Vol 23 No. 9 Saturday, april 2, 2016 Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFa

The Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare organized a workshop on assessment of hazards and formulation of community based disaster risk mitigation measures in the Northern and Southern Red Sea regions. The workshop was conducted on 30 March in Asmara.

At the workshop in which senior government and PFDJ officials took part, research papers were presented on managing calamities caused by torrential rains, draught,

The Independence Torch, currently touring the Gash Barka Region, reached the town of Golij yesterday traveling 231 km in the sub-zones of Shanbuko and Laelai Gash.

Administrator of the Shambuko sub-zone, Mr. Tesfai Bairai said that the torch represents the continuity of generations and carries with it a special meaning.

Upon arrival in Golij, the torch received warm welcome by the residents of the town and members of the EDF.The next stage of tour of the torch will be to Tesenei, Haikota and Gogni covering 125.5 km.

The National Association of War Disabled Veteran Fighters rehabilitated 15 members in Keren with business opportunities worth more than six million Nakfa. Four of the beneficiaries are women veteran fighters.

At the ceremony conducted on 30 March, the chairman of the association branch in the region, Mr. Dawit Gebrekrstos said that the assistance includes investment in bakery and bar. He added that it is a part of the association’s efforts to enable the members become self-supporting and productive members of the society.

The vice chairman of the NAWDVF in the region, Mr. Fesehaie Tesfamichael on his part indicated that the four million Nakfa was provided to the members on loan basis and are expected to pay back within five years, while the rest two million will be covered by the association.

Furthermore, the beneficiaries called for basic administrative training to help them manage their businesses.

In the Anseba region there are different service rendering institutions owned by members of the war disabled veteran fighters.

The Harat Transportation Company allocated five buses to the Logo-Anseba sub-zone, Gash Barka region, aimed at alleviating the existed transportation problem in the area.

Mr. Eyasu Haile, head of administrative areas affairs and projects in the sub-zone, said that the

Youths in Foro sub-zone to receive skill-upgrading training

Representative of the National Union of Eritrean Youths and Students disclosed that youths in the sub-zone of Foro will receive skill-upgrading training.

The training will include Electricity, Language, First-aid and Handicraft, among others.

Nationals from the Logo Anseba sub-zone residing abroad and inside the country held a meeting with a view to taking the necessary initiatives to renovate the main road extending from Adi Gebru to Adi Werhiseb, Adi Hannes, Debri, Dekidashm, Mekerka, Dekishehai,

Members of the Anseba Regional Assembly gave briefings to Hagaz residents on the outcome of the recently concluded meeting of the Regional Assembly.

In the course of the briefing, representatives of ministerial branches, national associations and other institutions explained to participants of the meeting that programs dealing with social services in general, that of water supply, education, health, transport and communications would be implemented.

earth quakes, volcanoes, sea storm, locust storm and others.

Extensive discussion was conducted on the research papers presented and on the need of integrated efforts on the part of the different concerned institutions to manage calamities.

The participants called for putting in place early warning system mechanisms and conducting sustainable awareness raising programs to the public with regards

the calamities that could occur due to different reasons.

The Minister of Labor and Human Welfare, Mr. Kahsai Gebrehiwet said that the two regions are exposed to a number of hazards, both natural and human induced, due to their topography and other reasons.

He also indicated that efforts are being conducted to put in place mechanisms for managing calamities that could happen in the future.

Workshop on disaster risk mitigation

The PFDJ Cultural Affairs Department offered training to 130 artists in the skills of cinematography and drama composition. 40% of the trainees are women.

The training focused on story writing, acting, and direction of actors during plays.

During the event, author and historian Mr. Alemseghed Tesfay, spoke on the complexity of acting and the benefits that accrue from periodic training programmes.

Graduates received their certificates from the Commissioner of Culture and Sports, Ambassador Zemede Tecle and other senior Government officials.

Milezanai, Adi Niamn, Dersenei, Deki Zeru and Adena.

The Administrator of Logo- Anseba sub-zone, Mr. IssakTium commended the initiative and stressed the need to back up the significant gesture at all levels.

independence torch in golij

buses have begun providing services on 27 March and are covering 17 administrative areas.

The residents indicated that they have been facing transportation problems upon travelling to different areas, but thanks to the new buses allocated to their areas transportation related problems have been brought to the minimum.

harat allocates buses to logo-anseba members oF anseba as-semblY conduct semi-

nar in hagaz

public meeting in logo anseba sub-zone

neWs brieFWar disabled veteran Fighters

rehabilitated

training to artists

2Vol 23. No. 9Eritrea Profile, Saturday, april 2, 2016

Published Every Saturday & Wednesday

acting EditorAmanuel Mesfunamme@zena.gov.er

P.O.Box: 247Tel: 11-41-14Fax: 12-77-49

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Azmera BerhaneSara Alem

The European Parliament’s resolution on Eritrea (2016/25999(RSP)) is appalling for its gratuitous, and grossly distorted, depiction of facts and events in the country. It is indeed a sad sign of our times that an august body with that stature can so casually ignore minimum standards and norms of objectivity and civility to freely insult a small foreign people and country.

