“Hold Me In Your Arms! ….I Am Going to Make It”

“Hold Me In Your Arms! ….I Am Going to Make It”

By: Sihin Berhe

June 20 commemorates the Eritrean Martyrs Day. The genesis of this date traces back to the reversed defeat of the enemy’s offense (6^th Ethiopian offensive to wipe out EPLF – Eritrean People’s Liberation Front) after the biggest sacrifices paid by the commutates in the field. The grand loses of relatives and families during the 30 years of war of liberation as well as the war against the sovereignty and territorial integrity is proudly and painfully remembered on this day. It includes the memories of freedom fighters, brutally murdered innocent civilians, women and children.

Though each colonial ruling period had its own stories, enemy brutality against Eritrean people, what the Ethiopians soldiers inhume atrocities remains incomparable. Innumerable stories could be told.

For this year the artistic show by Ghidey Ghebremikael remained the tarots to those who witnessed what had happened in 1975 and award the youngsters what their fellow citizens went through. The artist showed the crime scene that was committed by the Ethiopian soldiers inside Abraham Woldu‘s family at Gejeret neighbourhood on July 1975 around 07:30 pm. The family gathered as usual circling the plate dish for dinning, however a frightening interruption appeared before the parents and siblings took their first slice of bread. Then the nightmare of terror caught the family up for tragedy: the genocidal atrocity. The Ethiopian soldiers brutally stubbed and shot down Mr. Abraham, his spouse and three other children of theirs. Fortunately, the two youngest boys of the family Tesfay and Mussie managed to hide and observe the brutal scene that was taking place in their house; to their family: a house that few minutes earlier was founded in peace.

Their four-year-old sister Ghenet was seen sobbing in front of the devastating scene of crime. Painted with blood, no mercy was in the aggressors heart for the forsaken child, so they stabbed her with the knife that left her intestine to drag out of its place. Both Tesfay and Mussie left their hidden place after they made sure the soldiers had left. Then sobbing sound came out from their baby sister Ghenet.” Tesfay, Tesfay please hold me in your arms! Mussie, Mussie hold me, I am going to make it!” she added with her dying voice. A four year-old victim struggling to keep her intestine from falling dawn to the ground. The 13-year-old Tesfay had a responsible and dedicated family that strives day and night to establish a better life. However, that tragic and unfortunate evening destroyed Abraham Woldu’s family dreams and hopes.

This history of Abraha’s family is the history of every Eritrean family. In that horrific day 23 innocent Eritreans were brutally massacred at Gejeret by the criminal gangs of the Derg regime. Between February-March 1975, more than 500 innocent civilians were massacred on the streets of Asmara. The residents of the city experienced their darkest moment of the colonial ruling during this period.

This story was narrated by one of the survivors of the family, Tesfay Abraha. He had an interview in June 21, 1988, with the then clandestine radio Dmzi Hafash. Tesfay fell heroically after joining the liberation struggle on the 19-05-91. Artist Ghidey Gebremichael is well known artist for his special presentation of different works of sculptures in connection with June 20, Martyrs Day. His presentation of this year “Eritrean Family” symbolizing the saddening incident of the family of Mr. Abraha, which is part and parcel of many Eritrean families. The people of Eritrea remember this day by going out to the streets on the eve of June 19 holding a candle vigil and pictures of their beloved ones in memory of their martyrs. On Saturday 19 June 2010 at 8 pm people from all walks of life gathered at Bahti Meskerem square to attend the opening ceremony. The ceremony, which commenced by National Marching

Band leading the parade, was attended by Ministers, government officials, religious leaders as well as invited dignitories and guests. In the opening speech, Mr Woldenkiel Ghebremariam, minister of the Regional Addministration, welcomed the participants of the ceremony and said that this year the commemoration of the Martyrs Day is to officially celebrated at She’eb.

Highlighting the fact that our bid for independence required sacrifice not only in the battlefield, but also in places everywhere in the nation like that in She’eb. The Ethiopian colonizers, pursuing their policies for ‘drying the sea to kill all the fish’ committed barbarous atrocities indiscriminately against Eritreans, and remembering such atrocities draws attention to that fact.

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