The Saturday programmes were opened by Mr. Tesfamariam Kibreab, chairman of the festival preparatory committee, who welcomed festival participants and briefly explained the objectives of the festival as well as the tasks of the Eritrean Democratic Association (EDA) that organizes the annual politico-cultural event in Frankfurt in cooperation with the branches in Europe of the Eritrean People’s Democratic Party (EPDP).
The first guest speaker invited to the podium by stage moderators in Tigrinia and Arabic, Ms Tiebe Tekie and Amanuel Beraki, was the Representative of the Mayor of Frankfurt and the City Council, Ms S. Erika Pfreundchuh, who conveyed Mayor Peter Feldman’s good wishes to the participants with his modest financial present to the festival. She also expressed her deep sympathies with many Eritrean families that lost their sons and daughters Lampedusa, in the Sinai and other places and hoped these tragedies and their causes will end soon.
The first to be invited to the podium, with Dr. Aklilu Ghirmai as translator, was the Representative of the Mayor of Frankfurt followed by the delegate from SPD (the German Social Democratic Party).
The second guest speaker to present solidarity message was the Representative of SPD (German Social Democratic Party), Ms Silvia Kurst, who saluted festival participants on behalf of the party chairman reiterated SPD’s supportive stance on of refugees and migrants in need of solidarity and necessary help to protect their basic rights.
Following the solidarity speeches of the German officials, EPDP Chairman Menghesteab Asmerom presented the keynote speech in which he warmly saluted all distinguished guest speakers and festival participants before dwelling on reviewing in details the sad and ever worsening situation in Eritrea.
EPDP Chairman presenting the keynote speech at Eritrea Festival 2014
The EPDP Chairman also raised challenging questions to all Eritreans opposed to the dictatorial regime in Asmara if they are doing enough to dislodge the regime on time ande replace it by a trustworthy system that would offer peace, democracy and social justice to the people. (See full text of the speech will be posted soon in Arabic and Tigrinia).
Many speakers continued to reach the festival podium with their solidarity messages and political position paper during the long meeting hours Saturday afternoon. They were the following (and many of the presentations will be posted in www.Harnnet.org
soon):
- Mr. Abdurahman Sayed (Bohashem) conveyed to festival participants the good wishes of Mr. Humad Kulu, chairman of the Eritrean National Democratic Forces (ENDF), who could not make it to the festival venue. Bohashem, the Festival Panel Moderator, called EPDP to be not only a party for positive change, as its motto goes, but also “a listener party”!
- Dr. Almaz Zerai presented an exceptionally interesting speech on behalf of the Network of Eritrean Women.
- Ambassador Andebrhan Weldgiorgis gave his impressions on the Pretoria workshop and the aims of the Eritrean Forum for National Dialogue (Medrek/Multeka).
- Mr. Tesfalem Araya spoke for the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights (EMDHR) of South Africa.
- Mr. Idris Humad from UK presented the solidarity message from the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF).
- Ms Harnet Bokrezion spoke for the Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (EYSC).
- Mrs. Alganesh Ghebre spoke on the objectives of the Free Initiative for Eritrean Women.
Dr. Almaz; youthful Harnet andTesfalem; Mohammed Nur and Ambassador Andebrhan were among the many panelists who made the Festival discussions very rich and lively.
- Mr. Mohammed Nur Karrani represented the Eritrean Islamic Party for Development and Justice (EIPDJ).
- Mr. Menghesteab Afewerki represented the Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP).
- Mr. Mohammed Osman Idrisai represented the Eritrean Federal Democratic Movement (EFDM).
- Mr. Idris Nur represented the Eritrean Nahda Party (Nahda).
- Mr. Suleiman Hussein represented Citizens for Democracy and Human Rights in Eritrea (CDRiE).
After a short break, Mr. Hamdy Al Azazy of the New Generation Foundation made a strong one-hour speech about the suffering inflicted by human traffickers in the Sinai upon thousands of Eritrean and other African refugees/migrants during the past eight years and his praiseworthy role in helping those in need of such help (full text of his lengthy presentation will be posted soon).
EPDP Chairman with Hamdy Al Azazy at the Festival. The human rights activist from Sinai was awarded a recognition certificate for his efforts to help Eritrean hostages of human traffickers.
Dr. Habtemichael Teklebrhan, a prominent EPDP member in Sweden, made quick but interesting presentation supported by slide show on the development of humanitarian action by the global red cross and red crescent movement and the role of the Eritrean Red Cross-Crescent Society (ERCCS). He focused on ERCCS’s education project which has been going on for the last 30 years in Eastern Sudan. Dr. Habtemichael said that the currently over 650 children enrolled in the Wad-Sherifey School for Eritrean Refugees are in urgent support for the purchase of student uniforms.
Dr. Habtemichael Tekle talking on the need for more humanitarian action for Eritrean refugees
A quick collection that followed his speech obtained about USD 2,000 for the benefit of the said project, including 1,000 Euro donation by the Free Initiative of Eritrean Women.
The Festival Panel moderated by Mr. Abdurahman Sayed brought to the podium all the Eritrean guest speakers from political and civic organizations.
Festival Panelists at the front stage discussing the themes presented by the moderator.
The main themes raised at the panel were: how to achieve unity of action to dislodge the dictatorial regime in Eritrea; what challenges are ahead in the transition period; the role of the media in the opposition camp and the expected role of youth and women in the current struggle for change and democratization. After all the panelists exchanges their views on the questions raised by the moderator, the rest of festival participants joined in airing out their viewpoints and raised many questions of great importance to be reviewed by everyone in the opposition camp.
As noted, folkloric music and dancing, interspersed with poetry and entertainment, continued till Sunday morning.
On Sunday, 10 August, many festival participants returned to the festival site and exchanges their impressions of the historic festival and their experiences from the countries they came from that included the USA, Canada, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. Among these was Ms Salwa Nur (paltalk name Umrital) who travelled from the United Arab Emirates for the sole purpose of attending the festival! Other friends from UAE who faced last minute technical inconvenience to travel to Germany sent support money equivalent to their air ticket costs for the benefit of the festival. (WWW.Harnnet.org readers are urged to stay tuned for details on these events).
It is to be recalled that when the Festival opened on Friday, 8 August, the main event of the day was a seminar focused on the outcome of the Pretoria workshop of 9-11 May 2014.
The seminar, organized by the Eritrean National Democratic Forces (ENDF) of which EMDHR and EPDP are members, had as panelists Mr. Abdurahman Sayed, Ambassador Andebrhan Weldegiorgis of EFND/Medrek and Mr. Tesfalem Aray of EMDHR.
The ENDF seminar was moderated by Mr. Assefaw Berhe (right in picture), an EPDP leadership member.