The operating paragraphs in the preamble to the EU Parliament resolution represent a catalogue of all the invective peddled against Eritrea by “regime-change” elements and other detractors who have long harboured malice against the independence and sovereignty of the country.

This is amply illustrated by the following few examples:

• The EU Parliament resolution asserts that “there has been even greater repression and even more violations of human rights” in Independent Eritrea than during the colonial times. (This astounding statement is derived

from notorious activists, with links to certain sponsors of the resolution, who have historically opposed and still crave to reverse Eritrea’s independence).

• The resolution alludes to a “demonstration of hundreds of Eritrean refugees in front of the African Union Headquarters … accusing long-time Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki … and urging the African Union to take action”; (The EU Parliament prefers to talk about a single demonstration, in Addis Ababa of all places, that was vividly orchestrated by the Ethiopian regime to further its pronounced and subversive agenda of “regime-change” while ignoring the myriad demonstrations by tens of thousands of Eritreans in its own capitals against the COI and related policies of harassment and demonization of the government and people of Eritrea).

• The EU Parliament refers to torture practices of human traffickers in Sinai and blames the government of Eritrea; (but it conveniently glosses over Eritrea’s

request to the UN, through the letter of President Isaias, to launch a comprehensive investigation of this abominable act which implicates certain foreign powers).

• The resolution refers to dubious figures “on the monthly rate of Eritrean migrants”; (but it ignores misplaced UNHCR and EU politically-motivated policies of unwarranted granting of “automatic asylum” to Eritrean economic migrants).

• The EU Parliament resolution blabbers about widespread “discrimination and violence against women that is pervasive in all areas of Eritrean society”. (This is too ludicrous to merit elaboration but it does underscore the level of ignorance or malice towards Eritrea by the sponsors of the resolution).

• The resolution even misquotes President Isaias’s interview with the local press in January this year to accuse the government of “downplaying” the El-Nino induced drought.

(President Isaias had described the drought situation and the consequent harvest shortfall in comprehensive and unequivocal terms. But he also elaborated in detail government preparations, prepositioning of food supplies and other mitigating measures and coping mechanisms).

A comprehensive response to the litany of distorted facts and accusations included in the EU resolution will be pointless and too long for this statement. And in any case, Eritrea’s comprehensive rebuttal of these preposterous, recycled, accusations is already in the public domain. The EU Parliament could have also referred to reports of government delegations from several EU Member States who have visited the country in recent months.

As indicated above, Eritrea is aware that there are interest groups within the European Parliament who have never accepted Eritrea’s independence in the first place and who harbor agendas that are alien to human rights, the well-being of

the Eritrean people as well as to the interests of peace and stability. The EU Parliament resolution indeed fails to mention the threat to regional peace and stability caused by Ethiopia’s violation of international law and continued occupation of sovereign Eritrean territories.

Be that as it may, partisan politics does not give the EU Parliament a carte blanche to sully Eritrea and its people. Eritrea remains engaged in constructive dialogue with the European Union. This is a two-way street where both parties discuss, with the requisite seriousness and responsibility, matters of mutual concern. The European Parliament can be a partner in this constructive dialogue if it can indeed muster the political goodwill and appropriate mindset. Serving as a gullible mouthpiece for subversive agendas against Eritrea can only corrode its credibility and relevance.

Ministry of Foreign affairsasmara

31 March 2016

Press release

eU Parliament resolution On eritrea:Misinformation or Political Bias?

Residents of Eden, Elabered sub-zone, are conducting soil and water conservation popular campaigns.

The popular campaigns include building terraces, water catchment schemes, planting tree seedlings as well as renovating roads.

Administrator of the sub-zone, Mr. Ateshim Negasi indicated that the land below the dams will be distributed to farmers and called on the residents to make effective use of the land.

The road linking Asmara-Keren, Elabered-Debr Sina that was

The residents of Gadm-Halib, Afabet sub-zone, indicated that the development that their administrative area has registered thus far attests the significance of re-grouping of villages.

Administrator of the area, Mr. Osman Idris indicated that the regrouping of the villages has enabled the residents to become beneficiaries of education, health, potable water as well as other social service provision institutions. Previously the residents have been leading nomadic life.

Gadim-Halib has more than 5,000 residents.

local neWs damaged by erosion is also being renovated by the residents.

