#10. The Republic of Eritrea

Welcome to the "Land of Punt"! A people forever firm in their principles! A shout out of social accountability and respect!

Hosting over a hundred thousand years-old fossils, a central origin of human migration it is perceived to be. Hardworking and resilient people clothed in social responsibility makes the place admirable. When we live together in respect and value, peace prevails! For me, the country has the oldest peaceful social relations between the equal numbers of Muslims and Christians. A command of honor to spirituality! Lesson learnt.

Eritrea is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by the Sudan in the north and west, Ethiopia in the south, Djibouti in the southeast and the Red Sea in the east. The east of the country has an extensive coastline (about 1000 kilometers) on the Red Sea, directly across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Its capital is Asmara, nicknamed, "The Little Home" with preserved buildings of the Modern Italian and also the Ottomann Empire Architecture! This is a beautiful place.

Mdree-Bahree?was Eritrea's old name given by the local people to mean: Land of the Sea. The term "Eritrea" derives from the Greek term Sinus Erythraeus, which can be translated in English as?Red Sea. The name was given to?the sea between the Arabian Peninsula and the Africa continent, by Greek tradesmen of the third century B.C. In 1890 Italy colonised the land of Midri-Bahri along the Red Sea, and named it Eritrea. Unlike other kingdoms, Mdree-Bahree was the only democratic kingdom in which the king (bestowed the name?Bahree Negasee?meaning "King of the Sea") was elected by the people. Eritrea is believed to be the central of human race! That people migrated to the world from there. It is referred to the "Land of Punt" meaning "God's land", a good part of the area in the East of Egypt. This is one of the most interesting things I am discovering today! History paused for a moment, let us dive into what defines the national identity of Eritrea.

History of Eritrea's National Flag

While other countries in Africa did all they could to gain independence from one colony, and others like Ethiopia fighting against none, Eritrea fought against three colonies: two were European, and one was African. It took more than a century for the country to gain independence. Through out all this time, different flags were flown across the Eritrean skies.

Indigenous historical kingdoms such as the Aksum occupied the territory before the Italians found their way into the jurisdiction in the latter part of the 19th century. These form the roots and DNA of the people of Eritrea.

1.Kingdom of Italy. Thirsty for an empire in early 1880s, the Italian Monarchy acquired towns such as Assab town and kept growing into the port town of Massawa. By 1890, the Italian colony of Eritrea was already established. They tried to expand into Ethiopia but they could not. However, Ethiopia could recognize them. The Italian colony took parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, etc and later added into Eritrea to form the unified Italian East Africa (in the horn of Africa). During this entire process, only the Flag of the Kingdom of Italy (shown below) flew over the Eritrean territory. This consisted of the Italian tricolor, made up of three vertical stripes of green, white and red. In the center of the white stripe was the country's coat of arms, presided over by a crown.

In 1936, the Italian Colony of Eritrea became part of the unified Italian East Africa. During this time, it was allowed to use its own symbol/shield. In the first block, are fasces, a symbol of fascism (authoritarism), and an olive crown were drawn. In the center a red lion with a white star was imposed, while in the lower blue wavy lines represented the sea (shown below)

2. British occupation. The end of the Second World War brought with it the clear and overwhelming defeat of Italian fascism. Before the end, in 1941, the Italian possessions in East Africa were occupied by British troops. The Italian colonization that had extended for half a century was then put to an end. After the Battle of Keren, the Allied troops dominated Ethiopia and also Eritrea. However, the fate of the former Italian colony was unclear. While the Soviet Union supported his return to Italy, Great Britain tried to separate the colony by religion, but was unsuccessful. Eritrea eventually joined Ethiopia into a federation in 1952. The only flag used during that period for of 11 years was only that of the United Kingdom (shown below). Because it was not a colonization but an occupation, no new symbols were developed.

3. Federation with Ethiopia. Seven years after the absolute end of World War II, the Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea was formed. This event, which occurred in 1952, had the approval of the United Nations.The new state would be controlled by the Ethiopians and led by their emperor Haile Selassie, who regained the throne from which he had been deposed by the Italians. Eritrea, in the new federation, retained its autonomy and maintained significant self-government. In Eritrea, during that period, two flags were flown. The first was that of Ethiopia, the sovereign state to which they belonged.This consisted of a tricolor of symmetrical horizontal stripes of green, yellow and red. In the central part was the Lion of Judea, symbol of the Ethiopian monarchy (shown below)

As Eritrea enjoyed autonomy, it also had its own second flag as part of the empire. This consisted of a sky blue cloth that in its central part, included a green olive crown with a small branch of the same tree inside (shown belowy). This symbol remains on the current flag, but is yellow

Ethiopian Province. (Not a federation anymore). The eagerness for independence in Eritrea began to organize through armed groups. Faced with this situation, Emperor Haile Selassie responded with force and annexed the Eritrean territory in 1962 as an integral part of Ethiopia (the third colonization type for Eritrea). This ended previously existing federation and autonomy. Then the Eritrean War of Independence began, which lasted for more than thirty years and confronted the Ethiopian government with independence troops. During this bloody period, the Ethiopian flag was hoisted throughout the territory occupied by its troops.

