INTERVIEW: Eritrean Diaspora vs. Government Controlled Media

Photo: Saleh (Gadi) Johar - Writer and Publisher of leading Eritrean web news journal, Awate.com

The Eritrean media continues to go through very thorny twists and turns. As this interview is being sent out for publication, the global media watchdog, Reporters without Borders, is saying the government has arrested and imprisoned dozens of its own journalists without charge.

In 2001, the authorities entirely eliminated a vibrant, independent press during a crackdown on dissidents and journalists. It has been replaced by a Cold War, Soviet style media system for which the government has been denounced globally as a ferocious enemy of free speech and free press. The government said the independent media was biased against the one party system.

Since 2001, the Diaspora media have operated effective reporting and analysis programs in the campaign to establish a free, democratic country. One such news and views outlet which has been reporting and interpreting Eritrean events for nine years is Awate.com. I spoke to Saleh (Gadi) Johar, writer and publisher of Awate. Saleh begins by highlighting achievements in view of stated goals.

Saleh Johar: The main accomplishment of Awate.com is that it contributed greatly in legitimizing opposition to injustice. Until awate.com was launched, there was only meskerem.net which challenged the regime. But meskerem was a forum, there was no original news, editorial or regular columns. We built on that foundation and introduced editorials, columnists, fertile Womb that celebrated heroes, raised issues that were considered taboo until then and challenged the ruling Eritrean regime openly. Until awate.com came along, to be opposed to the regime meant to be somebody stuck in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, fighting old feuds. Awate changed that completely. We showed that it is perfectly ok to love your country and oppose the government. There are still many, including the regime, who push back on this, but I think they know it is a losing battle.

Michael Abraha: News reporting, as you know, can be a very intricate enterprise. It is often hard to be detached and objective when the country you are covering is your own. What has been Awateīs experience in this regard?

SJ: Awate.com introduced professionalism into the dissemination of news and information. Before that, news and propaganda were considered the same, a byproduct of the socialist dogma of the 1970s. Therefore, news, whether it was made by the opposition or the regime, was always bombastic and full of editorials. We introduced some objectivity to our news-telling. Gedab News is the only section in Awate.com that refers to the tyrant Isaias as "Mr. Isaias Afwerki." We also broke news, had many exclusives over the years…too many to list. For example when we broke the news that Minister of Local Governments (De facto vice-president) Sherifo had been arrested, it was a double shock for many: that he was arrested and that awate.comīs Gedab was the one telling them about it. Some have still not recovered from this shock.

MA: That certainly was good reporting. But what does Gedab stand for?

SJ: Funny you should ask. In nine years, you are probably the third person to ask that question. I am sure many are curious but I was not asked to explain it. For the first time I will explain this in public— this is an exclusive for you.

In the Eritrean struggle, there is a group of strugglers who are totally forgotten, the Murassilin, the reporters, as they were known. In the absence of radio and other means of communication, they traveled days on foot to deliver a letter or report of an incident; they were the communication network of the Eritrean struggle. It is hard to imagine what would have become of the struggle without their services. I know many of them, to name a few: Netabai, Barrolle, Bahaylay, Mukeskesh and many others. But I chose a man from the Seber region whose nick name was Gedab. The people who furnish our information are not different from those fine selfless servants of the struggle and I considered them our new Gedabs. The name was chosen as a tribute to all the Murassilin of the struggle era. There you go, it has now become a household name and I am thrilled by that as I am sure many would be.

MA: Before I get you to discuss some of the challenges and setbacks faced, letīs see the languages used by Awate. It is mainly English with hardly any stories in Tigrinia or Arabic except on very rare occasions. How do you balance this structure and what is the benefit in using English as the main, if not, the only working language for your website.

