"We don't know enough about ourselves and continue to be enslaved by a
narrative about ourselves told by other people" - Thabo Mbeki
Dan Connell was confronted head-on by Eritreans in Toronto during his
presentation titled "Trafficking and Torture in the Sinai - Rights Denial
and the Eritrean Exodus". The program was facilitated by Ryerson University
and sponsored by PEN Canada.
Dan walked in escorted by none other than the degenerate Aaron Berhane and
hence set the tone of what would be expected out of the night. Having heard
of what was to take place, Eritreans in the city showed up in large numbers
dwarfing the number of non-Eritreans in the room.
The lecture on trafficking itself was poorly presented and it was clear to
the audience that Dan should have prepared better. He admitted he had only
18 months of exposure to studying trafficking in the Sinai - which begs the
question as to why Ryerson or PEN Canada could not have found a less
polarizing individual with far more experience in understanding the push
and pull factors of migration.
As expected, Dan was jumping from one topic to the other in an endless
disorganized manner - the audience could not understand why he was talking
about the 2% rehabilitation and recovery tax when there were more pressing
issues such what could be done to curb human trafficking in the Sinai.
Then one of the Eritreans in the room had enough of the crocodile tears and
shouted "Dan, Dan, Dan..that's a lie! in reference to the comment by Dan
that Eritreans who don't pay their 2% tax are not allowed to enter Eritrea.
The gentleman said he had not paid his 2% tax and had travelled back and
forth from Eritrea numerous times in that year alone.
Dan seemed stunned and confused, perhaps because this was the first time
anyone dared to challenge him. Other Eritreans in the room who were equally
enraged by the blatant lies started intervening and demanded that Dan tell
the truth.
Dan's rather condescending attitude quickly turned into disbelief as his
audience was publicly undressing him and exposing his lies for what they
are. Despite the talk being billed as a discussion, despite PEN stated aim
of encouraging discussion, and despite Dan Connell's many pronouncements of
wanting to encourage dialogue amongst Eritrean, it was obvious that neither
the organizers nor Dan had any intention to hearing an opposing view.
The manifestation witnessed tonight is a message to the likes of Dan that
Canadians of Eritrean descent will not tolerate lies being told about them
to their face.
At one point, Aaron Berhane got up frustrated and told the crowd, "don't
listen to them, they are well organized" - referring to the Eritreans in
the room. Obviously frustrated that the game was up and that his days of
fooling the oblivious Canadian public was coming to an end.
Birds of the same feather flock together, and so Dan, just as he entered
with Aaron left the room with Aaron in what could have been described as
sick political romance.
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Received on Fri Sep 20 2013 - 14:50:10 EDT