The participants expressed

popular campaign in edenreadiness to sustainably continue the popular campaign and asked for machinery help.

provision oF social services

inaFabet sub-zone

Fanus Debessai

Amid its concerted endeavors to achieve the millennium development goals, provide employment opportunities to its citizens, especially the youth, as well as secure peace and security, Eritrea has been facing a number of challenges instigated by its enemies by means of imposing sanctions and various other tribulations, using human rights and youth migrations as their excuses. Accordingly, to show the world the real image of Eritrea, the NCEW (National Confederation of Eritrean Workers) held a solidarity forum here in Eritrea.

The solidarity forum was held at the NCEW conference hall on March 24 and 25, 2016. High ranking Eritrean officials, ambassadors, as well as trade union leaders and delegates from various continents participated the conference. The main agenda of the conference included topic related to labor migration, employment opportunities, forced labor and regional integration. We were able to talk to some of the participants, including Mr. Tekeste Baire, General Secretary of the NCEW, on the importance of such a forum.

Mr. Tekeste Baire, explaining the importance of the forum said, “The distinctiveness of this conference is that it has been jointly organized by the national confederation of Eritrean workers (NCEW) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). This is a rare occasion which brings together various trade unions and avails them with the opportunity to raise and discuss current issues.”

“The trade union leaders who have been present in this event are drawn from various continents. As such, we have diverse and rich experiences which emanates from the diversity of our respective places and special country and organizational conditions .There is no doubt, by exchange of ideas we shall undertake on the diverse challenges, which are going to result in the creation of a strong

NCeW solidarity forum: Participants’ Point of View

force in our organization and in our effort to find solutions to the challenges we are invariably encountering.”

Mr. TyoTyo James is the Deputy President of the South African Congress of Trade Union. “The objectives of this solidarity forum is to organize all African trade unions in solidarity with the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers, which is not only focusing on Eritrea of course, but throughout the continent, except that the national confederation here has arranged this conference which is very important,” he said about the forum.

He went on to say, “Our expectations from this forum is that you are the first to hold this solidarity conference and from this we are going to learn a lot in fostering unity among African workers generally and establishing relations with other national federations of the African countries in particular. For instance we don’t have good relations with the French speaking unions. We need to address that because the relations

are influenced by the language we speak. They speak French because they were colonized by the French and we speak English because we were colonized by the British. The colonizers languages should not divide us, after all, they are not our languages.”

As regards to the NCEW, Mr. James added, “As a South African, the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers is a very important trade union to South African workers union. We value this national confederation very much. It has coherent leadership and coherent organization on the ground.”

Mr. Dill Formosan, representing German Trade Union expressed his view about the peace and stability in Eritrea. He said, “Even though I am used to the warm hospitality of the Eritrean people, it still surprises me every time I come here. The peace and safety of this country doesn’t change, you can move anywhere you want without fear. What interests me more is that though the country is in such difficult situation, it puts so much importance in educating the youth, bringing up social welfare, on building hospitals and all kinds of infrastructure and so on.”

Mr. Dill Formosan’s understanding about the solidarity forum is, “It is very enchanting, very interesting and very inspiring to see all the unions coming from the other African countries to talk

about the challenges of organizing the people here in Africa, especially from Eritrea, since there are huge challenges everywhere in Africa. This conference basically will try to work out some ways to handle these problems by means of getting into serious discussions and fixing the things which are needed in the near future and work on how they should fulfill the interests of the working people on the changing world, challenges of globalization and other things which are bellowed from outside.”

British representative, Mr. William spring on his part pointed out, “I think hosting this

conference at such time in Eritrea is a great thing, because at such times, Eritrea comes together, brings everybody together. I am here to learn about the situation in Eritrea, you cannot have effective trade union movement with only one employer. So, in order to create an effective movement you need to create a variety of work. The transnational companies are not ambitious enough to take people on so we need to analyze the situations slowly then they will be there only when we can get somewhere. There has always been work but equally Eritrea and the countries of Africa are in great need of action by the rest of their industries.”

The main purpose of the solidarity forum was to bring together national, regional

and international trade union organizations as well as prominent trade unionists to discuss, raise common understanding and reinforce their unity and enhance their resolve in the fight against violation of workers’ rights.

One aspect, which was heavily highlighted during the conference, is the worsening of working conditions worldwide. In regards to workers, the era of globalization has not benefited workers around the world. As a representative of trade union from the United Kingdom (UK) highlighted, the role of trade unions seem to diminish at global scale and it is becoming difficult to monitor and evaluate working conditions due to the number of outsourcing and home-based job leaving office spaces empty.

In its unremitting endeavors, the NCEW has over the years hosted similar forums and the outcome of this solidarity forum as always clearly showed its success and the international conference passed its resolution towards the promotion of decent work in Africa.