SJ. Until awate.com came along, the Internet was expected to be the domain of Tigrinia speaking Eritreans. People accepted that as the norm and used all sorts of sophisticated-sounding reasons to rationalize it. Awate.com changed that and it has the most balanced, the most diverse audience than any other media outlet, whether that outlet is government, opposition or independent. You can measure this in any numbers of ways: contributors to the website, readers, donors, volunteers. It is not even close when it comes to the others. We narrowed the gap: we brought about all sectors of the population, Muslims, Christians, Lowlanders, Highlanders, etc. Once we saw there were enough websites catering to the Arabic and Tigrinya reader, we focused on English and became the source of information for Eritreans and foreigners alike, especially to decision makers and governments. There was a website then, Meselna.com which had excelled in presenting the best mixture of Arabic, Tigrinia and English on its pages, no one succeeded in doing what Meselna did since it stopped.

MA. You have some of the finest opinion writers by any standard – Saleh Younis also known as SAAY, Lt. Kidane, Fessehaye Woldu, the Gedab news writers, to mention a few. They have, no doubt, produced some of the outstanding features ever written by Eritreans. But it has to be pointed out that they need to remove their masks and come out alive and share with the public their personalities and backgrounds. How about attaching photos of these writers, for example? It would certainly humanize the website better. By the way, I will need your photo for this interview. But I believe this is an important subject to discuss. What are your thoughts?

SJ: You can have my picture for the interview; it is no more taboo thanks to awate.com. I should first mention that as a matter of policy, we insist that writers pick one website and stick to it (instead of having their work appear in ten websites) and do not allow people to write under a pen name, unless they are willing to share their identity with us. Having said that, we cannot announce the names of people like Events Monitor, Lt Kidane, and our stringers for the simple reason that this will be hazardous to their health, to say the least. These are people operating deep in the belly of the beast, as we call it, and the beast has developed a taste for Eritrean blood. Others are writers and want to remain writers and they do not want the burden of celebrity or whatever follows pictures—invitations to public addresses, etc. We should respect that. As a matter of clarification, Saleh Younis is SAAY and has been using those initials forever; same person.

We also want to emphasize the product as opposed to the producer. Check out the Economist magazine and you wonīt find a single name of its writers, the Magazine must have chosen to promote the Economist brand as a carrier of opinions and news and not its writers. It is a choice, a positioning. We chose to make Gedab News impersonal. Therefore, there are some who do not have a mask to take off and others are forced to keep their masks on.

As for photos of people, let me tell you a story I havenīt told before. You can also call this an exclusive.

Until about 2003, Eritreans in general scoffed at the idea of having their pictures on the Internet. You wouldnīt see any picture of the opposition leaders or the regime officials in the Internet. The late Seyoum Ogbamichael was the first one who appeared in picture alongside an interview. We talked about the issue and it was not difficult to convince him to accept his picture to be posted—it was out of humility that many didnīt like the idea of their pictures posted. It is funny now that I remember—no one at awate knew how to edit images, Photoshop, etc. I remember I went through the program for hours just to place the blue flag behind Seyoumīs picture and whenever I see that picture today, I laugh. The interview was done at Fesshaye Hagosī house and we asked Seyoum to stand behind a small Lemon tree and he said. "I donīt want to step on the Lemon tree for a picture!" I am sure that Lemon tree has grown and is producing; the picture was so shabbily done it looked like a child play. But it was a breakthrough. Now many donīt mind having their pictures posted.

Asmarino.com did a good job in breaking the taboo when it started to post the pictures of writers—in fact, asmarino is the leader in audiovisual presentation. Today, where technology is easily accessible, it is no more a problem. As for putting pictures on articles, we really do not mind; but again, just like the economist, we were not that keen on pictures, we thought content is what drives awate.com and we still think so. But we can be convinced otherwise if there are persuasive arguments for that. See Mike; do not expect to see the identities of those who live in Eritrea, or those who travel there to be exposed. The rest is as I explained; we would like readers to focus on the content.

