Sophia Tesfamariam adds Insult to Eritrea’s Injury

Sophia Tesfamariam adds Insult to Eritrea’s Injury

Elie Wiesel

Our rich and dignified culture bestows utmost respect to the dead, in recognition of the reality that the dead are not able to defend themselves and so it is the responsibility of the living to ensure that their memories are honoured at all times. This dignity is even afforded to those who didn’t honour the dignity of others in life. In realisation of the fact that their eternal fate is now in the hands of their creator, Eritrean culture graciously affords their family the right to reclaim their dignity, not so for Sophia Tesfamariam! This is not just a kick in the teeth to the families who are still grieving, unable to bury their dead; it is the ultimate act of disregard to the entire nation and the culture…

Even the most cursory analysis of the places and dates of births of those who perished on that dark day would establish, unequivocally, that the vast majority were of military recruitment age and that they were from right across the country and particularly from the southern regions, where several villages suffered multiple bereavements each.

But Sophia’s role – her only role seems to be whitewashing the gross violations perpetrated in Eritrea…just like the G15 are in EraEro, incommunicado for over a decade,  because the benevolent pfdj felt  they should be protected from the Eritrean masses and like the journalist were only denied the rights to live and work freely because the Eritrean public demanded so… the young people who perished in Lampedusa ended up in a sinking furnace because their rich, pompous families decided they’d send them on a lavish expedition out of the paradise called Eritrea!

I am appalled! …I am disgusted! And I am sickened by her audacious disregard for human life, by the depth of vile deceit she has allowed herself to wallow in … but more importantly I am hurt on behalf of the 366 young people, their families and communities and all of humanity that grieved the tragic death of so many young people…I am dismayed at the fact that, even if she didn’t fear the wrath of the people, she was so undeterred by the fear of God who will restore justice in Eritrea.

I haven’t been able to shake the image of the Yohana’s baby who only left his mother’s womb long enough to be included in Sophia’s list of ‘rich kids with little sense’… and the little children in those white coffins with a teddy bear perched on top… including the child in coffin number 92 whose name I still don’t know but whose absence still haunts me every time I remember the rows of coffins that have come to define our plight. To Sophia they may only be the cause of annoying questions during a radio interview, to us Eritreans they are flesh and blood whose needless deaths have come to signify the collective injury we feel at being unable to protect them and we should never allow ANYONE to add insult to that injury…

Selam

04-06-2014