Eritrean Profile March 20, 1999 by Habte Tesfamariam

In an attempt to discredit the Eritrean Government, the minority Ethiopian TPLF regime resorted to calling the Eritrean government as the "Shabiya" Government. But no harm was done as "Shabiya" means literally "people", and at a deeper level ­ in the collective Eritrean consciousness ­ "the heroic force that routed and drove out, 'against all odds', Ethiopian colonial army from the face of Eritrea." 

The TPLF soon realized the futility of its attempt and dropped the name but shifted to calling the Eritrean government as "Isaias's Government." But, no harm is done this time, too. In the USA it is generally believed that Webster ­ the author or compiler of Wobester's Dictionary - is synonymous with the word dictionary. Similarly, in the collective Eritrean consciousness Isaias is synonymous with the Eritrean Government or even Eritrea, the nation. This could be explained culturally, as we shall see below. But even by Western practice, there is nothing wrong with calling the US Government as the Clinton Administration or government or vice-versa. 

In Eritrea it is common for early settlements [ gheza (the house of the first settler), dembe (a small settlement for raising animals) Adi (village), and districts] to be called after the name of the first ascendant settler ­ Gheza Gherelasse, Dembe Zaul, Adi Teclezan, (and may be Adi Murug), and Deki (the sons of) Zerisenai or Deki Zerimssi districts) are but a few cases in point. 

Out of due consideration to tens of thousands of gallant comrades-in-arms, the Eritrean leader is certain not to share this statement but he had led his people to freedom and independence, and, as such, he is the giant of the giants in the annals of Eritrean history. 

In keeping with the above settlement analogy, it is incongruent to call the Eritrean Government as "Isaias' Government" ­ Isaias being the first person to head an independent Eritrean government, apart from being the incumbent President. 

The world speaks about Eritrea and Ethiopia being locked in a border dispute, but the TPLF regime dwells on the person of the Eritrean President! The last Ethiopian dictator, Mengistu Hailemariam, consistently described the TPLF as the off-spring of Shabiya. But why is the TPLF now engaged in mud-slinging at its "parent" Shabiya and the Eritrean leader, who where its former mentors? 

"Great minds discuss ideas, Ordinary minds discuss events, Simple minds discuss people," and, one may add, despicable minds engage in mud-slinging! 

Be that as it may, contrary to what the TPLF would have the world believe, the teghadalai (freedom fighter) Eritrean leader is highly esteemed by his people. The TPLF regime would, therefore, do well to heed that: 

There Is More to the Leader Than Meets the Eye 

Even in the most emotionally impregnated situations, the Eritrean leader is noted for mustering his composure, and making objective assessments: 

In the middle of euphoria when EPLF forces routed Black Africa's biggest army at Afabet in 1988 ­ a defeat which the famous historian Basil Davidson resembled to the victory of Dien Bien Phu which ousted the French from Indochina 41 years ago ­ BBC journalists asked the Eritrean leader if the victory marked the beginning of the end of the war; and, contrary to their expectations, Isaias replied " we will have to see one or two major battles to speak about the beginning of the end of the war." And two fierce battles that followed - one for the re-capture of Afabet by the Derg, and the other for the capture of Massawa by the EPLF - proved the Eritrean leader right. 

After the fall of Massawa to the EPLF, the Eritrean President predicted that the liberation of Eritrea was numbered in months and not years .The Derg junta was anxious to prove him wrong. Three months after his prediction, the EPLF suffered a minor setback in the Dekemhare front, similar to the present setback in the Setit-Mereb (Badema) front, and the Derg was quick to seize the opportunity and trumpet "the abortion of Isaias' prophecy." But the prophecy was never aborted, for Eritrea was liberated exactly nine months after the historic prediction. 

When the present crisis began and after Ethiopia gave Eritrea an ultimatum to withdraw from Badema or face a military action, the Eritrean leader ­ who has always believed in a peaceful solution to the dispute ­ called on his Ethiopian counterpart to hold direct talks, but the latter was too agitated to appreciate the merit of the call. 

