From: Thomas mountain (thomascmountain@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Sep 17 2009 - 10:58:26 EDT
Sawa pride is growing. The class of 2009 was made up of a large number of our children born in the field or just after liberation. The class of 2010 is made up almost entirely of youth born since liberation, hence the name "liberation generation".Sawa used to have a connotation for many of someplace to be afraid of. Today our children have pretty much excepted going to Sawa as part and parcel of our new traditions, something to look forward to. Especially for our daughters, Sawa is the first time they are on their own so to speak, living amongst their peers without their parents oversight over every part of their daily lives. For the boys, it means for many of them, having to look after themselves for the first time, no more mothers or sisters to wash their clothes, clean their toilets etc. All of the young people I have talked to or had their letters home read to me speak of Sawa being difficult, but still they are glad to be there. They know Sawa is
good for them, they are more self assured and confident, for they can see that they can survive and even thrive under their new responsibilities and hard work.This past June one of our best friends went to see her son off to Sawa at the assembly point for the departure busses, his secondary school. And who was there just like any other Eritrean parent, standing in the street waving good bye to his daughter? wedi afom. While a few children still seem to fear Sawa, and this we trace back mainly to their parents, Sawa is today a place that our youth go to proudly. Some may run away still, but even these are a small percentage of the tens of thousands who attend Sawa every year. Considering the tough times we are still going through and the relentless propaganda being disseminated to our youth on how much better life outside is supposed to be, it is a tribute to the new generation of Eritreans, the Liberation Generation that attending Sawa is now part
and parcel of Eritrean culture, and building a new generation of Eritrean youth united as no place else in the world, no matter religion or ethnic group, rich or poor.Sawa pride is the future our Eritrea and the liberation generation is the result.Selam and rain for Eritrea,Thomas C. MountainAsmara, Eritreap.s. just back from the rat race called the USA and none to soon.
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