JANUARY 25, 2013 |
Eritreans turned all the harmful schemes to instill fear, doubt, and frustrations into enlightening and empowering forces and turned it back on them
What does not kill you only makes you stronger
By Amanuel Biedemariam,
A friend once told me that Eritrea is like a beautiful young lady that all men drool over.
If there is one thing, the last 21 years of Eritrean Independence affirmed, Eritrea truly is the lovely precious gem that the world is drooling over like an obsessed stalker 24/7.
Examples are aplenty. However, regardless of what they attempt, the owners of this gem, the people of Eritrea, know well that it is their gem to enjoy. And they are willing to sacrifice to make sure that this precious gem is safe and sound.
Growing up in Eritrea, I grew up surrounded by mosques and churches that sounded daily prayer calls. I witnessed the devout nature of the mothers and fathers that flocked to these spiritual centers. And ultimately, it is the prayers and blessings of these mothers and fathers that keep Eritrea together and protected. It is the backbone of Eritrean fighters. Eritrea became free from the shackles of colonialism because of it. After Independence, the mothers and fathers of Eritrea never stopped praying, and that prayer is what has become the coatingthat made Eritrea impenetrable.
For over 21 years, enemies tested the people of Eritrea by one cause and challenge after another relentlessly. These challenges, meant to dissolve Eritrea, have crumbled in a predictable fashion time after time for many reasons: the grace of Allah God; the unflinching unity of the people of Eritrea; the prayers of the parents; the idea of placing the greater good above self, selflessness; the understanding that the mass need be aware, informed, educated and armed; belief on self-reliance and creating ways to rely on that belief; Eritrean pride and, ultimately the joy in a collective journey.
No other country, let alone an African country, could have survived the barrage of destructive attempts thrown at the people of Eritrea and survived. Eritrea survived it and kept repelling these violent attempts because they were united.
Long ago, Eritrea has learned that unity is the savior of this beautiful gem. They have learned they can honor and reward the martyred only when they are united. They have learned that the way to safeguard the legacies of the martyred is to keep alive the gift they gifted us, to defend Eritrea, the gem that the martyrs brought to life.
And by the grace of God /Allah, no matter the challenge, Eritrea is shining brighter.
In a short 21 years of Independence, US interests and the genocidal regimes in Ethiopia waged countless attempts to destroy Eritrea. These included sabotages, unnecessary military adventures at the expense of the lives of millions in decades, internationally manipulated sanctions, threats to the Diaspora populations, and the latest, fruitless hoax mission, to mention some.
While the idea remains to create a narrative of Eritrea that is like any other African country, unstable and riddled with endemic instability; the reality, however, the people of Eritrea are far more capable and beyond the grasp of the international community’s understanding of what the nation and the people are about.
Eritrea is a beautiful, peaceful nation blessed by people far beyond all the riches and resources it could unearth. Eritrea became independent and remained independent because they knew what they wanted and how to get it. Eritrea remains the only independent nation in Africa that can make her choices undisturbed by the noise and challenges emanating from the same sources repeatedly.
That is their problem. The independent ways of the people of Eritrea have presented a significant threat to the ways the West and others managed Africa for centuries. History can attest that Africa has never been able to get room to fail, succeed, and discover its potential. To prevent that from taking shape, they killed leaders and destroyed institutions to the point that the so-called leaders of Africa today are mere figureheads used to legitimize the re-colonization of Africa in the international arena. In some resource-rich nations of Africa, one needs to apply in the UK or France to obtain a mining license. Talk about sovereignty.
The trajectory of the people of Eritrea has been independent and steady upward movement initially by laying solid social fabric and later by establishing physical foundations that can buttress future growth but above all, it is the mindset of the people Eritrea that is indestructible.
That is because, early on, the people of Eritrea learned that no one would come to their rescue. For decades, when Eritrea was torched and tortured, Africans stood by on the sidelines claiming non-interference while millions were displaced. Eritreans learned that the aim of their enemies was and remained the destruction of Eritrea! Eritreans know well that only Eritreans can do for Eritrea.
And after decades of purposeful hard-fought journey, after long periods of trials and tribulations, Eritreans have learned to layer on their victories led by the belief, “Victory to The Masses” every step of the way. At the same time, they embraced the hardship and traveled the arduous journey enjoying the collective happiness as well as sadness throughout their history. Here we are! And there is nothing anyone nation, entity, or individual can do about it.
As the saying goes, “what does not kill you only makes you stronger.” Eritreans turned all the harmful schemes that aimed to instill fear, doubt, and frustrations into enlightening and empowering forces and turned it back on them. They used it to filter truth. In the process, they exposed all the tricks and traps and told the filth to the world. It has heightened their alertness and forced Eritrea to maintain and enhance her strength far beyond enemies’ expectations.
CONCLUSION:
Eritreans need to be proud of their accomplishments. The truth is, yesterday, when they torched Eritrea, no one raised the cause of Eritrea. As the napalm bombs reigned on Eritrea, it was an internal African matter. Criminal Ethiopian regimes did what they wanted without question and accountability from the international community.
The reality is different today; the president of the most powerful nation mentions Eritrea by name, and Eritrea remains on their radar screen 24/7. Why? It is because Eritrea arrived. Eritrea is one of the most influential nations in the world.
People only want to knock you down, take shots at you, and talk bad about you when you are on the top and powerful.
Eritrea is a blessed nation, and it will remain blessed because of all the prayers. Eritrea will prevail because of its excellent nature, perseverance, belief system, hard work, dedication, and commitment. Eritrea will thrive because Eritreans are one and know how to face adversities together in a manner unseen anywhere in the world.
