MYTH 2013

MAY 2013
MARKING YESTERDAY THROUGH HISTORY
FREEDOM IS NEVER VOLUNTARILY GIVEN BY THE OPPRESSOR; IT MUST BE DEMANDED BY THE OPPRESSED
When many people think of a civil rights movement, they reect solely on the movement that occurred in the United States and fail to understand that numerous countries have also experienced the same phenomenon. In a parallel universe, one of the most fruitful yet discreet movements for justice and equality took place in Eritrea. When Italy claimed Eritrea as its colony on January 1, 1890, Eritreans began to feel the eects of oppression as they faced apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Similar to African Americans in the 1950s, Eritreans faced racial and social discrimination on a daily basis. As we all know from history, prior to the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were essentially secondclass citizens as they constantly faced threats of torture, violent attacks, and segregation. Eritreans experienced similar physical and mental anguish as they too endured injustices from the Italian colonizers. Under Italian rule, Eritreans were denied the right to hold administrative positions and subjected to racial segregation. The Italians utilized segregation as a means of ensuring that Eritreans would not advance as a people. Eritreans were only allowed to reach the fourth grade in formal education with the sole intent of serving only as translators and servants for the Italians. The Italians further ensured that

UNCOVER THE TRUTH ERITREAN HISTORY MONTH Issue 2

OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE WORLD, YET THE SAME ADVERSITY

Eritreans understood their place in society by segregating major cities such as Asmara and Massawa. As Eritreans continued to suer from the brutality of the Italians, resistance movements began to sprout across the country. The Italian government began executing those leaders and their followers to control the resistance of the Eritrean people. Their eorts however, didnt deter the emerging brave leaders such as Gebremedhin Bahta, who was one of the rst to declare his resistance against Italy. He demanded the return of the land that was stolen from him and his people. Im determined to liberate you from the colonial government which came to conscate our land, dominate our farms and control our grazing land. Bahta made many attempts to liberate his people, although his resistance was unsuccessful, his legacy was one that showed a united struggle for the rights of people and paved the way for other brave leaders. Degiat Bahta Hagos, for example, later led the largest and most well organized movement while under Italian occupation. He managed to unite all of the local Eritrean leaders of that region and almost defeated the Italians at Halai. Although they were the under dogs, Eritreans persistently continued resisting throughout the Italian expansion period in Eritrea. The revolutionaries who were born out of oppression galvanized the people and created a sense of a common identity and destiny; this was instrumental in uniting the people. The desire for a life free of foreign oppression helped build a strong Eritrean identity, as well as unite the Eritrean people with a strong sense of nationalism- a strength that was necessary for them to prepare for the ght that was to come.

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FALSE HOPE & BROKEN PROMISES