However, Ethiopia underwent different political changes in the course of the war of independence. The most relevant of these was the end of the monarchy. The emperor was deposed in 1974, assuming a military government. This was reflected in the flag, in which one of the first was the removal of the crown and the tip of the lion's spear (check my previous article in this newsletter on Ethiopia).

The following year, in 1975, the Derg was installed. Those were the acronym in Amharic for the Provisional Military Administrative Council. This ruled Ethiopia from the end of the monarchy and until the proper installation of a socialist state in the country. The military regime assumed absolute control of the country, imposing a martial social order. Even the former emperor was imprisoned and later assassinated. During this time, the Derg used the Ethiopian tricolor flag without any additional symbols (shown below).

The Democratic People's republic of Ethiopia was born out of more changes in leadership. The military that governed Ethiopia quickly related to the Soviet bloc, positioning the United States as an enemy. Despite nationalizing policies, Ethiopia did not acquire the status of a socialist state until 1987, when it adopted a new constitution. It also did the same with a new flag. The Ethiopian tricolor remained, and again, the change was visible on the shield. This had the traditional Soviet inspiration, circular in shape, with lines emulating the sun's rays and a red star presiding (shown below).

_4_. Independence Movement

During all the political changes that occurred in Ethiopia, the war for Eritrea's independence continued. However, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Ethiopian communist regime was left without support and eventually disappeared in 1991. A transitional government was formed in the country, but in Eritrea, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Eritrea (FPLE) quickly assumed control of the entire territory. The FPLE flag consisted of a red triangle that was extended on the left side of the flag as its base. The upper triangle was colored green and the lower triangle blue. On the left side of the red triangle there was a leaning yellow five-pointed star (shown below). This is the only difference it has from the current flag design. The flag lasted for two years only.

_5_. The Independent Eritrea!

After 30 years of war and blood shed, Eritrea found the freedom they had been seeking! The transitional government of Ethiopia was in charge of managing the victory of the FPLE in the war in Eritrea. In this way, the Eritrean right to self-determination was recognized. Finally, and with the observation of a UN mission, the independence of Eritrea was approved in a referendum, between April 23 and 25, 1993. The majority in favor of independence was overwhelming, reaching 99.83% of the votes. On May 24, 1993, Eritrea formally declared its independence. From that moment on, it adopted a new flag, which was no longer that of the FPLE, although it kept its design.

The former symbol in the old flag of the Eritrea Provice was blue in color. In the new flag, it is a golden yellow olive crown, inside which there is a small branch, also olive. It replaced the five-pointed star (shown below):

Precisely, the meaning of the symbols of the Flag are:

#Red of the flag represents the blood shed in the thirty years of struggle for independence.

#Green signifies the agricultural exuberance of Eritrea.

#Blue signifies the Red Sea and the country's marine wealth.

#Yellow is related to the minerals resources that endow the country.

#The olive branches signify peace. They also have thirty leaves to represent the years of armed struggle for independence.

Eritreans revere and respect their flag in a way few other people do. During the hoisting and lowering of the flag people show their respect and loyalty to the flag by standing still, facing the flag, and removing anything covering their head. The Eritrean national flag incorporates the history, belief, aspirations and yearning of all Eritrean people. It is a symbol of nationalism, resistance and unity!

The National Anthem of Eritrea

Originally written in Tigrinya. English version below:

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Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea,

Her Nemesis destroyed while wailing,

Her sacrifices vindicated by?freedom

Forever firm in her principles,

Her name became a synonym of tenacity,

Eritrea, the pride of the oppressed,

Is a testament that truth prevails.

Eritrea, Eritrea,

Has taken her rightful place in the world.

[So that] The supreme dedication that brought us freedom,

Will serve to rebuild her and develop her,

We shall honor her with progress,

It is our legacy to crown her.

Eritrea, Eritrea,

Has taken her rightful place in the world.

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This is the epitome of going against the Tsunami waves. I am just realizing how capable we become when we want to see our dreams actualize. The joy of fulfilment is always a magical forward pull no matter how many tonnes of setbacks work tirelessly to smash our little feeble legs trying to make toddling steps. As they call it, supreme dedication finally brings freedom!

Forever firm in our principles! That is enough tenacity to keep our focus on the course. My hearty kudos goes out to the legendary Eritreans who did not tire at any single day for 3 whole decades fighting for the independence of the nation. I have added into my package of potential power through them. And to all current and future generations in the Republic of Eritrea, may you continue keeping that same spirit of commitment, one-ness and aura of respect!

Dear esteemed reader,

I do not know what you have learnt out of this brief but rich tale:). However, I hope you got a thing.

See you in the next country!

?Girl of the African Soil??

Main refs: Wabletoncouncil:-)