Eritrea tyrant Isaias Afawarki not only terrorized the people of Eritrea into quietly submitting to his repressive tyrannical reign but also, get this, made them celebrate it and pay to sustain it too by applying same Gestapo tactic of intimidation and fear. This might again sound odd and bizarre but it is real, very real.

As is the case every year at this time, national and international media is inundated with reports of successful Eritrea Festivals in various parts of the world. Have you ever asked yourself what the festival goers are celebrating or partying for? Probably not, because what is there to ask? Festivals are occasions for feasting or celebrating some thing positive, a day or time of religious, historical, cultural, or political significance, etc, you would think. But you are wrong in this case of Eritrea Festivals. You wouldn’t even remotely guess what tyrant Afawarki’s crowds are celebrating because it is counter-intuitive: They are cheering repression and celebrating Tyranny in Eritrea, plain and simple.

For those of you that have not been following the situation in Eritrea closely, here a thumbnail:

What we have in Eritrea is a state system in which one person or an oligarchy-relics of what once was known as People’s Front For Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)- possesses absolute power without the restrains of national constitution, rule of law, political opposition;

Where the entire population is mobilized in support of the official state ideology and intolerance of activities that are not directed towards the goals of the state entail repression or state control of business, labor unions, religious institutions or political parties;

Where power is maintained by means of secret police, propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, regulation and restriction of free discussion, criticism and mass surveillance;

In Eritrea, democracy has been declared luxury item, dissent is treasonous, rule of law is taboo, press freedom outlawed, justice is imagination, parliament is wishful thinking, the national constitution has been indefinitely furloughed (now 11 years), and the last hope the people of Eritrea have been duped into believing it will happen, calls for democratic elections have been trashed as fantasies-may be in 3-4 decades or even none at all. That news came of all days on the eve of Eritrea’s 17^th Independence Anniversary, this past month of May.

Absent any or all of the above, what do you call a political apparatus that has been exercising absolute authority over and control of the country ever since Eritrea emerged as a politically independent and self-governing political entity 17 years ago in 1991? Call it whatever you want but it is everything but democracy, even remotely. What we have in Eritrea is the raw Rule By The Barrel Of The Gun coterminous with Tyranny and totalitarian rule.

Today, the people of Eritrea have been so terrorized by Afawarki’s tyrannical regime to the extent of believing that even the loaf of bread they get to eat is at Afawarki’s mercy.

Now, that is exactly what tyrant Afawarki’s crowds are celebrating under the guise of Eritrea Festivals. Other than that there is no occasion that warrants celebrations on national level at this time of the year. Often recurring occasions that would warrant celebrations on national level include: Independence Day Anniversary in May, which is passé, Bahti Meskerem or September 1^st marking the day the first bullet that led to national independence was fired is yet to come, and New Years celebrations that is half a year away.

Eritrea Festival is a state enterprise not a private party. Those Festivals, like all other such occasions, are masterfully orchestrated and choreographed by party functionaries. It is then executed exactly as prescribed and delivered uniformly by diaspora sub-functionaries and wannabe functionaries whose sole assignment has been to bamboozle their gullible audience by regurgitating same pre-set and hypnotizing talking points laced with a mega dose of fear mongering demagoguery. Of course there are hefty admission fees, no questions asked because they are told it is to the benefit of their motherland and martyrs' families. There are ribbon-cutting ceremonies and the festivities take place under the watchful eyes and to the delight of Ambassadors of tyranny and other surrogates of the tyrant. They will be holding hands to glorify tyranny and repression.

Now, that is what you, tyrant Afawarki's crowds, are celebrating and cheering. If not, what are you celebrating?

Woe unto you, perpetrators of and collaborators with tyranny! For ye will be called to task in a court of law when justice prevails and the day of reckoning surely comes.

Woe unto you, academic mercinaries also! For ye will be called to task for betraying your knowledge in service of repressive blatant tyranny!

Woe unto you, those members of the Eritrean diaspora that are consciously and willingly contributing to the perpetuation of repression and tyranny in Eritrea! For ye will be answerable for your actions too.

Woe to you who laugh now at Eritrea Festivals! For ye shall mourn and weep as well when the day of reckoning surely comes.