Report from Seattle

The Eritrean Festival Western-USA, which traditionally took place in Oakland, has been hosted by Seattle this year. The festival started on Friday with an opening ceremony that included a VIP dinner for influential and distinguished American friends and Eritreans followed by a public opening ceremony. During the VIP dinner, Eritreans were represented by H.E. Salih Meki, official delegates, community and religious leaders as well as key Eritreans who live in the USA. The Eritrean youth dance association performed a beautiful show to familiarize the guests with our Eritrean culture and its beauty. Eritrean mothers have also prepared traditional food and Habesha coffee for the guests. Click here to see pictures.

After the VIP dinner, the hall was open to the general public. After a moment of silence to honor our martyrs and a speech from the head of organizing committee, the Seattle youth cultural dance group showed tantalizing performance. This year, the show was performed by noticeably more Eritrean kids that have mastered the various cultural dances of all Eritrean ethnic groups. Kudos goes to the organizers who did a marvelous job of pulling all the resources together to perform such a beautiful show. The overwhelming attendance of kids this year reinforced the official slogan of this year’s festival which focuses on building a strong Eritrean youth community. The strong representation of parents with traditional Eritrean costume reflects the collective desire to transfer the Eritrean culture and tradition to the young Eritrean kids.

The Friday event was attended by more than one thousand Eritrean parents and their children. The various artists and singers have entertained the crowd marvelously, a hint of what was to come on Saturday. Those who needed more music to get them through the night had no problem finding their favorite audio CDs from the tens of vendors and sponsors that decorated the huge hall of Qwest Field. The vendors have presented an array of products that is pleasing for the eyes of the audience and was visited frequently. Encouraging Eritrean businesses, thereby contributing to the well being of Eritreans in the USA, is an added benefit of the festival.

Saturday was a day that everyone was waiting for. The seminars and the hottest Eritrean artists were reserved for this day. The social, educational and cultural seminars were conducted first followed by the long awaited seminar given by H.E. Saleh Meki. Mr. Saleh gave extensive explanation about the current situation in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. Mr. Saleh highlighted the government’s program in regard to developing strong educational and vocational skills. He highlighted that the opening of colleges and vocational institutes in various places in Eritrea is designed to guarantee a collective and equal educational opportunities for all Eritreans regardless of location. The strong progress made in providing health services to remote areas coupled with infrastructure development is a foundation upon which the next generation can capitalize to build a prosperous Eritrea. Mr. Saleh encouraged Eritreans in Diaspora to prepare in the future to benefit from the educational advances made in Eritrea by sending their kids to Eritrean colleges which will provide high standards and affordable tuition. Mr. Sale concluded the seminar by answering questions from the audience.

After the Seminar and a quick fashion show, the evening was reserved for dancing to the best music our Eritrean ears can tune to. Tanico, Meshes, Tareke, Zeineb, Tewolde, Tefeno … have entertained the crowd till the end of the show. Eritrean Festival Western USA 2006 was an absolute success by any standards. Many thanks go to all those who spent weeks of preparations and hard work to make this event go smoothly. Seattle has to be proud for being able to organize two major festivals within 30 days. Congratulations Seattle!

Ertra team