Eritrea

My brother is adopted. Reading My Father’s Daughter by Hannah Pool kept bringing me back to his story and the way I felt when he found his biological sister. (Wait! What? I’m his sister!) Hannah Pool is so honest about her insecurities and fears of rejection as she meets her biological family in Eritrea. She also beautifully describes Asmara and several villages as she travels around Eritrea to experience how her family lives. This is a powerful, emotional, well-written book. I couldn’t put it down.

At the same time I ordered My Father’s Daughter from the San Bernardino County Library, I also ordered I Didn't Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation by Michela Wrong. This book surveys how Italy, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union each used Eritrea for its own purposes. All this reading about colonialism in Africa (see also many of my previous blogs) is making it even more obvious that some things I was taught in school weren’t accurate, emphasizing the importance of life-long learning.

Words Without Borders allows me to look deeper into a uniquely Eritrean perspective with:

· A short story by Haregu Keleta: https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/article/the-girl-who-carried-a-gun

· A poem by Ghirmai Yohannes: https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/article/unjust-praise

To experience Eritrea here in California, check the Eritrea Church of the Living God in Oakland. Even if you can’t make it in person, they post worship services online (see for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT56XuMwevg). Oakland and San Francisco also have several Eritrean restaurants. In February 2020, I took my Mom and Dad to the Oakland restaurant Asmara and we had the vegetarian combo which we all loved. Eritrean food is similar to Ethiopian food and just as good! Here is the warning to first timers: the spongy bread called injera (used to pick up the vegetables and meat) keeps rising in your stomach. Pace yourself and expect to feel even fuller after the meal.

Do you want to make Eritrean food yourself? Check here for recipes and also click around for more information on Eritrea: http://www.eritrea.be/old/eritrea-recipes.htm

Here are samples of art from three Eritrean painters: http://www.warscapes.com/retrospectives/eritrea/three-eritrean-painters

I know I already linked to music from the Eritrean church in Oakland, but I want to add more from Eritrean young people. The music of Eritrea often uses the same scale as Arabic music and I found several videos I enjoyed:

· A young adult Christian choir (Christianity has been known and practiced in Eritrea for about as long as Christianity has existed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-iz7MKkrUc

· A music video with scenes from Eritrea's capital city Asmara (a UNESCO world heritage site for the modern buildings): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQIlRNevXVk

· A string of Eritrean music videos by Robel Michael (I listened while browsing pictures and reading) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyTdGEk1wdA

If you are going to visit, TheCrazyTourist has a list of places to see: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/10-best-places-visit-eritrea/. Check in with your local travel advisor to plan your trip. Here’s my weekly shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Eritrea and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Sailing Nomad with a picture of the national animal of Eritrea: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanwhisner/3552728363/