Asmara Eritrea May 17 2011

 

I visit my friend Tedros at his Travel House International office. Tedros is one of the few Eritreans in the tourim sector who is well aware of the expectations & wishes of tourists, during their stay in Eritrea. We have coffee in the Casa degli Italiani, opposite to the THI office.

Two phone calls of Tedros are enough for new valuable contacts who will enrich my program for the coming days of Independence Day celebrations. I will meet them later today.

I also have an appointment will Efrem in the Impero bar. Efrem used to live in The Netherlands, and returned to Eritrea. "My hope for wealth was in The Netherlands, but my heart was always in Eritrea". Since I met Efrem on the streets of Asmara, we help each other.

Efrem did his best to find some items for collectors in The Netherlands and I am channeling the rewards to Efrem. I suggest it would be nice if I could picture the Impero bar and adjacent cinema from the balcony of the apartments on the other side of Harnet Avenue.

 A few minutes later I walk with Ephrem the stairwell of the apartment block in search of a resident who has a good view on the bar and the cinema.

Reddy, I high rank military man is willing to let us in, so I can make my pictures. But I am not supposed to leave after the pictures. I am invited for tea with Efrem and Reddy´s family. Fortunately I have my rucksack loaded with pencils and gadgets to surprise the children. 

We talk about the current position of Eritrea after 20 years of independence. "Eritrea wants to live in peace and harmony with its neighbors, but we are still facing an Ethiopian regime occupying land the rightfully belongs to us." It looks the never ending story of no war and no peace will continue for some time.

An extract of the story has been painted on the wall of the Ministry of Education on Harnet Avenue. It starts in 1950 when Eritrea, that used to be an Italian colony, was forced into a federation with Ethiopia, instead of of being granted independence, like all other African former colonies. It was then the US that was responsible for this injustice, and it is now the US that is responsible for the continuation of injustice, by backing Ethiopia, that is still occupying Eritrean territories. *)

In the Ambasoira hotel I meet Yared Tesfay. He surprises me with an invitation to join this evenings performances at the City Park stage backstage, so I can meet the artists, and I have more opportunities to picture them during their performance.

Happy and honored by Yared´s invitation, I join and have fun with the artists in the backstage party tent. I am free to enter the press zone to join the Eri-TV crew to make pictures of the performing artists.

As always these pictures are the most lovely souvenirs of a happy and hospitable Eritrea. No need to say I am both happy, proud, and touched to be so close to the hearts of those celebrating two decades of hard won independence.

 

Decorated Sweet Asmara Caffe - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea

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Travel House International staff - Asmara Eritrea.

Impero Bar & Pastry - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Decorated Cinema Impero - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Decorated Cinema Impero - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Sweeties selling sweeties and more - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Backstage - City Park stage Asmara Eritrea.

Betty Zere, born in Stockholm Sweden - City Park stage Asmara Eritrea.

Sandman Negus (Sador Tesfamichael) LA USA - City Park stage Asmara Eritrea.

Perfect Harmony for National Dignity: NJOY Gothenburg Sweden - City Park Stage.

Africa Umoja (South Africa) - City Park stage - Asmara Eritrea.

Jazz from Sudan - City Park stage - Asmara Eritrea.

Perfect Harmony for National Dignity: Eriam Sisters - City Park Stage.
Moving so fast that it was impossible for me to picture the group as a whole.
Eriam sisters (Eritrean American Sisters) Haben, Salina, Lianda Abraha.
 were very successful in America´s Got Talent 2009 and live in Seattle USA.

  

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*) December 12, 2000 Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a peace agreement in Algiers, after a 2 1/2-year border war.

Article 4, sub article 15 reads as follows: “The parties agree that the delimitation and demarcation of the Commission shall be final and binding. Each party shall respect the border so determined as well as territorial integrity and sovereignty of the other party”.

On April 13th 2002 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague published the conclusions of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.

In September 2003 Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, formally informed the Security Council that Ethiopia rejected the decisions of the International Boundary Commission (arbitration of the International Court in the Hague). He declared the proposed 1 000 km international border drafted by the commission as "null and void".

This disrespect of Ethiopia for the decisions of the Court of Justice in The Hague has practically halted the peace process. Still the UN needs to live up to its responsibility of ensuring the implementation of the final and binding resolution of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's ruling on border delimitation.