people of Eritrea have never been divided like to day. In London alone there are more than 20 Eritrean communities and amorphous associations.

The London rebel festival mirrors these failures. It took place at Kensal Rise Primary School on 23 August from 7 to 3.00 am.  There were small breifings talks by the organizers. Eritrean Human Rights in UK (EHDR-UK) has extended invitation to participate in the Europe wide demonstration at EU headquarters on September 18, 2008. September 18, 2001 was the saddest day in the history of Eritrea the day the G-15 and all private paper editors were incarcerated and freedom of expression was blatantly suppressed and banned in Eritrea. The day the witch-hunt was unleashed where no one would have a guaranty against arbitrary imprisonment, torture and other forms of human rights violations.

There were 3 good singers. One is a contemporary singer. The second person, Eyob, played Wata, a traditional single string instrument like a violin. The third one was quite satirical. His name is Hussein M. Ali.  His first song was titled “Tm” means “don’t say anything”.  “Tm” was profoundly significant because “don’t say anything” is the crudest way to take away the voice of the people, their right to complain, to protest and to write. Your sons and daughters are in prison. Don’t ask about them. “Tm” adherents of Pentecostal church are imprisoned. Tm.  Your children are held in Warsay and Yekealo project indefinitely. Tm.  Licenses of contractors are taken away. Tm. has tyrannized the Eritrean people that they succumbed to it.

Hussein had displayed the artistic fire of Mahber Theatre Asmara (MTA). He followed the musical tradition of the Comedians like Alemayo Kahsay (wetru hugus), Memher Solomon Gebrezgiabher and the songs of Osman Abdulrehim’s “Wedebat Adei”, and all the fascinating relics of Yamane Baria which is still popular among the young Eritreans. Like them his songs are the predicament of the people expressed in music. In his songs there were sense of humour and tenderness. MTA used to pass a message of repression and resistance expressed in musical comedy form that used to make people burst into uncontrollable laugh until they show strain in their bellies. His songs lament for unity, hope and love which is in short supply in today’s Eritrea.

There was also poetry reading:  Two people were involved one is the veteran fighter and outspoken critic of PFDJ Amaniel Iyasu, the ex-columnist in Asmarino.com of my country (Hagerey in Tigrinya).  The other is one who defected from Warsai and Yekealo campaign. In his poem he represented the authentic voice of the victims of the project and exposed the PFDJ youth supporters in UK who use Eritrea as a tourist niche and speak that W&Y is a success story.

The PFDJ London Festival and Its politics:

It is no doubt the PFDJ London Festival was big, impressive and was attended by lots of people. It was well organized in sports, cultural shows and displays and sales of artefacts and full of outdoor activities. It was a 3 days program. It was good in that its focus was on the children and youth. This is to the credit of the new Ambassador who showed a lot of interest in the educational advancement of the youth. He also gave credentials to the new graduates except that they got their higher studies in Britain and they wouldn’t have got that opportunity in Eritrea, they would have been working in some road building or farms. The fact that he encouraged them is a sign that he appreciates education in UK. He himself had attended University of London. It means he understands the value of education more than his colleague in the PFDJ particularly the Chair of National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW) who contradicted him in the same seminar by undermining the UK educational system.

PFDJ festivals have unique advantages because they carry the spirit and legacy of the Bologna Festival of the 80^th.  I can’t help not to be nostalgic about the Bologna festival of the 80^th. At that moment in time it was Eritrea’s’ cultural Pride and Joy. At the end of the 80^th, the Bologna Palazzo Del Congresso with 3000 seats had become too small and festivals were moved to the big sports auditorium in Bologna.

Support committees from all over Europe and Relief Associations members composed of Eritreans and foreigners also used to participate.  To name some the big Italy’s Steel Workers Union, The German Green Party including Ushi Aid, an active partner of the German-Eritrean re-integration program, the failed partners of rehabilitating the economy of Eritrea, Abdurrahman Babu Etc. I remember the Bologna Municipality Authorities used to host a reception to the organizers, key support committee members and delegates from the field and express that they were honoured to have the festival in their beautiful city. The residents of City of Bologna had never seen such thousands of African in their town. I remember when the EPLF representative from the field puts a flower at the Statue of the unknown soldier of the 2^nd world war, a symbol of Italian martyrdom, in the city piazza in the presence of Italian dignitaries and hundreds of Eritreans. I felt we were treated as if we had a Government of our own and not liberation movement. It must be a fascinating experience for the people of Bologna city to see handsome Africans, mostly with Afro hair do, in rented buses in the City of Whites.  At the end of the 80^th the number reached more than 6000 participants and the meeting was moved to a huge sports auditorium.

Today the festival organized by PFDJ is different. I am not against festivals per se. Festivals bring Eritreans from all walks of life together to get to know each other and socialize. But its usefulness is totally undermined by being instrumentalzed to serve the disinformation regime of the Government. It paints roses to the life of Eritreas and makes sure that it does not reflect the real life situation in Eritrea which is characterized by poverty, fear, deprivation, insecurity, the influx of huge number of refugees and the frightening brain drain.  

The festival is deemed to focus on songs, music, dancing and drinks. Even in these areas there is an excessive PFDJ’s obsessive musical meddling.  Songs which call to stand up against injustice have largely vanished from the radar screen of the Eritrean mainstream culture.  