Mr. Tekeste Baire

Mr. TyoTyo James

Mr. Dill Formosan

Mr. William Spring

participants while Enjoying traditional coffee Ceremony

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, april 2, 2016 Vol 23. No. 9 3

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, april 2, 2016 Vol 23. No. 9 4

Natnael Yebio W.“It was the fifth grade,” my friend

starts. “Our Math teacher gave us a homework dealing with the flight of an airplane and we had to compute its speed.”

“Tesfai (not his real name) the top of the class got the answers first. According to his computation the plane was cruising at ten kilometers per hour.”

Tesfai was a model student. Neat, obedient, hardworking and an unscrupulous achiever. He was also the green-eyed boy of the math teacher. “How can a plane move at a speed of only 10km/hr and still remain airborne?” he asked him. “That is the answer,” he sighed, showing him his calculations.

Some people may be good students, standing top in their class, but if you see closely, you find them lacking common sense and sound judgment.

Tesfai left high school with flying colors joined the university and is now in US living happily with his wife and children and with his assumption that planes remain airborne with a snails speed if a certain calculation says so.

Right after I had finished my college studies, a friend of mine- quite bit older than me-advised me on how I should always carry out my

Knowledge & Common sense!work together with the knowledge I had acquired from my four years stay in college as well as simple human common sense I had gathered from everyday life experiences. The above story was his way of making clear what he wanted to say.

What my friend told me triggered a similar story I once heard. When I was a child, our teacher used to tell us the story of a boy from an Eritrean village that left for Italy for higher education probably high school. After a year’s stay in Milano he sent a letter to his father: “Dear Dad, how interesting for me to discover after all this time that our village’s moon looks exactly like the moon in Milano…..” His father simply sighed with despair and implored him, in a letter, to come back home as soon as possible.

Our teacher told us the above story by way of saying that common sense and the acquisition of general knowledge through reading is most of the time better that formal education.

“Kab mihro aemro” is a Tigrigna adage meaning that it is better to have an insight or vision than a good education which finally makes you utter stupid things.

I have seen very resourceful Eritrean businessmen who could neither read nor write. They have the flair for fast money making and

most of the times employ people with BA and MA under them. In fact, most of the people that changed this world were either not educated or at some point in their early lives stopped their studies.

Charlemagne, the holy roman emperor could neither read nor write and the same can be said about many prominent people such as Bill gates founder of Microsoft as well as his competitor the late Steve Jobs founder of Apple, both never completed their college educations. These men are now two of the most influential persons in the world.

If one is educated, let him or her use the knowledge for betterment of this world. For learning that begins with word and ends with words is a waste of time and a disservice to humankind.

The problem with scholarship and academics is that it intends to keep its worshippers under its grips. Sometimes, learning simply makes you build walls around yourself and you become its prisoner. Do you know that sometimes knowledge becomes a curtain that obstructs your view of the reality of things? The Pharisees, the learned among the Jews were unable to see truth when it came to them personified.

One day there was a scientist who wanted to find out if mice whose tails are cut for generations can reproduce

mice without tails or maimed tails. He was trying to prove a point in the theory of evolution. So he went to his lab and began the project of cutting off the tails of his poor white mice and went on for ten years with his alarming activity just to arrive to an assumed conclusion and probably win a Noble Prize in Biology.

A friend who heard about this strange experiment went over to him and had to tell him the painful truth. “Look,” He said to his learned friend, “the Jews had their foreskin cut (Circumcision) for over six thousand years. Now have you ever seen a Jew born already circumcised with his foreskin gone?”

The scientist turned pale. His academic knowledge stood as a curtain between him and reality. How many mice suffered because he refused to break out of his grooves of academic? How many more mice are going to suffer if he doesn’t stop to listen to common sense?

It is said that in traditional Eritrean, people had more trust in wise men than educated men. The kings or Rae’sitat asked for educated people or experts only when they felt the need for weapons or infrastructure that helped them expand their territory through invasion and plunder. For matters that dealt with politics and administration, they preferred wise

and experienced people and left the church to deal with the learned and the scholarly.

Nature has in many instances defied learning and made those who pride themselves on their scientific achievements to humble themselves.

According to the theory of aerodynamic, say scientists, the bumble bee is not supposed to fly, but it flies just the same. How? Well, just revise your theories, for you can never prevent the bumble bee from flying.

In the past decades after independence of African countries, many birdbrains representing NGO’s or welfare organizations had sent sewing machines as donations to people who walk half naked because of heat, or even sent irrigation experts to place where the rain never stops.

Academic excellence is not to blame. The learned is more useful than ignorant. But, it is only when learning is used in the service of humankind that it becomes a useful tool. A person with a degree in this or in that field has first to come out from its academic cocoon and try to gain insight and vision. Real knowledge abhors dogmas and rigid forms. Real knowledge is a window not a curtain.