The Leader Does Not Encourage Artificial Human Barriers 

As things stand now, there are no class distinctions in Eritrea, and it is not uncommon to see the highly- and lowly-placed mix freely. The writer of this article had the rare encounter of having his hair cut sitting by the side of the Eritrean President, who was also having his hair cut at a barber's. Where in the world would a President, without concern for personal safety, have a haircut sitting by the side of the man in the street? 

But not only does the leader discourage class barriers in social life but his leadership also discourages ivory towers in the public domain. The fact that there are only four hierarchical administrative steps to get to the Presidency or President - Unit, Division, Directory, and Ministry, without intermediary assistantship positions - testifies to the point. Moreover, no pictures of the President hung in Government offices or public places, but they are engraved in the heart of his people. 

The Leader is the Icon of the Young 

The leader is an icon to the young. The young are not tempted to look for icons elswhere. For most of them Wedi Afwerki (the son of Afwerki) is their role model. There is a cultural tendency in Eritrea to call some individuals who distinguish themselves in some respect ­ in the battlefield, in schooling, sports, jokes, etc. ­ as the "son of Š." It is no wonder that most of the young army conscripts ­ alternatively known as the Sawa boys ­ identify with Wedi Afwerki. Loving and endearing mothers are also heard to shorten "Wedi Afwerki" to "Wedi Afom"- like Robert to Bob- qualified by the word "birri", which means as precious as silver, in their folk songs. "Wedi Afom Birri", is, therefore, a source of inspiration to the young and of hope and destiny to the old. 

The Leader Has the Trust of His People 

Eritrea is half Moslem and half Christian, but the President has the trust of his people across the board. In fact, there are some among the old who see him as God/Allah sent to emancipate the Eritrean people, but almost all agree to his being a tseguram (charismatic) leader. 

There are some parents in Eritrea who have lost up to six of their children in the war of liberation. For those parents the President is the bearer of the torch for which their sons and daughter sacrificed their lives. The leader, therefore, shoulders dual responsibilities ­ to the living and the dead, i.e., the tens of thousands of martyrs. 

Having given not only the prime but also the greater part of his life to the cause of his people and nation, there are also those who see him as a "walking martyr." 

The Leader Is a National Rallying Figure 

The Eritrean President is a popular national rallying figure ­ and that is what leadership is all about! Much as bees swarm their queen, so do the Eritrean people rally around their leader, in peacetime and war. In short, as George Washington is to the USA, Mahatama Gandhi to India, Winston Churchill to the UK, Mao Zedong to China, Jomo Kenyatta to Kenya, Ahmed Ben Bella to Algeria, Kwame Nkrumah to Ghana, Julius Nyrere to Tanzania, Nelson Mandela to South Africa, Isaias Afwerki is to Eritrea. 

It is the image of this "man of the people" that the TPLF regime is maliciously attempting to tarnish. If the TPLF's concern is democracy in Eritrea, that is an internal matter for Eritrea and Eritreans. It has more than its fare share of burning democracy-related problems on its home front, namely: the Oromo, the Ogadenis, the Ethiopian Afar, the Southern Ethiopian Peoples, and (chauvinist) Amhara questions, which the TPLF has chosen to resolve by force or force of arms. 

As an independent nation, Eritrea is only six years old. It is putting in place the necessary institutional framework for modern civil administration. And it is working hard, as a matter of priority, to extricate itself from the legacy of abject poverty left behind by colonial Ethiopia - a country which the Derg itself described as the poorest country in the world next to Dr Banda's Malawi in Africa. 

But, above all, Eritrea is singing songs of freedom and independence, in spite of the current crisis. And, if the TPLF is keen on singing its newly composed melodious lyric about the living legend Eritrean leader, we welcome it to sing it until it makes itself hoarse.