Like many Eritreans, I grew up in an extended family that included siblings, cousins and grandparents. Whether I know it or not, all of them, I am sure, have left their indelible impressions on me; none more so than my grandfather, Ahmed Younis.

My grandfather, Allah yerHamu (RIP), was a grand man. Born and raised in Keren, he spoke in a peculiar "tigre-ized tigrigna"--not exceptional for people who grew up in the multi-ethnic hotbed known as Keren--but a head-turner in my hometown of Asmara. Read more ...