Semir Seid

Communication is a tool for people to interact and understand each other. You notice people converse and do business, have patients cured, get in consensus in meetings, have fun, and make their daily life interaction through communication. They set their plans and go for them. In the course of communication the birth of understanding same time disagreement and conflict as well are certain. What thoughts has brought are changed into words for people to make them a real conversation. Some of it normal; some of it official talks; some of it mocking; some of it ordinary conversation where people make their living; so on and so forth. Let’s get to the topic, when is the last time you have been fooled, yesterday or last year or you will be? April the fool.

It is a day where people enjoy pranking over their fellows and loved ones. There is no exact evidence for

Fooled already or Next Year….?the reason of emergence to this day. Its origin is not certain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar. Ancient cultures, including those of Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year’s Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st). In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the New Year.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian calendar to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year’s Day to be celebrated January 1 that year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year’s Day to January. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year’s

Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on “fools’ errands” or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.

There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that is doesn’t fully account for the spread of April Fools’ Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools’ Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only a speculation, and that speculation appears to have been made more recently. Many other explanations can be found listed in different sources related to the day, however that only justifies the day itself is all covered by a bunch of lies when it comes to it’s history.

It is a day where a lie is honored and given an instant coverage all

over the world. It is unveiled within hours after it has been told. No one ever knows a lie is a lie like April the fool. You can imagine how instant the lies are in this day to make people rush and forget their daily stuffs to prioritize what they have been fooled off. As a matter of fact this day is not genuinely celebrated in countries like ours. But some people do trick others to make this day more interesting as it happens once every year. Eventually some bad situations are created at times when people do try to fool their loved ones on this day. People by nature are different in their behaviors and their tempers. When pranked, some are quick to be frustrated, some quick to be mad, some are fast enough to react upon the situations framed,

some take it cool after being fooled where others take it serious and the worst picture when you see people get shocked and faint in front of you. That’s the worst possible case that could happen. As I told it’s not normally a tradition in the Eritrean society but somehow you see some people do intentionally prepare for this day despite no factual records have been recorded yet to present to you right now.

Many cases are seen as far as I

continued on page 7

It is Wednesday evening and I just turned on the TV and came across a video clip singing ‘Eritrawit’ or Eritrean woman; a music video representing the role of women in all aspect of Eritrean society as well as her important role during the armed struggle. I realized, once again, that Eritrean women are clearly the backbone of the Eritrean society but yet, as the above quote from Lillie Devereux Blake stressed; Eritrean women continue to face numerous challenges in overcoming certain traditions and gender-based stereotypes.

Indeed, despite the fact that during the armed struggle more than 30% of fighters were women and that they were fulfilling identical tasks as their male counterparts; as soon as women came back into civil life, the traditional role of women took over for many of them. In fact, there was a clash between former fighters and civilians in terms of norms and equality as women embarked in the armed struggle won their rights as being equal to men. Coming back into civil life, it was challenging to revolutionize social norms and traditions.

Nonetheless, soon after independence, the Government of Eritrea implemented several laws and proclamations in regards to the rights of women as equal to men in economical, political and social aspects. In doing so, the equal participation in all decisions, the access to land and property under proclamation no 58/1994 was established. The abolition of Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) under the proclamation 158/2007 without failing to recall the reinforcement of the law encoded into the penal code in regards to rape and sexual assaults were also implemented.

Despite the number of laws and proclamations on women rights and gender equality in all aspects of the society from education, access to health care and to employment, the gender biased is still significant. Conversely, with the increase of young women enrolled into higher education in addition to the numerous awareness campaigns organized by the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), positive results are shown. However, in

today’s issue, I am going to focus on the question of gendered cultural norms and the social settings of the Eritrean culture. Indeed, many might disagree with my arguments; however, one has to acknowledge that the work of NUEW is a work in progress when it comes to gender-based norms.

The question of gender and how the society constructs the role of women into so-called feminine activities whereas men are supposed to stay into their masculine activities is challenging to the new generation of women. In fact, as more and more young women are getting into higher education and have equal access to work, the perception of their future differ from previous generation. Even so, we can notice a sort of return into backward idea especially by men and young men.

To give you an example, a male-friend in his late twenties openly told me that “it is not normal for a woman to go for a drink until late in the evening”… He went on by saying that if he goes out clubbing, he will do so with his male-friends only and he is not used to take his girlfriend with… Well, this is a type of image or behavior of what woman or man should or should not do and unfortunately many young men in Eritrea will agree with such comments. Not only men have such gendered ideas, you will often hear from women (usually from the older generation) that a man should not enter the kitchen and it is seen as a taboo.

Often, the woman will tell her husband, “please leave the kitchen; I don’t want the neighbors to make fun of me”.

In addition, have you noticed how in every event or conferences, the person in charge of hospitality is a woman, the one serving food and drinks are women, the one wearing traditional clothes are women… and the list goes on. This is a typical gendered representation of the role of woman and man.

