There were two articles written on Hadas Eritrea about Hebo a small village
in Segenity sub-zone. The first article talked about how a young man
“milked” honey from the mountains of Hebo apparently he has a bee farm. The
second article talked about an elderly man in his late 80’s who flattened a
mountain into a farm land harvesting abundantly. Reading the article a
group of seven decided to see for our self what these village looks like.
Knowing traditional goodness and ancestral greatness united and harmonious
Eritrean villagers; one would become filled with the love of Hebo;
impressed by the spectacle of her landscape. Landscape is amazingly
gorgeous and breathe taking. The mountains are huge some smaller
inter-connected one over the other; mountains locked to each other as a
mother embracing her children. The massive land is covered in huge granular
stone, gray in color. The day brighter sky lovely are wonders of miracle
the land is blessed with tranquil and unspoiled climate, fertile plains,
hillsides and starkly beautiful mountains. It is an idyllic landscape for
oak tree (Daero), fig tree (sagla) and Prickly Pear Cactus fruit (beless)
with much of it unique to Eritrea Southern highlands. Drove from Asmara
south-east towards Segenity via Dekemhare winding climb up the escarpment
to reach Segenity sub-zone.
Segenity is an elegant modern city, high to low-slung structure made of
brick and concrete houses designed in minimalist style. Downtown is located
at the eastern front of the city; visitors need only a few steps out to
find themselves immersed in the market. For visitor’s it is the warm air
that struck them first, a clean breeze spiced by the aroma of morning
coffee and freshly baked pastry and food sold by the street venders. At the
Southernmost tip of Segenity the mountains merge with the open valley.
Overlooking this perilous intersection is the main road to the village Hebo
where one cores a pathway between rows of humongous mountains, cutting a
graceful arc across the Segenity district. On top of a large rock is where
one gazes at an austere citadel of Virgin Mary statue that watches and
guard Hebo against evil. The sun casting long shadows down the wide canyons
that snaked between the mountains; is where you find Hebo with its
spectacular high rise building, houses and a magnificent church and Mosque.
Hebo is awesomely picturesque it looks more like a post card than a genuine
village. The beauty of the village reflects that the village has been
acquired by people who knew their duty and had courage to do it. Hebo looks
like a walled village surrounded by mountains its primary entrance is a
bridge that lay for quarter a kilometer over a river.
Their citizenship is the highest grandeur and they freely give their lives
to her as the fairest offering which they could present. The sense of
belonging, higher good which comes from having an active role in the
village life is what is cherished. Family is an ancient and honorable
lineage that gives entrance into that higher form of social relationship.
Above all stands the village which gives to its residents their meaning and
their value. Family, property and social friends are to be enjoyed at their
best only if they form elements in that supreme good, which consist in
having a place in the life and activities of the village itself. Hebo life
had a quality of intimacy, relatively small, close and personal that they
fill connected with one another with same interests centered in the
village. Religion in so far as it is not a family matter, it’s the religion
of the village and their religious festivals are civic celebration. The
means of livelihood are dependent upon the village unlike the city life.
For Heboians the village is a life in common; its law is a mode of life the
harmony of this common life. Furthermore; the making of the village is the
interconnectedness of ethics, sociology, governance and economics.
The iconic Our Lady Perpetual rose into the afternoon sky; the church is
the largest in all of the surrounding. Its unusually steep dome and
circular sanctuary is Byzantine in style, while its columned marble
pronouns are clearly modeled to the classical entryway to the ancient dome
of Hagias Sophia located in Istanbul. As you enter it is topped by
spectacular pediment of intricate marble relief portraying a host of
martyred Eritrean saints. The church’s painted windows with bright sunlight
that stream makes vibrant environment that ease the Faithfull attain
spiritual wealth. We have visited many cathedrals, but the ambience of
Hebo’s church struck us as truly extraordinary. As the village carried on
the call for prayer “aksam” loudspeaker reverberated the faithful scurried
to Mosque. Informing us; this is a village of unity where religious forces
come together live in respect and harmony. Two ethnic groups live in Hebo
Saho and Tigrnia. The life of woman is demanding; the Saho woman out run
the goats she herds and makes beautiful decorative artifacts. The ladies of
Hebo were dresses flawlessly. She wears her olive ebony hair lay on her
back nickels around her neck, a neck that reminds one of alabaster. Her
skin tone is brown, the skin as smooth as ice-cream; attractive in a way
that disturbs your emotions. Saho ladies are graceful with an elegant oval
face smooth footed walk of a peasant dress in a colorful Lewet and sandals
this is a beauty “Fit for a Queen”
Hebo is a small village of about two hundred house hold it has an
orphanage, schools, clean water, electricity and a clinic. Living in Hebo
is not a means to an end but an end by itself. Hebo offers experiences full
of ecstasy, emotion, tranquility and harmony a legacy that reveals itself
in hundreds of historical monuments, an abundance of natural beauty.
Received on Wed Jan 11 2017 - 06:44:15 EST