Asmara Eritrea - December 1st 2006

 

After finishing some personal business and an e-mail check in the TSE Cyber Cafe next to the Telecommunications Office, I visit the National Museum of Eritrea, not far from the Selam Hotel. Before I can enter, I have to store my bag and camera in a locker. It is not allowed to make pictures. Even the director of the museum cannot overrule these procedures (I asked him to make an exception, explaining the purpose).

The Asmara National Museum has several sections:

• A preserved animal section, showing an overview of Eritrea's wildlife
• A paintings and art section
• An archaeological section (showing pictures of historical sites, like Qohaito, Adulis, Keskese, Metera, Dahlak Kebir and Belew Kelew,  and a lot of objects found as a result of excarvations, displaying the regional history, going back approximately one million years ago)
• A national history section (with music instruments and traditional handicraft of Eritrea's nine nationalities) and 
• A preserved blue whale sceleton

I spend the afternoon collecting data for our Eritrean information pages, and walking through Asmara. When I return to the villa of Gebrehiwot and Zewdi, Awet a local businessman, stops his car next to me to greet me. He wants me to show the farm of his grandfather, which is just outside Asmara. I passed it when walking from Acria to Adi Nefas, but since it is hidden behind a lot of vegetation, it was then invisible.

At 21:00 in the evening I visit the Expo area, where there is a lot of nightclubs. I am at least one hour ahead of the rest of the visitors. The performances at Hidmona (with live Eritrean music and dance) are said to start at 22:00. In an hour I visit four other less spectacular nightclubs, greasing the muscles of my legs with Asmara beer, to make them dance. I recognize some of the artists from my previous visits: Tekeste Wldai, the Watta player, a lady dancing with a bottle of Asmara Zibib on top of her, and of course Haile, my brother in law.

The party in Hidmona starts at 23:00. Various Eritrean artist give performances, playing traditional Eritrean instruments. I join the crowd, dancing on the rhythm of the Tigrinya music, and drinking Asmara beers until 2:00 in the morning.

 

Department of water resources - Mariam Gmbi Street Asmara Eritrea.

Department of water resources (detail)
Mariam Gmbi Street Asmara Eritrea.

Department of water resources (detail)
Mariam Gmbi Street Asmara Eritrea.

Schoolgirl in uniform - Asmara Eritrea.

Palm Bar and Restaurant - Asmara Eritrea.

Small scale trade - Edaga Hamus Asmara Eritrea.

Coca Cola mobile retail - Edaga Hamus Asmara Eritrea.

Farmland - Acria Asmara Eritrea.

Traditional kitchen - Acria Asmara Eritrea.

Nightclub West End - Expo area Asmara Eritrea.