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EPDP Editorial

The Context

From the get go, in an effort to consolidate his dictatorial regime, Issaias engaged  in a scheme of depriving political rights and atomizing the Eritrean society by introducing a series of draconian measures that overtime brought the breakdown of our families and communities, erosion of our values and freedoms, and depletion of our cultural strength and perseverance.

Moreover, in order to ensure the success and continuity of his dictatorial rule in Eritrea, he pursued a divide-and-rule strategy, and consequently over the last two decades steady changes have taken place in our country that gravitated towards separating and creating conflict between the older and younger generation. We know this has benefited nobody, but the regime of Issaias whose survival depends on pushing societal conflicts and divisions to the edge, be it among Eritrean social groups or among Eritrean youth.

In the same vein, the disunity and fracture we witnessed over the last two decades between the different actors in the Eritrean opposition political space has resulted in the loss of trust and confidence in their ability to deliver results, which further contributed to the atomization of the Eritrean society as well as a sense of defeatism and loss of hope in the psyche of Eritrean society. The fact is though these different and seemingly competing actors are in reality interdependent, in that they can neither do without one another nor unilaterally impose their respective preferred solution on others if they are to achieve their respective preferred objectives. It is with this understanding that EPDP has been calling upon the sprouting grass-root movements, Eritrean intellectuals and artists, human rights organizations, religious groups and institutions, and above all the Eritrean youth to extend guarantees not to undermine one another’s vital interest, but to cooperate and support one another’s efforts and coalesce into a “united front” against the dictatorial regime.

Against this backdrop, the Bologna festival 2014 is right on the currency and should be commended for its timely courageous stance. More than anything else, it has attempted to reverse the tide of generational and political differences, which is a positive headway in changing whatever negative perceptions had existed before between the two generations, and/or among the various forces who are engaged in the great battle to uproot the system of tyranny in our country.

Spearheaded and organized by various Eritrean youth groups and joined by a number of political organizations, civil society groups, and individual Eritreans, the Bologna festival of 2014 was a success in that it brought the older and the younger generation together for the first time, it brought new forces, and transcended the division that had seemingly existed between the liberation era generation and the present generation. The festival was also a loud voice and a strong reminder that our country and our people cannot be set free by a single group alone, but by a combined strength and concerted effort of everyone. In essence, the message of the festival was that we must all be (those who advocate for freedom and democracy) the owners of our democratic struggle by rejecting the virtue of uniqueness of one group over another or the act of praising of one generation over another; we must work together and inspire democracy, and ensure the continuity of our country that we love and paid very dearly for it. 

The Bologna festival was an eye opener on a number of national issues:

The Shift

By all reasonable measures, the Bologna festival 2014 has registered a shift in attitude, meaning the way we should understand one another; a shift in emphasis, meaning examining the approaches and views we have on the struggle. A shift in our politics, meaning understanding and learning the challenges and complexities of the Eritrean political map and how we address ourselves to the big task in front of us; a shift in the inter-generational communication/relationship, meaning sharing experiences and gaining a spur of positive changes and preparing our present generation to play its role in the establishment and defense of democracy, and continuity of our country, and above all a shift in the trajectory of our current struggle, meaning how we collectively should work towards formulating a comprehensive strategy to defeat the PFDJ dictatorship. 

The New Reality

The Eritrean younger generation, without exaggeration, is more sophisticated than many of us think. This generation: values the uniqueness and culture of its older generation, understands building intergenerational bridge that ensures the continuity of the country and its people’s unity for generations to come. This generation, like its predecessors, finally stepped in and began to take ownership of its future not by rejecting its older generation, but by forging ties and sharing experiences, which will greatly benefit our people as well as inspire the struggle for democracy and freedom in our country that would serve our future generations.    

Eritrean Women in the Festival

Unlike in the era of liberation for independence, in post independence of our country, Eritrean women’s participation and their role in the country has rapidly diminished under the regime of Issaias. What they achieved and died for during the liberation has been reversed and taken away. On the opposition side, the room for expanding the participation and representation of Eritrean women in the struggle has not been successful; in fact, there has been little effort and focus to date by the majority of Eritrean opposition forces to bring Eritrean women to the fore and make them part of the decision-making in the struggle against the PFDJ regime. The Bologna festival of 2014 has changed that and accommodated a large number of Eritrean women. This is a significant shift on the part of the opposition that amplifies the fundamental role of Eritrean women, as well as a long due recognition that Eritrean women represent half of Eritrea’s population, and that they must be visible in the fight against the evil regime in our country. The youth in particular and the opposition in general must continue to open the field for Eritrean women in a manner that the Eritrean women can assert their role for their political rights and civil rights, women’s rights, and equality in post PFDJ Eritrea.

The Declaration of the Festival

The Bologna festival has presented a wide range of central issues, covering the opposition strategies, the basis for forging unity among the Eritrean opposition forces/groups, the role of Eritrean women, and the unanimous endorsement of the May 2014 ‘Pretoria declaration and Bologna 2013”, and others. All the projects, the wealth of presentations/coverage of the state of affairs of our country that we have witnessed in the festival, as well as the incisive analysis and researches that resulted in a road map formulation are a groundbreaking shift in our struggle. In addition, the adoption of policies on how to follow up and implement the road map is another positive that indicates that this time we mean business. EPDP believes, now more than ever, the drive for change among Eritrean people is high. Hence, what we do next is very critical in that it could either further strengthen our struggle for democracy or not. Our option is to aim higher because as a country we are in much deeper crisis than most us recognize. 

Conclusion

It is important to remember that no single gathering will change the suffering of our people, though gathering is crucial and a starting point. In addition, EPDP understands from 20 years of experience that resolutions/declarations hardly prevail by themselves. But we have begun somewhere. The Bologna festival has articulated ideas, strategies, and visions that we think will accomplish the job - to get rid of the brutality and repression in our country. The big question is, unlike in the past two decades, are we ready this time to follow suit and translate our visions and ideas into concrete actions. EPDP believes that we cannot afford to pay witness to our repeated losing any longer; it is of no use articulating the evils of the PFDJ, and losing the battle all together. Bologna gathering must address such a fundamental recurring failings by wielding the will, determination, and commitment to achieving what was agreed in the festival, the road map. EPDP is determined to play its part.