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ERITREA:
Independence Day Poem
Berhane
M Tekeste
22
May 2008
On
May 24 Eritrea will celebrate 17th Independence
Anniversary. This year, May 24 falls on a weekend. That is great, we
couldn't wish for a better time to celebrate a day that heralded the
emergence of Eritrea as a politically independent and self-governing
state.
As
always, Eritrea celebrates its Independence Anniversary with flying
colors. Eritreans at home and all over the world express their
deserved joy over their national independence big time by organizing
grand events that include grandiose cultural shows, festivities,
songs, dancing, and poetry among other things.
On
Independence Day, we commemorate our fallen heroes and heroines in
the great war for national independence and yet another great war in
defending the so attained national independence from futile attempts
to reverse it, we express gratitude to their families, and we
appreciate and thank our war veterans for the invaluable sacrifices
they paid for the noble cause of Eritrea's national independence.
Yet
and unfortunately, Independence Day celebrations belie what has
become of Eritrea since achieving independence. What Eritreans fought
for is far from being congruent with the undeniable realities of
post-independence Eritrea. The following poem written in local
language, Tigrigna, is a brief expression of what has befallen
Eritrea since independence: 'MeAlti
Natsinet'
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