PRESS RELEASE
PFDJ festivals
are robbing our people
EHDR-UK
- 21 June 2005
Normally, a festival is
where people freely celebrate their culture and traditions and
assess/evaluate the situation of their community and country. People
strive to preserve their traditions and at the same time try to acquaint
it with the host community. Festivals strengthen social relationships and
the future of the community including the welfare of children is charted.
Renewal of social and economic life is attempted through the social
interactions in the festival.
By
contrast, PFDJ organised festivals have the sole aim of money accumulation
and creating a subtle discord among our people by employing backward
feeling of exclusion, region, religion, ethnicity, social class and other
factors. PFDJ uses the festival to further its aim of dictatorial rule.
Unfortunately
many of our people don’t seem to differentiate between Eritreanism and
PFDJ. People think that boycotting PFDJ festivals and other functions will
somehow put them in the camp of anti-Eritreanism and they feel
uncomfortable when they miss PFDJ festivals. However, this is not
true.
We
should try to find answers to very critical questions regarding the dire
situation in Eritrea. We should ask why the country’s economy is
deteriorating, why the living standard of our people is worsening by the
day, why our youth are fleeing the country and are victims of inhospitable
and dangerous places like the Sahara Desert, why aren’t prisoners
brought to justice, why doesn’t Eritrea have press freedom, freedom of
worship and freedom of movement. Why? Why? Why…………………….
Many more questions need answers and we think that it is time we realise
independence without justice and respect for human rights is plain
slavery.
The
above questions have to be asked consistently by every Eritrean and reject
the border issue excuse given by the PFDJ regime for not democratising the
country. The issue in Eritrea now is the issue of dictatorial rule and one
way we can fight it is by drying the financial resources of the regime.
That is why we appeal to all Eritreans to boycott all PFDJ festivals
otherwise we will be party to the suffering of our people.
Join
us in a protest rally outside the festival venue.
The Coronet July 1 & 2, 2005, Elephant & Castle from 9pm
till late.
Board,
Eritreans
for Human and Democratic Rights-UK (EHDR-UK)
June
2005
info@ehdr.org.uk
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