While World War II involved much of the Northern Hemisphere, its aftermath was felt far from the celebrated battleelds of Europe far from London or Berlin, even further than Tripoli, on the eastern corner of Sahel in Eritrea.
Undoubtedly, the end of WWII was a huge step and sigh of relief for everyone, but Eritreans were especially excited. After decades of colonizers, they were nally promised the right to selfdetermination! Or so they thought. Pamphlets promising independence could be found all over Eritrea amongst the debris of the Second World War. When the Italian colonial government nally collapsed in 1941, the Allied forces who gained control over the former Italian colony disagreed on the future of Eritrea. Eritrea was placed under Britains rule in the interim, and the Eritrean people welcomed the British with open arms as with the British came the possibility of independence and increased social mobility. Promises of independence had built hope amongst the Eritrean people, resulting in the emergence of several Eritrean nationalist movements who shared the idea of consolidating the country as one, including Mahber Fikri Hager (Association of the Love of Country of Eritrea), Eritrea Ni Eritrawian (Eritrea for Eritreans) and Al Rabita Al Islamya(Islamic Association). Once in power, however, the British adopted the Italian administration code and left in eect the racial laws and other discriminatory practices leaving many Eritreans not only unemployed but also devastated by hunger and lack of medical care. To add insult to injury, the United States supported Ethiopias claim to Eritrea. As a member of the Allied forces, Britain supported the US and pushed for Eritreas union with Ethiopia. In order to persuade Eritreans that they were too weak to survive independently, the British destroyed or sold much of Eritreas assets and infrastructure, sending much of it to their other colonies in Africa and Asia. They believed the dismantling of Eritreas advanced infrastructure would negatively impact the Eritrean economy and would make integration with Ethiopia inevitable. The British eorts did not impact the will of the Eritrean people - the majority of the Eritrean population (75%) continued to push for an independent state, regardless of their political persuasion. Haile Selassie and the British tirelessly pressed to destabilize Eritrea and force Ethiopias annexation. Eritreans such as Rasi Tesema Asberom, Weldeab Weldemariam, Ibrahim Sultan, Abdelkadir Kebire, and Degiat Hasen advocated for unity and the independence of Eritrea. Despite assassinations by Ethiopians of several Eritrean political activists and the near escapes of others these men and their organizations stood fast to their principles. In 1950, the United Nations decided to federate Eritrea with Ethiopia as a gesture of appreciation for Ethiopias support of the Allies in World War II. This decision was made despite Eritreans repeated calls for independence as noted by US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles: From the point of view of justice, the opinions of the Eritrean people must receive consideration. Nevertheless, the strategic interests of the United States in the Red Sea Basin and considerations of security and world peace make it necessary that the country [Eritrea] be linked with our ally, Ethiopia. Other Italian colonies such as Libya and Somalia were given their independence, however, due to Eritreas strategic location on the Red Sea, it was forced to be federated with Ethiopia. Since Ethiopia was an ally of the founding nations of the U.N. and the United States, it was thought that providing a friendly Ethiopian regime with strategic access to the Red Sea would be benecial for Western nations considering the evolving Cold War climate, the international oil trade and the establishment of the state of Israel. Under the United Nations resolution, Eritrea was promised to have certain sovereign and democratic freedoms, some of which included the right to
Abdekadir Kebire(right) in 1949 a few days before Kebires martyrdom at the hand of assassin agent of Ethiopia Ato Woldeab Woldemariam(2nd from the left) & Degait Hassen (left), 1949

their own ag and control over domestic aairs. However, these promises were soon broken, as Eritreans quickly became marginalized citizens in their own country under Ethiopian occupation. Eritreans were banned from speaking their own languages and forced to learn Amharic, the dominant language of Ethiopia. Censorship became the standard; Eritreans were forced to dissolve their political parties, trade unions, and press freedoms were non-existent. This suering did not break down the social fabric of Eritrea, but served to fuel their desire for independence. Betrayed once again, Eritreans were left to resist and reclaim their sense of identity. In 1961, Hamid Idris Awate red the rst gun-shot marking the beginning of Eritreas 30 year armed struggle for independence. What followed next demonstrated to the world the strength, perseverance, and unity of the Eritrean people.
vested in the Federal Government..." Although Ethiopia abused the terms of the resolution from the start, these were conditions of the initial agreement, which would have allowed Eritrea much more autonomy, SPREAD THE WORD NOW! Share MYTH issue 1 With your Friends
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WHAT IS MYTH 2013:

A weekly newsletter designed to introduce you to a small country with big heart. Eritreas story is lled with excitement and enthusiasm, a combination of intellectual magnicence and physical struggle. We hope to share with you a fraction of its unique story through MYTH. Please follow us and like us on Twitter @MYTH2013 to continue learning about Eritrea, its history, and where it's going. Like What you read?? Text Us at MYTH2013 (615) 307-0466

MYTH OF THE WEEK

In 1950, when the UN federated Eritrea with Ethiopia, Eritrea fell completelyunder Ethiopian rule.

FACT OF THE WEEK

Under the UN Resolution, there were 15 articles that explained the specications of the federation. Article 1 constituted Eritrea as an "autonomous unit federated with Ethiopia..." Article 2 stated "the Eritrean government shall possess legislative, executive and judicial powers in the eld of domestic aairs." Article 3 stated "the jurisidiction of the Eritrean Government shall extend to all matters not

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