Outside Eritrea the Festivals have lost the international solidarity and support it used to have. Many members of international support committee during the struggle have turned their back to PFDJ and are now on the forefront demanding the end of human rights violation in Eritrea.  One of them is Glenyes Kinnock, MEP member of the Parliament of the European Union. After her visit to the liberated areas in the 80^th she wrote a book titled, “Eritrea: Images of War and Peace”.  During this year’s March 8, International women’s day she had her solidarity message published in Amnesty International newsmagazine, asking the Government of Eritrea to release all prisoners of conscience in Eritrea. In her message she focused on Aster Fitzehazion one of her hosts in the field. Aster fitzehazion is in prison together with Miriam Hagos, Senait Debesai and Aster Yohannes. 

The Tyranny of don’t say anything (Tm):

The ideology and politics of don’t talk was mirrored in the seminar.  On returning from their visit in Eritrea this summer many supporters did not hide their shock of the fast deteriorating living standard of the people. But no one raised such issues and asked, why? The purpose of any seminar is not to listen only; it is a communication between the rulers and the ruled.  It is to the advantage of the authorities to learn the Diaspora’s concern, their disappointments, and the degree of their support and to listen to any constructive criticism they may offer in order to reform or improve some of the failed policies.  On the contrary they only listened. Even to the obvious politics of denial by the Chairman of the National Union of Eritrean Women. She said that education in Eritrea is better than that of the United Kingdom and that Eritrea is more democratic.  She said in Eritrea every child attends school but in the UK only those who can afford it (as narrated by friends who attended the seminar, so my information is second hand).

They know it is not true, but still they failed to react. It must be humiliating situation, no doubt politics of don’t talk is being sown in the fabric of Eritrean society.  Outside of the seminar it was different. In fact it has become a subject of gossip and laughter in pubs and other places. They know perfectly well that thousands of foreign students flock to the United Kingdom. Sometime ago there were a debate on the radio criticising the  British Universities for allowing large number of foreign students. The answer is that the Universities will face financial difficulties unless they admit foreign students, because they pay a lot of money.  UK has an income of more than 3 billion pounds a year (about 6 billion US dollars) from overseas paying students. Thousands of students are coming from China and are paying a lot in order to catch up with the West’s economic might and advancement in technology. But it is not Chinese the Middle East, Japan and even USA and other countries have flooded British Universities because British education is the best in the World. Of course Eritrea is different it is  an island, it has a unique higher education system in that it is run by military discipline, yes man. The facts on the ground  is sad in that many newly arrived Eritreans to the UK have failed to take advantage because of the very low education achievement in Eritrea. The lady’s politics, meanwhile, exists in campaign of withdrawal from reality, otherwise it makes no sense. The tyranny of “Tim” is destroying the Ethos and the fabric of the Eritrean society.

The new refugees who run from the W&Y campaign are destined to be manual labourers for the rest of their life. They are groomed to live their life closely with rural life and backwardness because that is what they experienced in the project of Warsai and Yekealo development campaign. The project has emptied the youth from the towns and the modern facilities they were born to.  PFDJ is undermining western democratic values only to legitimize all these unworkable policies.

The way forward:

Recognizing that the PFDJ festivals are used for propaganda purposes the move towards an alternative festival is inevitable and timely.

The London rebel festival represents a profoundly significant paradigm shift on the part of the conscious elements within the Eritrean Diaspora. It exemplifies the need of redefining the Eritrean music and arts, to get it rooted in the real life experience of the population and away from the manipulation of PFDJ and it Rymock winner prize attractions.   Freed from Government interference, it has to go to where it belongs, the people of Eritrea. It should reflect their problems, their agonies their dreams and their happiness if there is some left.  This would represent the fundamental challenges to the fragmented civil societies, humanitarian organisation and human rights activists.

Such alternative festivals are going to be part of the pattern of the Diaspora future activities.  Asmarino’s effort to promote the genuine culture was exemplary. Particularly, covering the poems of Dr. Reesom Haile like Alewana, Alewuna which had amazing popular appeal especially with children. Any kind of good music which brings out the inner feelings of the ordinary people has a particularly stimulating influence. It opens a person to spiritual inspiration.

Civil Society organisations must be value-centred and must be about empowering the people:

Such get-together is a venue for persuading people to involve in the activities carried out by civil society organisations and a platform to inform their achievements and problems. The achievements of the Human Rights activities (one of the activities of the civil societies) are exemplary. By advocating that the Eritrean refugees be given the chance of re-settlement, they helped to make sure that the broken life of Eritrean Refugees is weaved into a firm pattern of meaning and responsibility. They lobby for international support to put pressure upon Libya, Egypt and Malta to honour Geneva Convention of 1951 and stop deporting refugees to Eritrea. These people are moral heroes. However civil societies must be value-centred means their main mission being not to compete for political power but to empower the population to be able to choose their own leaders, to engage the political parties and even the present Government freely without any coercion.

The human rights organisation particularly, Elsa Chirum, has become a house hold name among Eritrean refugees, aid agencies and other human rights institutions. The information coming out that the Eritrean refugees in Shimelba camp in Ethiopia are to be re-settled in the USA is one of the greatest news ever. The active lobby of the Eritrean human rights (EHDR-UK and Release Eritrea) have contributed a lot to the main stream activities of Amnesty International, journalists without borders.  So let everybody build on that achievements and know that it is earned only through persistent activities and hard work.  The making of history of few Eritreans in the Diaspora is unfolding.