MA: I understand your policy regarding exclusivity. You want to discourage your writers from posting their stories in other publications once they have them posted on Awate.com. By the same token you do not seem to be keen on carrying other stories from other sources. But look at the other side of the argument. You cannot hope to get readers to make Awate their only source of information on Eritrea - if that is your aim - unless you are going to include on your website other stories and articles appearing in other publications, or at least present them in abridged forms.

SJ: As for our cross posting policy, we believe Eritrean websites have to go beyond the service of providing bulletin boards. Every outlet has to have a reason for existence, if the reason is to serve as any college bulletin board, it is fine. But we have goals and we set the website to advance the goals of reconciliation based on truth, and we aspire to establish professionalism as well. Cross posting doesnīt encourage competition and thus improvement if not perfection—it makes us look dull and boring, everything the same. I believe that website should develop their own unique character. We are in the opinion fighting field and hodge-podge opinions lamped into one donīt serve our goal in contributing towards enriching our debate, promote tolerance and respecting diversity. Imagine yourself writing an article which is posted in each and every Eritrean and non-Eritrean website? Every reader will find it on any website he links—even the best written article would be boring. Besides, the policy helps us present quality articles, well thought of and materials worth the time of the reader. I donīt think it is efficient to waste our limited resources—ten webmasters reading, editing, formatting and publishing the same material and the same article being archived in ten different servers. Add to that the wasted bandwidth—those websites with heavy traffic understand the expenses involved, it is a total waste.

I believe over the last decade, as a nation, we have produced many fine writers and thinkers. But we have to remember their views and opinions are not one monolithic view. Each thinks differently and each has different values and visions. If these opposing and differing views are to produce an intellectual wealth and a contribution to the development of Eritrea, each has to find a home that airs their views. Awateīs main goal is reconciliation, based on truth according to how its editors see it. It is a vehicle for informing Eritreans, inspiring them and emboldening them in their quest for all the good life, good governance, freedom and dignity. Anyone who agrees with those goals and wants to be part of the awate.com family is most welcome. So far our family is big enough to influence opinion and I can proudly say that awate.com writers are among the best, if not the best writers and thinkers. If you have seen Awate Forums, you would find the most vibrant discussion and some of the best thinkers. I wish they would present their thoughts in an article format for the benefit of front-page readers.

So, our policy is to encourage the building of character, to encourage specialization, and organize diverse opinions—and it has worked.

MA: What are your thoughts about mixing journalism with activism? Can Eritrean writers afford not to be activists given the political climate in that country?

SJ: Mixing? Well, to me journalism came after I became an activist, not the other way around. Journalism is my means of struggle for reconciliation, for justice, equality, the freedom of press, and all the good things one would dream of. If someone is neutral to what is happening in Eritrea, they can afford to be just journalists. I do not suffer from schizophrenia when I say that first I am an activist and then a writer, I do not even think I am a journalist unless I became one unknowingly.

MA: Awate appears to be trying hard, as it should, to present accurate news and information on Eritrea. But there was one moment, a couple of years ago, when you reported that Eritrea and Ethiopia had resumed their border war when in fact there was no evidence to back this up and there was no independent confirmation from other sources. This must have been one of Awate's lowest points. You apologized. But why did it take you so long to make the correction and the apology?

SJ: You are right; it was one of our lowest points. But only because people have an incredibly high expectation of Gedab News, which I guess is supposed to be 100% accurate. You are in the news business: if you have a source who has been accurate in 100% of previous reports, you consider him unimpeachable for the next report. Human beings make mistakes—they correct, they learn from it, they grow. We have had hundreds of news item before and after that report, and all of it is accurate. But to those who had been looking for anything to discredit awate and Gedab News, that must have been manna from heaven. In the rest of the world, awate.com and Gedab News are just unquestionably reliable. Almost any comprehensive report about Eritrea has to, by definition, quote awate.com. This is a bitter pill to some, and we will help them occasionally by giving them a manna from heaven…because I guarantee you we will make mistakes, and I guarantee you that wonīt stop us from reporting.

MA: What insights would you offer to other Eritrean media outlets about the importance of credible and accurate news reporting?