Looking back into definition, what we call ‘gender’ is a social construction defining the role of each sex in all aspect of life and merely constructed by culture. The differentiation between women and

men is, then, enshrined into norms which structures the way society works. Thus, despite the law prone for equality, the social settings will predict the role of women and men in specific ways.

In other words, the construction of gender starts from the first days of a new-born through symbols or for instance the use of the color blue for a boy and pink for a girl. The process of gendering one’s behavior will then continue to grow over time. As Judith Lorber (1994) explained in her piece titled Social Construction of Gender; it is a process which creates social differences as well as expectations on how women and men should act throughout their lives.

Further, as human beings, we unconsciously feed these gendered norms in our daily lives. However, when do we notice a difference then? For instance, when a young woman was raised in a family where there was no such patriarchal system, she will then have a hard time accepting to be seen into a submissive position. This is becoming progressively common with the young generation of women pursuing higher education. In addition, there is also

a difference among women raised in the diaspora who are taught to be independent financially from early age as well as being professionally successful. I have noticed how this idea of being an independent woman and not having financial expectations from her husband remains something to work on in Eritrea.

In fact, with the idea of independence comes its opposite: control. Control or dependency of someone towards another person often due to financial constraints. This is what a patriarchal society enshrined. In other words, the man will be the breadwinner and decision-maker whereas the woman will depend on him and, consequently, be obedient.

Most societies, even in the Western world, remain patriarchal. However, in less developed countries, the social setting is more prone to heavier degree of patriarchy. In fact, as Connell (1987) explained in his article titled Gender and Power: Society, the Person, and Sexual Politics, “gender divides the work at home and the economic production, legitimates those in authority and organizes sexuality and emotional

life” (Connell 1987,91-142).

Thus, what comes with control is power and the feeling of superiority towards another human being. Hence, despite the numerous laws and access to basic rights to all in Eritrea, there is a need to focus on social settings and what are perceived as norms. In doing so, the question of gender and its social construction needs to be understood not just by women but men also. Why am I making this point is because after attending a workshop on gender a few weeks ago organized by NUEW central region branch, I was negatively surprised to see that all participants were solely young women and no one single man attended, apart from the presenter and my journalist colleague.

To tell you a personal story, back in the early 1980s, my father had to attend a NUEW congress on behalf of a NUEW branch as the members could not attend. Once there, he was told to leave by many women (including my mother) for the only

Mela Ghebremedhin

“People share a Common Nature but are trained in Gender roles…”

continued on page 2

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, april 2, 2016 Vol 23. No. 9 5

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, april 2, 2016 Vol 23. No. 9 6

Job Title & number required Commercial and Logistics Superintendent ኮመርሺያል ኤንድ ሎጂስቲክስ ሱፐርኢንተንደንት (01)

Duties & Responsibilities

Lead the purchase logistics and warehouse team to execute the CMD manager’s instruction. Assist the CMD manager to collect all relevant summary report for GM report. Coordinate with other department for purchasing payment and delivery. Coordinate with other government department, company for the purchasing and logistics issue. Update the purchase progress sheet and report to CMD manager. Update the delivery status for all the POs to the CMD manager. Update the consumption report to the CMD manager. Update the fuel report to the CMD manager. Prepare the commercial department draft budget and schedule for CMD manager approval. Provide leadership to the Warehouse and Inventory Control teams to ensure the development of a working environment that is conducive to the achievement of KPIs and that employees achieve their full potential by gaining new skills through the provision of effective mentoring and training programs. Provide the leadership necessary to ensure that employees and contractors adhere to safety and environmental standards that exceed worldwide Mining standards. Implement employee performance management processes to ensure optimum employee performance and take appropriate action to remedy any substandard employee performance or behavior. Direct the storage of materials to ensure protection against unauthorized use, protection against the elements and prevention of avoidable deterioration, issuing materials on a FIFO basis when required, Logical storage to promote easy access, and high standards of housekeeping and 5’S implementation. And as per Job Description.

Knowledge & Skill Requirement

Excellent leadership and organizational skills. 5 years Supervisory experience. Previous experience training in warehouse skills. English and local literacy to a conversational level. Excellent interdepartmental communication skills. Excellent knowledge of management of commercial activity in the mining industry. Ability to effectively plan daily, weekly and monthly work activities. Excellent knowledge of MS office or ERP system. Certificate in Pronto system.

Education Diploma or degree in Marketing and Logistics preferable. Pronto would be an advantage. Dangerous Goods regulations.

Experience Required 5 years working experience in Management of Supply and Logistics, Mining industry knowledge and use of MSDS sheet.

Physical Requirement To be able to pass a full Doctor’s examination. To be available to work in accordance with ZMSC rosters.

General Information and other requirements: Place of work: Koka Gold Mine Site. Occasional assignment to other locations. Salary: As per Company scale.

