http://www.beyondtheheadlines.org/eritrea-north-korea-or-naples/
Eritrea: The North Korea or Naples of Africa?
June 3, 2014 ˇ by Paul ˇ in Uncategorized
African countries like Burundi and Somalia garner consistently
negative press. Eritrea, on the other hand, garners consistently zero
press.
Perhaps this is because the International Press Freedom Index ranks
Eritrea's freedom of press as dead last in the world -- below that of
even North Korea. It is not then entirely surprising that one of the
first articles I find about the country describes it as the "North
Korea of Africa". Another discusses how Eritrea has the second largest
standing army relative to general population, right behind North
Korea.
These are not normally two statistics that would inspire one to visit
a country. But I also stumble upon a Lonely Planet review that
describes the capital, Asmara, as "like a film set from an early
Italian movie."
So which is it: North Korea? Or Naples?
Visiting Africa's Hermit Kingdom
When I first call the Eritrean embassy in Washington, the man on the
other end of the phone does not sound hopeful.
"So, you do not have any family in Eritrea?"
"No."
"What about an organization to sponsor you?"
"No."
"What about Eritrean friends in the country?"
"No."
"Okay... well, this could be challenging."
The central government in Asmara issues all visas. US-Eritrea
relations are strained at best, rocky at worst, making it difficult
for even American-Eritreans to obtain visas. Tourism is virtually
non-existent.
When I receive a call from a random Washington DC phone number six
weeks later, the same gentleman at the embassy seems as surprised as I
am: "They gave you a visa."
On the ground
Other travelers warn me about the airport. Every penny of currency
will be counted, every picture on my camera checked, every serial
number of every device recorded.
I make it from the plane to the parking lot in 10 minutes flat.
After a quick nap, I venture out to the streets of Asmara with two
Eritrean friends of friends. The ever-optimistic US State Department
told me to expect the following:
"The Government of Eritrea is arming its citizens with automatic
rifles to form citizen militias."
"Crime in Asmara has increased as a result of deteriorating economic
conditions accompanied by persistent food, water, and fuel shortages,
and rapid price inflation."
"The Eritrean government-controlled media frequently broadcast
anti-U.S. rhetoric."
The first Eritreans I encounter, on the other hand, have this to say,
after they recovered from their initial shock of meeting an American
tourist wandering the streets:
"Welcome, America!"
"San Francisco is my favorite city in America!"
"I lived in Houston for a few years; I would never walk in the city at
night. Here I always do."
Someone in the Eritrean anti-American propaganda department needs to be fired.
Unlike North Korea, I was able to freely wander around Asmara at all
hours of the day and night and speak to whomever I wished.
Asmara's main produce market.
Brief History
Italy controlled Eritrea from 1890 until WWII when the British awarded
Eritrea to Ethiopia. Ethiopia annexed Eritrea as a province 10 years
later, sparking a 30 year war for independence between Eritrea
(population: 6M) and Ethiopia (population: 94M).
The conflict ended in 1991 with the expulsion of Ethiopian forces.
Eritreans overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1993 under an
UN-administered referendum.
Unfortunately, independence did not bring lasting peace or prosperity.
The two countries continued to fight over disputed borders. Under the
guise of security, one party has controlled Eritrea since
independence. The country has held exactly zero national elections in
the last two decades.
I know this only from public sources, however. Given Eritrea's
political situation, I was advised against inquiring about politics,
so limited my visit to experiencing life on the ground. While not
ideal, I wanted to both ensure my own ability to leave the country as
well as the security of my local hosts.
Internet was slow, but snail mail still reliable.
Naples
>From at least external appearances, Lonely Planet had it right --
Asmara felt much more like Naples than North Korea.
In fact, it is unquestionably the most beautiful African capital city
I've visited. It's truly pleasant to stroll around on foot, with wide
sidewalks, towering green trees, and minimal traffic. Breathing comes
a bit harder at an altitude of over 7,000 feet, but the mountain air
is refreshingly cool, clean, and crisp. The streets are immaculate;
"roving gangs" of street sweepers "descend upon" the city every
morning at 5am and "attack" litter.
Cafés dot the sidewalks. The gelato rivals that of Rome or Florence.
Cappuccino is considered a national addiction. The national cuisine
resembles Ethiopian, but Italian restaurants almost outnumber Eritrean
ones.
Immaculately preserved cathedrals and mosques line the main squares.
Christian and Islamic houses of worship stand in close proximity. The
population is split between the two religions, but I am told no one
can tell a person's religion unless they ask. Everyone attends each
other's weddings regardless of religion; my hosts had over 4,000
guests at their ceremony.
Walking is a slow process as every third person stops and offers a
warm greeting. I did not receive as much attention as in other
countries as there are still quite a few Italians living in Asmara,
making Eritrea the first and last time I will ever be mistaken for an
Italian.
Allies versus enemies
Eritrea undoubtedly has issues, but it seems the US government has
taken a particularly harsh approach to the country. When you compare
it to a country such as Bahrain -- which relentlessly cracked down on
protestors during the Arab Spring -- it seems the US approach to
Eritrea is disproportionately heavy-handed. That being said, unlike
Bahrain, Eritrea isn't housing the US Fifth Fleet.
Despite warnings about militias and armed gangs, I saw a grand total
of three traffic police and zero militias -- unlike Bahrain where every
10 minutes a pack of 5 armored police cars roared past. Even without a
visible police presence, crime seems extremely rare.
In many respects, I found myself thinking back to my travels to Iran.
Simply because a government is autocratic does not mean a country is
either unsafe, unfriendly, or lacking beauty. Here's to hoping that
one day, both governments will reconcile their differences and make it
easier for more people to enjoy the charm of the Naples of Africa.
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Received on Thu Jun 05 2014 - 06:01:18 EDT