PBSâ Escaping Eritrea documentary was just as horrifying as expected. The scarring footage of over-packed prisoners trapped, all squeaked into a small, intoxicating space. As they lay down to sleep, one can be unsure if these men are still with us, let alone the mental strains they sleep with. When were these images captured? 1500s … Continue reading (Still) Escaping Eritrea: PBSâ heart-wrenching reminder
Last month Zoufris Maracasâ much awaited Bleu de lune album was released. Five years after the phenomenal Chienne de vie, they returned with an album just as exciting and humorous as the last. It’s the kind of album that encourages day-dreaming, laugh outbursts, zone out moments and goes through all your stages: from fuck-the-system … Continue reading Bleu de lune: Indeed
Netflixâs Ugly Delicious documentary returned for its much anticipated Season 2. In a short but sweet series, David Chang returned with more diverse themes that promised viewers a rollercoaster of emotions. From new life and parenthood to the role of food on heritage, war and displacement. We saw a perfect balance of dialogues: intimate convos … Continue reading Ugly (still) delicious
âI donât know Ades, if I donât know Ades how can I know where it might be?â – Ras Isu of Eritrea 2018 was an unforgettable year for Eritrea and Ethiopiaâs troubled history. Kubur President Hager Eritrea, Harbegna Tegadelai Neber Ato Isaias Afwerki Abraha and Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed took to the centre stage. … Continue reading “Did you enjoy the show?”
The Refugee Food Festival hit another European city; in a creative attempt to open hearts and pallets. What started in Paris in June 2016 spread to cities throughout France, including Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and eventually hitting Brussels, Athens, Florence, Madrid, Milan, Amsterdam, Bari and Rome. Next stop? Geneva. Determined to change the perceptions of refugees, … Continue reading How to win hearts and tummies
The waves of excitement brought by Labourâs gains in the general election was short-lived. Reality hit in Grenfell Tower. Home to hundreds of people and with 23 floors there were no sprinklers, emergency exits or fire safety measures. Many suspect hundreds to have perished in their own homes, in one of the richest boroughs in … Continue reading The Unelectable, The Troublemakers and The Polite
Behind the âHidden Figures.â “I counted everything: the steps, the dishes, the stars in the sky” – Katherine Johnson Itâs the holidays, and with a huge pool of new film releases, there is one that stands out this year. This film tells the untold story of Katherine Johnson, the Black female mathematician and her peers, … Continue reading Hidden Figures – The True Story
Last month the Twitter-savvy, Kubur Minister of Information/Chief of Staff of the Only (Presidentâs) Office, Yemane âCharlieâ Gebremeskel attended a panel discussion in the European Parliament on âDevelopmentâ in Eritrea. For the House of Cards fans, The âDoug Stamperâ of Eritrea. Smiles all around In a country where you cannot even say the word âParliamentâ … Continue reading Seeking Information
The 18th of September marks the anniversary of the disappearance of prominent Eritrean leaders, known as the G-15. In the early hours of the morning; Eritreaâs unelected President Isaias Afewerkiâ of 23 years and counting â arrested his comrades and members of his cabinet for writing an open letter, urging reform. In ten years they … Continue reading What if it never happened? The 13th Anniversary of the G-15âs Abduction
The power of the koboro is a reality I find both amusing and puzzling. ‘Koboro’ is a traditional Eritrean drum. The repetitive beat of the Koboro is an effective tool that is numbing Eritrean society at home and abroad. That’s rights abroad! Refugees who fled their homeland following unimaginable persecution are controlled by the captivating … Continue reading The Power of The “Koboro”