SJ: Well, there is only one Eritrea, but there are at least 3 types of reporting. Eritrea is small and everyone has a relative or a friend there: most of us call home regularly. But Eritrea has as many agenda as there are Eritreans. People can justifiably have propaganda reporting, misinformation reporting and intelligence reporting. If anyone wants to engage in any of those, it is up to them to decide. This is after all what the regime does: reporting and misreporting things with only one agenda: does this help or hurt the cause of Isaias and PFDJ? We at awate.com believe that Gedab should remain a principled news outlet and must not engage in misinformation, intelligence or activism. The challenges for Gedab are to expose news, to find news that otherwise would not be found in the traditional sense. That is why we rarely recycle other sources; we would like to be responsible for what we report. Credibility is not something you just acquire, it is something you build over the years. Credibility is essential to the current situation in Eritrea. But sometimes, if news is not credible, it backfires. Unfortunately, readers forget where they read an item and if a news item is proved wrong, they say, īthe opposition reports are all lies.ī They donīt identify a specific source. When that happens, there is a risk that future news might not be taken seriously or encourage skepticism.

MA: Any comments on the plight of Eritrean journalists who still remain in jail without any charges. And what are your thoughts on the future of the Eritrean media as a whole within and outside the country?

SJ: My heart goes out to all those in jail not the journalists only. Journalists at least have advocates who cry for them, there are thousands of others languishing in jails everywhere in Eritrea with no one to remember them. In Eritrea, there is a root cause for all the miseries and that root cause must be dealt with to have a proper justice system. I donīt see the branches; I see the trunk and the roots. The miseries that Eritreans are going through cannot be discounted to jailed reporters only, it is the whole professional, social and political class that is suffering.

There are fine writers, but a few with deep knowledge of the Eritrean social fabric. In the absence of that knowledge, building a proper view is difficult and with the exception of a few writers, I think the perspective of writers is limited or narrow. But day to day, our performance is improving. Even inside Eritrea, technical developments are immense as far as the regimeīs media is concerned. The quality of sound, lighting and media in general is impressive but alas, there is lack of conscience and all the resources are serving the lies of the regime, therefore excellent talents and technical resources but dead human conscience. One day when Eritreans are free, there would be a flourishing press and media in general.

MA: What keeps Saleh Johar engaged and fighting?

SJ: I donīt like dropping out. I have seen so much injustice that I cannot stop. Since I was a child, I grew up witnessing injustices. That quest for justice and equality keeps me going.

MA: Where will Awate.com be in the next 5 years?

The answer is "unknowable" in the language of Donald Ramsfield, former US Defense Secretary. I hope that someday awate.com would be stationed inside Eritrea, where it belongs, in the form of a full-fledged media outlet, publishing magazines, books, newspaper, radio, etc. Our dream is to make this a truly public owned foundation to compete against any attempt by the government in the future to monopolize the media. An outlet that would cater for the whole of Eritrea in Arabic, Tigrinya and English, a media outlet that would weed out exclusion.

MA: The last word is still yours.

SJ: Awate.com is weather beaten; it went through turbulences, prevailed and still remained consistent though its demise has been predicted every month for the last nine years. Now it has established enough respect from the public in general, including those who wished it dead. It will continue to inform, inspire and embolden citizens, regardless of whether it appears that the regime is about to fall, as it did in 2002, or is entrenched forever, as its media and its supporters like to preach. That will not change awate.comīs mission, and it is my strong conviction that it will march on. My last word would be to reiterate that awate.com is what it is thanks to its loyal readers and brilliant writers who make us all proud. Any credit attributed to awate.com actually belongs to the writers, translators, the loyal readers who never shy from criticizing us for shortcomings and encourage us when they feel we deserve that. It belongs to all our friends, colleagues and well meaning Eritreans who kept awate.com alive. I thank them all. And thank you for your initiative.

Michael Abraha can be reached at mike@RefugeeResearch.org