Network of Eritreans for Constitutional Governance (NECG)

Eritrea: Festivals As Decoys To Feign Societal Normalcy

08 August 2008
Berhane M Tekeste

It is no secret that Eritrea under the tyrannical grip of self-styled-president-for-life Isaias Afawerki is far from being coterminous even with rudimentary democracy, rule of law, justice, constitutional governance, elections, parliament, political opposition or any other basic societal norms, take your pick. Yet, the international media is inundated with Eritrea Festivals after Festivals here, there, and all over the world in short order. Ever wondered why? Simple, it is because Festivals are most powerful tools to feign societal normalcy. And Eritrea ruler is employing festivals as a decoy to conceal, deflect attention away from, and thereby perpetuate blatant tyranny that he has subjected and terrorized the people of Eritrea into absolute submission to.

So, don't be fooled by the frenzy of Eritrea Festivals because they are all decoys to feign societal normalcy in a country where societal normalcy has been pervertly defined as absolute and unequivocal submission to tyranny.

Unlike other colonial territories that were automatically disposed of as politically independent and self-governing sovereign nations at the end of Colonialism, the people of Eritrea were denied of such disposal (national independence) forcibly. Consequently, the people of Eritrea were damned to re-claim national independence the hardest way: 30 years of armed blood, sweat, and tears. Yet, the people of Eritrea didn’t get what they fought for but colonial oppression and subjugation replaced by homegrown barefaced tyranny of the malevolent brand perpetrated and perpetuated by Eritrea ruler Isaias Afawerki and his cronies- a handful of relics of what once was known as Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) later conveniently renamed Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). No Gimmick. What you got in Eritrea is tyranny being perpetrated under the guise of Democracy and Justice!

Tyrants utilize any, all, and every means including war and Gestapo tactics of intimidation to perpetuate tyranny. Of all, the easiest and simplest way to perpetuate tyranny is to deflect attention away from it persistently.

Eritrea ruler Isaias Afawerki is no exception to that. As a matter of fact he has mastered such means par excellence!

One of the many such deflection tactics that Eritrea ruler Afawerki has mastered and made an art of is preoccupying the people with frequent festivals as a means primarily designed to draw away attention from and hence perpetuate tyranny, and secondarily, as a valuable diversionary ploy crafted to obtund and counter the ever mounting calls for democracy.

In Eritrea, what makes festivals attractive and thus easy to manipulate in service of purposes contrary to the ostensible intention is the love of Eritreans to socialize with each other, to meet old friends and most of all their love for their cultural heritages. Ruler Afawerki knows that pretty well and is exploiting it perfectly to blindfold the people from seeing the tyranny they are subjected to.

While the hooplas and fanfare of last Month’s Festival dubbed conveniently ‘Youth Festival’ is not yet completely over, the tyrannical regime of ruler Afawerki repackaged and renamed this same festival and launched it as yet another festival dubbed again conveniently ‘Eritrea Festival’. Launching one festival after another is consistent with persistent diversionary tactic mentioned above.

Other than that, these merry events are not organized because Eritreans have been so alienated from their cultural heritages that they needed multiple festivals to preserve them, or because Eritreans have lost their patriotism that they needed a series of festivals to recover it, or because Eritrea’s robust economy has stressed out the people to the extent that they needed non-stop feel-good parties to relax them from the stress of overtime work.

No, the motive behind such festivals is not concern about cultural heritage, patriotism, or worry about the lack of socialization between and among Eritreans but it is designed to keep attention away from the tyrannical repression they are being subjected to, one the one hand, and as far as the Eritrean diaspora is concerned it a surefire making scheme, on the other hand. Who is kidding whom here?


Humble reminder: Those unsuspecting minds of Festival goers that attend the festivals for love of socializing with fellow Eritreans, cultural heritage, and meeting old friends please beware that in doing so you are unintentionally contributing to crimes against humanity perpetrated by Afawerki's tyrannical rule because it is using these particular Festivals to maintain tyranny by deflecting attention away from it. Thanks.

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