The National Union of Eritrean Women in Seattle Celebrated its 7th
International Women’s Day, on Saturday, March 10, 2007
It was a beautiful Saturday evening celebrating women
everywhere! One of the many highlights of the National Union of Eritrean Women
(NUEW) International Women's Day celebration this year was a cultural show put
on by the Eritrean Youth Dance Group of Seattle. A special performance designed
for mothers and sisters touched the hearts and souls of all those who were
fortunate to witness the graceful moves. For seven years, this team of our
children and young adults continues to honor our organization’s special events
with rich Eritrean culture, assuring us that the beauty of Eritrean culture is
alive in America and in our younger generations.
The National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students (NUEYS)
also prepared a slide show as a special tribute to Eritrean women. It was
wonderfully organized to capture the many stories and struggles of our Eritrean
mothers and sisters without words. We sincerely appreciate NUEYS’s continued
participation in our programs and support for our cause towards uplifting our
women and the people in their lives.
The evening's extensive program also included a presentation
by a member of the NUEW, Seattle chapter, on women’s struggle in general, and
the struggles and accomplishments of Eritrean mothers and sisters. Poems and
skits written and acted by members of the NUEW told a heartfelt story as well
as brought amused smiles to the audience member's faces . Friends and relatives
from neighboring Vancouver, B.C., and Oregon were also present in honor of this
special evening.
The live entertainment by renowned vocalist Habtom Debessai
along with the most talented local team of saxophonist Teklit Aron, guitarist Mike
Alazar, base guitarist Lucas Gebreluul and Key Board player Abebe Tesfai, kept
us on our feet all night, with old and contemporary music to satisfy all our
musical tastes.
In remembering and honoring the past, celebrating the present and strengthening
our commitment for the future - this act of unified celebration each year can
only truly be described as "beautiful."
In closing, I want to share with you an excerpt of a
dialogue between God and an angel in the making of a woman. It was sent to me
by a friend:
By the
time the Lord made woman, he was into his sixth day of working overtime. An
angel appeared and said, “Why are you spending so much time on this one? And
the Lord answered, “Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be
completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all
replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can
hold four children at a time...She will do everything with only two hands.”
The
angel was amazed and moved closer and touched the woman and said, “But you have
made her so soft Lord.” “She is soft,” the Lord agreed, “but I have also made
her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.”
The
angel again noticed something unusual, and reaching out, touched the woman’s
cheek. “Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model…the Lord corrected,
that is a tear!...The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her
pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.”
“Will
she be able to think?” asked the angel. The Lord replied, “Not only will she be
able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate.”
The
angel was impressed. “You are a genius Lord. You thought of everything! Woman
is truly amazing.”
However, if there is one flaw in women, it is that they forget their
worth!
Lette Hadgu
National Union of Eritrean Women in Seattle
