“A constitution is not something you erect in one day…A constitution is full of ideals which are to be striven for.” – Samson Isaacs, Eritrean Commentator

On midweek Nubiart we interviewed Samson Isaacs, an Eritrean commentator about the situation in Eritrea and its implications for the rest of Afrika. Samson left Eritrea during the 1980’s due to the fighting then going on for Eritrean independence against the Ethiopian Derg regime. He came to Britain and studied both Business Studies and Cosmology.

He thinks that for a young nation Eritrea has done very well in establishing itself. He felt that it was not clear what the politicians and journalists, jailed for saying that the government ratified constitution did not follow the policies agreed when they were fighting for independence, were trying to achieve. It also came at a bad time as Eritrea was at war with Ethiopia and national security was a major issue. He pointed out that Eritrea had little support during its independence struggle and so it is highly valued by the people. “My freedom or anybody’s freedom shouldn’t be at the detriment of the nation’s security or the overall good of the people.”

On the border war and demarcation dispute Samson felt that Ethiopia was at fault. Firstly, for invading what was considered Eritrean territory and also for not accepting the boundary commission’s decision to award the disputed land to Eritrea. He pointed out that after the border dispute between Eritrea and Yemen over islands in the Red Sea Eritrea accepted the decision which went against them.

Samson pointed out that Eritrea had laws respecting human rights before the formation of the League of Nations. “Democracy means elections…that is really poor because South Afrika during the apartheid era you had elections, party systems. America during the slaveholding system had elections. So elections do not make a democratic state – it’s a culture and that culture existed in Eritrean villages and it’s not the political party system only which allows elections.”

He felt there was a campaign on the international political circuit to isolate Eritrea painting the government as belligerent and not skilled in diplomacy compared to some of the more longer established Afrikan nations. “Slaveholding societies and non-slaveholding societies cannot affect the same sense of justice…they have a freedom to decide for themselves - others are under conditions. Many governments in Afrika are actually sponsored by outside powers and they usually choose people who do not have public support so they can tell them to swim in the direction they want or sink.

 “…Eritrea is a bad message to many interests, including Afrikans, who are in co-operation with these foreign powers because Eritrea says, ‘all Afrikans – and by Afrikans I don’t mean only people who are in Afrika or people like me who were born in Afrika who came here, but all Afrikans, everywhere -  the capacity to fight and free yourself is with you. Self-reliance is the way!”

 “Slavery was the poison of Afrika.” Samson pointed out that the traditional dessa landholding system outlawed slavery, racism and discrimination against women and entitled everybody to access to land. The name of Eritrea’s capital Asmera means ‘the woman united’. “I don’t think there is any other city that is named to honour the good deeds of women…There is a lot of presumption that in Eritrea because it is in Afrika and it is a small country probably they don’t have respect for women, probably they don’t understand about democracy.” To date no accusations of kleptocracy and large foreign accounts overseas have been successfully leveled against the Eritrean government unlike other governments in Afrika.

On the brain, skills and care drain Samson felt that the damage is done more by people who go from the West with pictures and stories pretending they are living a good life outside Eritrea rather than because of the situation in the country. He was critical of many UK-based Afrikan groups who have little positive work to show for the level of grant money they receive. Kubara pointed out that many maintain contact with their hometown and help development of their region through poverty alleviation and job creation schemes and support and advise people from their home region or country when they come to Britain. Samson felt that the help they offered was limited and some in this country defend the practice of child slavery in Afrika. He pointed out that Eritrea threw out many NGOs because the government felt that they were not really aiding the people but keeping them in a state of dependency. Finally, there is a new magazine due out in the autumn which will focus on the arts and culture of Eritrea.

------------------------------------

 Nubiart Diary is Afrikan Quest's weekly e-newsletter giving updates on Nubiart and recommending books, music and events. To subscribe e-mail us at: afrikanquest@hotmail.com and put 'Subscribe to Nubiart Diary' in the subject line. If you no longer wish to receive Nubiart Diary then put 'Unsubscribe' in the subject line.

Nubiart: Every Wed - 5pm & Fri - 10pm on Sound Radio 1503AM. For more info contact: Kubara Zamani, Afrikan Quest, PO Box 35165, London, SE5 8WU
Tel: 07811 494 969 E-mail: afrikanquest@hotmail.com
Web: www.southwark.tv/quest/aqhome.asp