Eritrea - Ministry of Information

Annually, September 26 represents World Contraception Day (WCD), a worldwide campaign to ensure that “every pregnancy is wanted.” Internationally observed for nearly a decade, WCD seeks to improve knowledge and awareness of contraception and family planning, while enabling and empowering people (particularly women) to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.

The number of articles claiming Eritrea as “closed-off” seem to be as many as the stars in the sky. The fact that the State of Eritrea chooses to have “responsible” journalism towards national matters, does not overly acclaim national plans and projects  across international information networks, and avoids stirring up emotions that could jeopardize nationalism has led to a vast number of entities describing the country as closed-off and undiplomatic, where nothing but ugly occurs within.

Last week, an Eritrean delegation, led by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, participated in the 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The summit of the 120-nation group, which was attended by several Heads of State and Government, was held on the resort island of Margarita, located in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Eritrea’s official statement at the summit was wide-ranging, noting the many challenges faced by many of the NAM’s members (including Eritrea), calling for the defense of the principles of the sovereign equality of nations, respect for territorial integrity, political independence and peaceful coexistence, and the respect for the dignity and rights of citizens. Eritrea also

In Tancred, Benjamin Disraeli tells us how “[t]he East is a career.” Eritreans may be forgiven for thinking that likewise, for many mainstream analysts and experts, “Eritrea is a career.” Earlier this year a story on polygamy being mandatory in Eritrea was widely circulated across international media, and this week, an outdated, fictitious report about a North Korean ambassador commenting about Eritrea received considerable attention on social media.

Today, as I walk the streets of Asmara, highly grateful for the nice, cool, periodic breeze, I cannot help but notice the great number of banderas (flags) waving elegantly atop city buildings, from apartment balconies, perched upon storefronts, and from streetlight fixtures. Likewise, taxicabs and merchants’ windows are adorned with stickers or posters of the red, green, blue, and gold. Today is not just another day on the calendar. It is September 1st - a national holiday, an occasion filled with patriotism and utmost pride, and amongst the most significant days for Eritreans of various ethnolinguistic or religious stripe, young or old, male or female, and in the country or across the world.

For molecular biologist and food scientist Orsalem Kahsai, nutritious food is paramount in feeding her three children. She wanted to create low sugar, healthy spreads that were high in Omega-3’s, so the development process began. Orsalem Kahsai is an Eritrean native who lives in the United States. She has very recently created and launched the first OMG FLAX Butter in 2016, thereby making huge contribution to the diet in the American society.