Share Editor’s note: Around the world, 2020 was turbulent, challenging, and a year truly unlike any other. This article, reviewing the period from September to December, is the third in a three-part series that looks back at some of the important events and developments that unfolded in Eritrea during 2020. Parts I and II were published in earlier editions of Eritrea Profile.
September
Meskerem, the 9th month, began with Eritreans around the world observing the 59th anniversary of the beginning of Eritrea’s armed struggle for independence. In Asmara, events at Cinema Roma included cultural programs, musical performances, drama programs, and poetry reading highlighting the unity and resilience of the Eritrean people.
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Radio Dimtsi Hafash celebrated its 42nd birthday yesterday. It was established as a clandestine broadcaster at a critical time on January 1, 1979, following the strategic withdrawal of Eritrea’s freedom fighters in 1978.
At that time, the propaganda machine of the Dergue used the situation to stifle the public support to the just cause of the revolution and struggle for independence. The Ethiopian regime and other reactionary elements stepped up their slanderous campaign against the Eritrean people’s struggle in an attempt to isolate the Eritrean people and the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) through news blackouts, lies, slanders and distortions. The EPLF felt the need for the establishment of a radio station in the liberated area to combat and expose these campaigns. Radio Dimtsi Hafash emerged as a beacon of hope and a primary tool for spreading the truth about the Eritrean revolution.