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From: samuel Igbu (ypfdjbc@gmail.com)
Date: Fri Mar 25 2011 - 15:59:19 EST
By: Berhane Kahsay
Eritrean women are living in
legends of unparalleled heroic
stories across the globe. They
fought on equal basis with their
male counterparts to liberate
their country from colonial forces
and are actively engaged in
safeguarding the sovereignty of
their country.
In writing about Eritrean
heroines, however, one always
worries about translating their
bravery into matching words.
That being the case, what
encouraged me to cross the line
of contemplation and move into
writing is an interview aired on
Eri-TV on the occasion of the
19th anniversary of
Operation Fenkil, which took
place from 13 to 15 February,
2009, with some of the Eritrean
Peoples Liberation Front’s (EPLF)
women fi ghters who actively took
part in liberating the port city of
Massawa. The four heroines-
Captain Senbelawit, Lt.Colonel
Elsa, Fiyori and Mebrat-joined
the EPLF in the late 1970s and
were wounded several times in
the series of battles they were
engaged in against the enemy.
What was most captivating about
their wartime stories was their
dedication to the bigger national
goal-liberating their country-and
consequently their equality. In all
their activities they demonstrated
that they were equally capable
and competent as their male
counterparts. A glimpse of the pre
and post-independence Eritrean
reality reveals numerous instances
of such heroism and unwavering
participation of women, which is
hard to conceive for outsiders let
alone believe it. Under the EPLF
women were not only given the
opportunity to participate in areas
that were naturally reserved for
men, but also to fi ght for their
rights through participation. And
this is how Eritrean women came
to see their relationship and role
within the EPLF:
“Remember the women who
have been martyred fi ghting.
Remember the women who gave
birth while fl eeing from their
homes, and those women who
have been born and have grown
up fi ghting for the liberation of
our country. We are the EPLF
Eritrean Women and Th eir Place in History
as much as anyone …………..
we fi ght for our rights as
women……………...”
What can be deduced from the
above quotation is that not only did
the EPLF recognize women’s role
as essential in liberating Eritrea
and establishing a society based
on equality and respect, but also
Eritrean women deeply believed
in the principles upon which
EPLF was founded. That is why
the Eritrean government strives
hard to recognize and reward their
heroic place in history. This has
indeed been acknowledged even
from unlikely corners when it
comes to analyzing issues related
to Eritreans:
“In an effort to encourage
broader participation by women
in politics, [the People’s Front
for Democracy and Justice] the
PFDJ in 1997 named 3 women
to its executive council and 12
women to its central committee.
Women participated in the
Constitutional Commission, fi lling
almost half of the positions on the
50-member panel, and hold senior
government positions, including
Minister of Justice, Minister of
Labor and Minster of Tourism.
Approximately 40 percent of all
households are headed by women.
Equal educational opportunity,
equal pay for equal work, and
penalties for domestic violence
have been codifi ed. However,
traditional societal discrimination
against women persists in the
largely rural and agricultural
country.”
True, the EPLF, and its current
incarnation, the PFDJ, have never
romanticized women’s roles. As
much as they proudly proclaim
about their contribution in the
liberation of Eritrea and in the
ongoing development process,
they do recognize that much has
to be done in abolishing social,
cultural and economic obstacles
that hinder the progress of all
women advancing Eritrean
society. In this regard, the effort
of every single Eritrean is needed
to address systemic disadvantage
and discrimination against
women in the country. As we
talk about the heroic feats of the
Eritrean women and their strong
participation in the struggle for
independence we need to honor
our Eritrean heroines [mothers,
sisters, wives and daughters] for
their extraordinary achievements.
More importantly, we have to
make sure that in the long run we
do all that we can to honor the
contributions and achievements
of our heroines. It is not atypical
to read infuriating messages from
former women liberation fi ghters
such as this:
“How could I have been called
a “terrorist” [during the war] and
today I can’t be called a hero with
my fellow comrades? If ever one
crossed the border, going to join the
struggle, and that person managed
to fi ght during the war, or died
during the war, or they survived,
that person is a hero, because it’s
“mission accomplished”! The
pride we have is hidden. You
know, the way we are living, you
can’t be proud. You don’t want
to be identifi ed, because we are
living in poverty.”
This perspective is articulated
by a Zimbabwean woman exfi
ghter who claims to have fought
equally with her male counterparts
in the liberation war of Zimbabwe,
which ended in 1980. However,
the nationalist propaganda refutes
her claim, states Lyons, referring
to her contribution and that of
her comrades not equal although
signifi cant. Either way, the woman
ex-fi ghter thinks her contribution
and that of her colleagues went
unrecognized in post-independent
Zimbabwe. She believes the
system has let her down the road
of humiliation rather than pride:
in her own words, she was called
a terrorist during the war but
after the war she can’t be called
a hero. Tragic! We must make
sure that the heroic place of our
women-ex-and-current fi ghtersis
kept for eternity, and that their
revolutionary
-- Sincerely *YPFDJ British Columbia Chapter* YPFDJ Goal and Purpose- Our goal is to build a strong, conscious and patriotic youth movement.
Our purpose is:
- To raise the awareness and level of organisation of Eritrean youth to serve our nation - To reassert the identity, patriotism and unity of Eritrean youth - To promote the participation of Eritrean Youth in the national reconstruction of Eritrea as well as guarding the sovereignty of Eritrea - To enhance the position and influence of Eritrean Youth in their respective countries of residence.
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