Why are Eritrea and Eritreans being assaulted by redefining and reinterpreting their identification and history by insignificant others? The citizens of this nation state, struggled to define Eritrea and Eritreans; faced internal and external superstructures that ulltimately determined how these issues were resolved.

Eritrea became independent and joined the sisterhood of nation states thru a well known secret: unity, sacrifice and a dedication for justice and democracy. Eritreans, consisting of many ethnic groups, came together, sweated, bled, died with a strong, singular faith of the rightousness of their cause, their birth right for freedom. They were certain they would prevail. What, in the eyes of the world, was considered a miracle, a brand new nation came into being in all its glory. A glory that can only come from the fruitation of the rich diversity of its people.

The Struggle to Define Eritrea

The present struggle to redefine Eritrea with her neighbors can be illustrated best in the following symbolic way. Take a new couple who claim their right for a hdmo(house). They present their case to the bayto(village council)and ask for land from the common area, according to the laws of the village. The bayto, after ascertaining certain facts, fulfills their birth right. If the couple are not the designated inheritors of their parents' existing house, land is demarcated, delimited and given to the couple. In the case of the couple who inherit their parents' house, demarcation nor delimitation is not necessary. Unless! Unless the new couple had brothers and sisters who were given land next to the main family house. Usually land between the hdmos get annexed by one or the other. Because of the familys' close relationship, this annexations are not given much thought, until the new couple claim their inheritance in a fluidly defined boundaries. Eritrea finds itself in a similar situation.

When the colonists divvied up Africa, carved it according to their wishes, Eritrea was a sister of the colonized member states. When after achieving independence the sister nations sat in the bayto we call OAU, they agreed the colonial boundaries will remain sacrosanct, inviolable, except. What happened in Eritrea's case?

The Struggle to Define the Eritrean

What happened to Eritrea is that the Eritrean had a weak political structure. Eritrea's geographic diversity and external strategic interests conspired to deny its birth right, freedom. While this statement needs a longer elaboration it is not the purpose of this writing. Briefly, Eritrea, gifted with diverse geographic features, produced communities with three major centrifugal centers. The coastal region (mdri baHri), the lowland region (metaHt) and the highland region (kebessa) have their unique centrifugal centers. Their existance is owed as much to topography as it is to external influences. Corresponding to the three centrifugal community centers of Eritrea are three external gravitational pulls represented by Yemen, et al. for medri baHri, Sudan for metaHt and Ethiopia for kebessa. Each gravitational center pulling Eritrea's corresponding centrifugal center to it. Eritrean-ness being redefined by these external influences. These super communities transcended ethnic boundaries, indicating common experiences. Prior to the struggle for liberation these communities had very weak relationships. They were practically strangers to each other as Eritreans. The failure of the Eritrean nationalist forces to secure Eritrea's independence prior to its federation and its subsequent annexation by Ethiopia can be explained by these political mechanics.

Going back to ancient times modern day Eritrea have been and continues to be inhibited by a highly evolved communities. When the modern nation state, as we know them now ( 185? UN members, on my last count) came into existance back in early nineteenth century, Eritrea, with the rest of Africa, got a defined boundary. The Eritrean by definition comes into existance at this time. The ancient people and communities in the land of Eritrea then technically can become Eritreans. In reality, however, the Eritrean is a by product of long, hard struggle, a sacrifice for his/her values. The values of land, family and neighbor. The gravitational pull of neighboring peoples and the internal regional cetrifugal community centers did not favor the Eritrean. Colonial savagery, oppression, forced conscription, in one hand, and infrastructure, industry, schools brought the Eritrean together, to common cause.

The Eritrean thru sweat, blood, and bones built a housing for the regional centrifugal centers that can mediate the external gravitational pull. Thru bitter armed struggle Eritrea succeeded to achieve its independence, its freedom. Justice and democracy became religion to the Eritrean. The super structures thus bonded permit full freedom to all the diversity that is Eritrea and draws from it a strong shield to protect its value. This strength from diversity, this unity from diversity is what is symbolically stated as:- Hade hzbi: Hade lbi:: (One people, one heart). Each chamber of the heart performing its preferred movement in sync with the other chambers and bound by a strong muscle. The slogan should not be expanded far beyond this, for fear of trivilizing the discussion. It should be pointed out that the slogan should not imply "sameness" rather implies"harmonization" of Eritrean superstructures.

In Conclusion

Eritrea is well defined and Eritrean identity will continue to be defined in struggle, and they will draw their strength from their diversity. Like the new couples in the village, Eritrea is skillfully negotiating its borders with its kinfolk, its neighbors. Yemen is a good sister. She has, to her advantage, settled with her sister Eritrea. Sudan wants no less than the soul of Eritrea. She is not interested in mere land, she wants Eritrea's famous Heart. As for Ethiopia, weyane is a foolish, jealous sister. She has no love for Eritrea, but her land. zebet (never)!!!

Awet nHafash
Tesfai Bahta
Oakland, Ca.