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You already know that Eritrea has one of the world’s most ancient civilizations. You already know that Eritrea is one of the few countries in the world that has its own alphabets. - But did you know that Eritrea had the first independent trade union in Africa?
- Did you know that Eritrea had one of the first private presses in Africa?
- Did you know that Eritrea had one of the first contested elections in Africa?
- Did you know that the societies in Eritrea had representative forms of self-government that survived for centuries?
At the root of all these achievements is the Eritrean culture. A national culture is a set of beliefs, customs, and behaviors that is transmitted from one generation to the next. It includes the way we dress, the way we speak, our values, and our mores. In short, it is our built-in code and our moral compass which directs us in differentiating between what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong, what is worthy and what is trivial. All powers that intend to monopolize power target a nation’s culture. They aim to dismantle it by calling it savage, uncivilized and backward and replace it with one that serves their interest. The PFDJ is only the latest in a series of power-monopolizers who have targeted the Eritrean culture. Here’s an example of the difference between PFDJ culture and Eritrean culture: | Eritrean Culture | PFDJ Culture | Life is precious. All births are celebrated joyfully and all deaths are commemorated somberly. | Life is dispensable. Eritreans who die crossing borders, on ships, on distant places are not acknowledged. | Education is highly valued—and the educated are rightfully seen as treasure. | Education is experimental. The educated are viewed with suspicion. | The elderly are seen as fountains of wisdom. | The elderly are viewed as competitors to its authority and meddlesome pests who must be ignored. | Religious authorities are highly respected moral figures and their words and deeds emulated. | Religious authorities are considered threats who may dilute its propaganda and provide guidance contrary to its messages. | Women are considered the anchor of the family; in some Eritrean societies, they are heads of households. Men who commit violence against women are considered to suffer from terrible character flaws. | Women are incubators or pleasure companions for men. The PFDJ has imprisoned women who were still nursing their babies. | The youth are considered the future of the nation; parents will sacrifice anything to advance the future of their children. | The youth are extensions of weapons, whose only purpose is to learn to carry arms and shoot or lift rocks. | Municipal leaders, judges derive their authority from the consent of those they govern. | Leaders derive their authority from the fact that they carry guns and judges sole authority is their loyalty to the dictator. | All art, stories, music, poems celebrate life, valor, wisdom, kindness and generosity. | Art celebrates military adventurism and killing. | Fairness is the very glue of the society: there is fairness in distribution of land; justice in crimes & punishment; representation and term limits in governance. | Inherently unfair in all facets—economy, society, politics. People are declared guilty, without having a chance to defend themselves. | Kind, generous and hospitable: Guests are showed maximum hospitality. Forgiveness and reconciliation is built in. | Cruelty is its trademark. It is so unjust and so cruel, the system separates mothers from their children; arrests parents for the infractions of their sons. Refuses to grant visitation rights to the incarcerated. Celebrates rudeness and crassness. |
Come Celebrate Eritrean Culture On October 30, 2006, we invited all Eritreans to come and reclaim Eritrean culture. Condemning the darkness of PFDJ is legitimate and a demonstration of our resistance. But more than condemning the darkness, we need to celebrate the light…the light of Eritrean culture. - Come to celebrate the culture of life, instead of a culture of death. Come to take pride in the achievements of educated Eritreans.
- Come to praise the elderly and our religious leaders.
- Come to celebrate our mothers and sisters.
- Come to celebrate and take pride in our youth.
- Come to call for justice and fairness for all those imprisoned and languishing in dire places!
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