Asmara Eritrea - May 25 2009

 

Monday May 25 is another public holiday. All offices are closed. It delayes my plan to visit Keren, because I cannot collect my travel permit. I guess they decided to add an extra holiday to compensate for the fact that May 24 is on a Sunday.

So far the bad news. The good news is, that I walk into another, very unexpected, Independence Day party. Strolling up and down Harnet Avenue in the afternoon, after the visit to my family, I hear music coming from the entrance of the fish market.

When I look into the hall, where they use to sell fish, I see a group of about 25 women dancing and singing on the rhythm of two traditional drums (kebero) and one man (I guess he is the manager). When the women see me, they ask me to come in, and to join their dance.

When I join the dancing women, they form a human circle around me, and decorate me with pieces of their clothes (netzela), to make me look like an Eritrean.

There is a professional photographer of Photo Cinelux around, making pictures. He takes my camera, so that the whole unexpected extension of the Independence Day ceremonies is recorded on my own camera.

After the dancing, I am invited to share the lunch with the women, eating from a huge injera dressed up with a stew of meat in a berbere sauce. Although injera is not my favorite food, I do my best to eat my share of the injera.

One of the women tears off a piece of injera, soaks it in the berbere stew, and actually feeds me. Although I have some trouble with this Eritrean tradition because of the risk of contamination, I cannot refuse the gesture, that is one of the typical expressions of Eritrean hospitality.

Two military men keeping an eye on Harnet Avenue, and a few young boys peep though the windows of the hall, to observe the feast, and the women interacting with the tourist. The smiles on their faces confirm their approval.

At 4:00 pm the party is over. In Bar Gurgusum I enjoy two double arakies to anaesthetize any bacteria that might spoil my trip to Keren tomorrow.

 

Decorated houses - Semaetat Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Cinema Roma - Semaetat Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Cinema Asmara - Harnet Avenue / Beleza Street Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

My niece Yodit - Asmara Eritrea.

Cinema Asmara (interior) - Harnet Avenue Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Cinema Asmara (interior) - Harnet Avenue Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Decorated Ministry of Education - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Decorated High Court - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Decorated tourist - Fish market Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Lunch with the employees of the fish market - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Lunch with the employees of the fish market - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.