Additional Requirement for nationals: Having fulfilled his/her National Service obligations and provide evidence of a release paper from the Ministry of Defense. Having finished registration and duty performing for the National Army, and present the release paper or registration card issued by National Army. Provide a Clearance paper from office of the Eritrean Police and present Medical Certificate from Hospital. Present Clearance paper from the current/last employer. Only short listed applicants would be considered as potential candidates for an interview. Application documents will not be returned back to the sender and/or applications should be sent through the Post Office. Deadline for application: 10 days from the day of publication in the Newspaper.

Address: Please mail your applications to: ZARA MINING SHARE CO. P. O. Box 2393. Asmara, Eritrea.

Note to non- Eritrean applicants: Please send a copy of your application to: Aliens Employment Permit Affairs P.O. Box 7940 Asmara, Eritrea.

VaCaNCY aNNOUNCEMENTPosition : Accountant Part-TimePlace of work : French Alliance in AsmaraSalary : As per Alliance Française salary scale

Major Duties and responsabilities

• Budgeting, planning and Forecasting Processes :- Provide to the management all the elements for establishing the annual budget

- Ensure forecast remains within the approved budget parameters- Capture approved budgets into the system to enable monthly performance

monitoring- Ensure to continually review budget and costs and avise on corrective measures to

be implemented to action cost controls- All transactions with documents should be agreed and signed by the director before

processing

• Performing Month-end closing- Collect cash and checks from School registration fees and other sources of

income- Prepare and pay salaries- Pay outstanding bills on time such as telephone, electricity, etc…. - Declare to Inland Revenue Department the personal income taxes of employees

• Variance Analysis on Revenue and Costs- Compare the budget expenditure with the actual expenditureKnowledge, Experience and SkillsQualifications : Degree / Diploma in Accounting or equivalentKnowledge and Experience: 3 Years’ expérience in an Accounting environmentTechnical Skills : • Computer Literacy (MS office and Excel (advanced)• Mathematical Ability• Analytical skill• Accounting principles• Problem solving skill• Knowledge of Eritrean laws

Behavioural Skills• Communication (English and local language – the French language will be an

added advantage)• Assertiveness• Integrity • Ethical work practices• Ability to work towards strict deadlines• DiscretionAdditionnal requirement :

- Present clearance paper form current/last employer- Testimonial documents to be attached (CF, work experience credentials, a copy of your national Identity card, etc..)

- Only shortlisted applicants would be considererd as potential candidates for an interview

- Application documents will not be returned to sender- All applications should be deposit at the French Embassy – Saba building – 8e

floor –- Deadline for application : 7 days from the day of publication in the Newspaper

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, april 2, 2016 Vol 23. No. 9 7

NOTiCEcan tell, even I myself has once fooled in my entire life. I won’t go to the details so you can’t be taking me as fool again, yet this day is a real day that would define a true picture of a person’s character when they are really told to be or do something and actually be and do it.

This or that I won’t relate more of a lie to you this moment: along the way I would be glad to provide you some figures where who has been the ultimate joker and victim for the last 10 year or something. People do use situations to make the day more of fun and a

Fooled already...continued from page 4 lesson to others. It expressed in our tradition as,

“Zeysnka Huxa Qortmelu”, loosely translated as “you wouldn’t dare do it if it was yours”… in which can be related to even fool your loved ones when the situation can possibly drive them insane. Because you won’t experience how bad and shocking it would sound before it happens to yourself. Believe me I’m not fooling you this day for a reason it’s the second day of April, a proof for you to remain calm. But if you have been fooled or not yet just make sure you check the graph and identify your status and be a joker next year.

Eritrea Profile, Saturday, april 2, 2016 Vol 23. No. 9 8

How is Spain?

Good. When I went to Spain to do my Masters and PhD, the first three months were a bit difficult because Spanish language was not in my area of expertise, but it didn’t take me long to learn; I managed well.

Let’s go back to your upbringing.

I was born in the late 70s, during which the village I was born in was a continuous victim of the atrocities committed by soldiers of the then colonizing Derg regime. Having survived all these brutal carnage and burning of our homes, my family and I, at a very young age, fled to seek shelter under the liberated territories of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front and I was raised in the field. After independence, my family reunited in Asmara and we settled here afterwards. Regarding my educational background, I conducted my studies in Asmara and graduated in Archeology from the University of Asmara in 2002.

What is it that you are aspiring to do?

With my profession? Well, I am a paleontologist and a researcher. What I try to obtain is general understanding: understandings of where we come from, even though much has been discovered about the past, professionals like me are still convinced that there is much more to discover, like a mystery that needs to be revealed. We have so many questions for which we try to find answers, and then again

“Quest of Humanity”Today’s Q&A will host Tsegai Medin, a paleontologist. He will receive his PhD in Vertebrate Paleontology in May from the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain. He has presented several publications and he really is passionate about uncovering buried history. He left for Spain two nights ago, but here is our interview with Tsegai Medhin.

the answers we obtain give a new direction and remain to be questions themselves. So it is kind of a cycle. We study where we come from, we study about our potential ancestors in addition to more features of the past and from there what possibly the future is holding for us. … The flow of evolution over millions of years is so clear to professionals. That’s what we deal with.

