Bravo Zereesenay.

Belay Hadgu.

(03/25/07)

As usual I had the opportunity to watch ETV via satellite this Saturday March 24, 2007. Thanks to the government and the modern technology we are close to home more than any time, when it comes to information about our country. I am really enjoying ETV except the time difference makes it harder to watch the full program every day.

I watched the opening ceremony of the first of all the Ethiopian games two weeks ago. It is amazing to see over three thousand athletes from all over the country participating in seventeen kinds of sports for the first time. The most important of such event was the mingling of the athletes and cultural exchange among the different nations and nationalities of this nation. It is very encouraging and the organizers should be commended.

Again today I watched the closing ceremony. I have to admit that I had difficulties to control the tears of joy that was flowing from my eyes. I was very emotional when I saw the stadium was packed with such enthusiastic attendants and participants.

To see such gatherings of the different administrations, ethnics, nations and nationalities of Ethiopia celebrating in Unisom will break some ones heart in joy.

Unity is stronger where there is respect among people and knowing each other. I have to believe Ethiopia is striding forward in many ways. The closing ceremony was spectacular. Again I can say with confidence that Ethiopia is way ahead of more than some of us can imagine. If I have a reason to complain it is about the coverage given to this event, it is less than what the sport casters give to the British premier league. The sport casters of ETV seem know better about the British premier league than the Ethiopian clubs. I wish they give more coverage to the national events than the internationals to such events like this.

Coinciding with the closing ceremony the highly awaited event in Mombassa, Kenya was beginning. That was the world’s athletic federation championship. I glued my eyes to the TV hoping that Kenenisa Bekele and the other elite Ethiopian athletes will sweep the medals, if not for sure Kenenisa and Tirunesh will be in the gold medal podium. As I expected the women did well even though they didn’t get the gold. The 12 km run was breathtaking. Many known world athletes were participating. Among these finest athletes the most watched was the head to head run between the Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele and Eritreas runner Zereesenay Tadesse. I cheered for my country’s flag carrier Kenenisa till the last moment he dropped out.

I was disappointed that he didn’t finish the last 2 km after he run the 10 km superbly, but when I saw the winner was also a Habesha from my neighboring country who shares the same language and culture I was proud of him. As much as I was saddened and disappointed by Kenenisa’s and other athletes inability to go to the podium (except the women) I was also equally happy to see Zereesenay crowned as world champion for this event.

I said “Bravo Zereesenay I salute you. Good job”. If this victory was over fifteen years ago you would have over seventy million people cheering for you.

Unlike these days there were many Eritreans who cheered and participated bearing the Ethiopian flag from football to athletics. One thing I never forgot is reading about a foot ball (soccer) player called Ismael a Hamassen Club and Ethiopian national team football (soccer) player run over ten km to cheer Mamo Wolde in the 1968 Olympic game in Mexico. The cyclists like Geganti and others who held their urine sample for three days to prove they were the winners in Algeria.

Unlike Isayas and his cronies who are trying to rewrite Eritrean history, most Ethiopians still think Eritreans are their brothers and sisters not because we want the land as some loonies claim but from the love of our shared history, culture and blood.

Misguided by few power mongers and narrow nationalists the Eritrean people have gone many up hills and down hills through out history. The people they trust will give them freedom and prosperity became their oppressors. They create more enemies than friends, they create poverty than prosperity.

To day the mad man from Eritrea is kidnapping Ethiopians, arming, supplying and instructing Ethiopian enemies with explosives. The master of terrorists is telling us that his country is not responsible for the kidnapping but the ARDUF. His another fake created liberation front like the Eastern Sudan Liberation Front. Would any one believe him when the so call ARDUF is fighting to create an Afar state carved from the states of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti is using TV ER using as it’s propaganda tool?.