Eritrean Independence Party in Los Angeles

(May 27,2006)

By: Miriam Welderufael

The Eritrean Independence Party was a great success. Eritreans from all over California and other places gathered together at the Hollywood Park Casino to celebrate our fifteenth year of Independence. The place, all though not to large, was packed at capacity and the unity inside the room was amazing. They started off the night with a moment of silence for all the lost martyrs that made our independence possible and then followed that by singing our national anthem.

During the party there were announcements from many of the groups to inform and update the current status of Eritrea. At the party you could see Eritreans helping each other. Everyone was striving in his or her own way to bridge the gap between the Eritreans who are familiar with the culture and those who are not. Information was plenty and available for those who were interested. All the different active groups in the community had their tables set up so that people could receive more information as well as join in the support for our community. At these tables there were everything from creative shirts and cultural videos being sold, to information about managing money and how to become more involved in the Eritrean community.

The music by Mulgheta Beyin (Wedi Zager) and Risom (Wedi Afro) was great. They were able to excite the crowd and get everyone to the dance floor. It was a wonderful experience for anyone that was involved and it was great to see that everything ran smoothly without any incidents. On the dance floor there were everyone from the elders of the community all the way to the young kids showing each other their moves and celebrating whole-heartedly.

Anyone from the outside looking in could see how much fun and excitement was in the room. This fun and excitement was not limited to anyone, the musicians were having the time of there lives and even the hotel staff seemed to be enjoying watching our beautiful people celebrate our independence with pride.