Are there findings here, which answered some big questions in your field?

Yes. Of course! Let me give you an example: The Buya Homo; one of the immense contribution of the discovery was that it served as a missing piece of a puzzle, a montage. Even though it is only of a million years ago, it sure did fill the gap between 1.4 and 0.65 million years ago. Professionals in the field of study couldn’t understand what happened exactly during that gap of time. In this specific fragment of time a very high fluctuation of climate had occurred leaving the route of evolution a bit unclear. Until when the skull of Buya, a hominid skull came to light.

Consequently, it served as a feasible link between Homo erectus and Homo Herberghis, filling the gap between 1.4 and 0.65. So to answer your question; yes, some findings do function as conjoins to prior conclusions and future assumptions.

What can you tell us about the Buya project?

The national Museum of Eritrea takes vast projects annually in collaboration with many institutions and private researchers from within the country and outside. In those times, we all work hand in hand to look for something new to update our informational data as well as our documents: many of them have been published.

Although I consider myself a novice addition to the group because I graduated in 2002, the research we conduct in the area is always rewarding. That is because the sedimentary record of the area is very high, it was clear from the very beginning that the possibility of discovering various fossils is by

far inevitable. In fact, we did find numerous remains of wild life.

The historic archeological site of Buya is believed to be the home and origin of the earliest Homo sapiens. In 2003 experts from the National Museum of Eritrea, the University of Florence and the Pigorini Museum (Italy) discovered the remains of a lady, believed to be 18 to 22 years of age, which traces to one and half million years ago. Researches on the area revealed incredible findings of paleontological and archeological significance.

all in Buya?

Including the vicinity. Buya is a very important location, it is well recognized at a global level, especially by people who have inclination towards this area of work. Besides, it is well placed in the map of important archeological sites in Africa.

What are you doing at the moment?

I will attain my PhD in May this year. Currently, with my colleagues from Spain, I am conducting a research in Ingelila, my focus is concentrated in omnivorous species, you know, dietary scheme is one of the key ingredients of research people like me conduct. It gives an insight of the species dominance in nature, how they survived and so forward that is why I invest superior attention to it.

In 2014 we did find some fauna fossils of 3 - 5 million years, this shows that Ingelila is a significant site. It is amazing that Ingelila has some deposits as old as Buya’s and even much older. So we really are convinced that there is a high possibility of discovering human ancestor’s fossils.

I am working here at the Danakil Depression, and also in Orse, south Spain, in Tunisia and Georgia near Russia as well. I am working in the chronological order of evolution between of 1 - 2 million years ago.

I am following a route which starts here in Eritrea, from Buya to the Lavantin Corridor, to Israel, Georgia all the way to the

Mediterranean, where there is an ancient paleontological site at the Orse site of Spain.

How is Eritrea’s Geological composition?

Geologically, Eritrea is found in the area of the great East African Rift Valley, which millions of years ago was home to the earliest human beings. So it is only natural that this coverage should be studied. When I was much younger, as a matter of fact, I decided to follow this path because I knew I would have easy access to this amazing territory in which human evolution finds its clearest appearance.

In the nearest future, along with various institutions, we have a lot of plans to conduct wide range and further surveys in the southern part of Eritrea. We will look for more.

You think there is more that could be found?

Yes, definitely. It is kind of already known.

Do you think the Eritrean youth are interested?

In a small number, but yes. The government and the people of Eritrea along with several other institutions have been working on what we call the ‘Capacity Building’, creating

Billion Temesghen

professionals of excellence is part and parcel of the Nation Building Process. An example could be the CASS, the College of Arts and Social Sciences in Adi-Keih. Even the locality of the school is strategic, so the students can learn in class and experience direct maneuvering on fields. The power of attraction is seeing and experiencing.

It is amazing to see how the number of college graduates joining the National Museum of Eritrea is growing by the year. They are very innovative, enthusiastic and open minded. I have big expectations, they’re just so great!

What do you want to do next?

I am a researcher, I will conduct more researches and share every small information I get my hands on and I genuinely want to work with younger colleagues here in Eritrea.

Every society feels the need of exhibiting their past, history and origins and so I will do my part and keep working to contribute in the process, because I’d like to have Eritrea recognized as one of the most important historical sites.

Above all, my profession is a quest of humanity, we human beings incessantly aspire to know our past as a way of getting a hold of the future, and me as a professional, I intend to play a part in the quest.

over one million years old skull of the Buya lady

Tsegay on the site in 2010