Category: Entertainment

International Women’s Day, 8 March, has been celebrated at regional levels in the Southern, Southern Red Sea Regions as well as in Sawa under the theme “Eritrean Women-Unwavering and Undertaking Sweats to Cultivate”.

At the occasion conducted in Segeneity at regional level and in which Brig. Gen. Tekle Kiflai, Commander of the Central Command, and Mr. Habteab Tesfatsion, Governor of the Southern Region, as well as other government officials and people’s representatives took part, Ms. Senait Afwerki, head of the National Union of Eritrean Women branch in Southern Region, explaining on the role and participation of Eritrean women in all staged of the Eritrean history, called for reinforced participation and contribution in the implementation of the national development programs.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Habteab Tesfatsion, Governor of the region, called for integrated effort to develop the participation of women in education, vocational training programs and in other sectors.

In the same vein, International Women’s Day has been enthusiastically celebrated in the port city of Assab at regional level.

Ambassador Mohammed-Seid Mantai, Governor of the region, Brig. Gen. Abraham Andom, Commander of Eastern Command, and other officials as well as a number of Assab residents attended the occasion.

Indicating that International Women’s Day is being celebrated at a historical stage in the history of the country, Ms. Sa’adia Ibrahim, head of the union branch in the region, called on women to take advantage of the opportunities being provided and improve their livelihoods.

Similarly, International Women’ Day has been celebrated in Sawa in the presence of the Commanders of the Sawa national service training center and students.

The events of the celebrations featured cultural and artistic performance depicting the day.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Hennok Mulueberhan who plays for the Green Project team won the eight-day Tour du Rwanda race in Rwanda.

The Eritrean won this race after wearing the Maillot Jaune on Saturday during the seventh stage of the Tour du Rwanda from Nyamata to Mount Kigali.

In the last area played in Kigali city this Sunday, Hennok was playing with three other players who were ahead of the general ranking because the second one was equal but they were separated by the fact that they have been driving in all areas according to the rules.

Henok Mulueberhan became the fourth player from Eritrea to win the Tour du Rwanda, after Daniel Tekleheimanot who won in 2010, Merhawi Kudus who won in 2019, Natnael Tesfazion who won in 2020 and 2022.

Hennok Mulueberhan in today’s area also finished in first place with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 52 seconds, equaling the time of the four others who followed him.

Hennok then won the Tour du Rwanda with a total time of 28 hours, 58 minutes and one second, equaling the Italian Walter Calzoni, but Hennok brought him ahead because he performed well in all areas including the one he won.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Nahom Abraham from Eritrea has won the top prize for best film, and $5,000, in the Berlinale’s 2023 NEFTI award for his film Home, a drama about a couple longing to be reunited.

Mihk Vergara and Miko Livelo from the Philippines took the NEFTI Audience Viewers Choice award, along with the $2,000 prize for You Are Gathered Here Today, a story about a man who returns home to the Philippines to bury his father and reunite with his best friends.

The third finalist was Zoulikha Tahar from Algeria for her film Leila’s Night Of Joy, about a girl who, on her 25th birthday, finally stands up for herself and takes her life into her own hands.

A panel of judges, including actress Vivica A. Fox, Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen (American Beauty) and Fox/Disney President, of feature post-production Ted Gagliano, picked the NEFTI winners together with last year’s competition winner Minenhle Luthuli, selected the three finalists.

The NEFTI awards, sponsored by Austria’s NEFT Vodka and backed by the Berlinale’s European Film Market, the Durban Film Mart, and the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), are designed to celebrate, and challenge, filmmakers from emerging economic regions to showcase their creative skills and to expand their reach into regions that may otherwise not have been available to them. While the short films did not have to be about NEFT, they all had to include the vodka brand in a way other than product placement. The only other criteria for were that all films must be non-violent and non-political.

The next NEFTI competition, NEFTI Africa, isopen only to applicants living on the continent or African territories. Applications open on May 1. There are also plans for aNEFTI All-Stars competition, where the winners from all NEFTI events create new films to compete for a NEFTI All-Stars prize.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

British Rider, Ethan Vernon, of Team Soudal-QuickStep claimed the second stage of Tour du Rwanda 2023 from City of Kigali to Gisagara district in Southern Province.

Vernon was victorious after 132.9km from Kigali to Gisagara, ensuring that the yellow jersey does not change hands, ahead of the third stage set for tomorrow, from Huye to Musanze district.

Vernon made it two-in-two, after beating his closest contender, Eritrean Mulueberhan Hanok of Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè, to the finish like after a largely flat and fast race that ender in the Southern Province district bordering Burundi.

Meijers Jeroen of Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team came in third while Raisberg Nadav of Israel – Premier Tech managed to finish fourth in a sprint finish which saw Vernon emerge on top.

Things just turned out as predicted for Vernon, who became the first British cyclist to win a stage in Tour du Rwanda, pointing out that he expected to do well on the second stage considering that it would be relatively flat as the first stage.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Nationals in France commemorated the 33rd anniversary of Fenkil Operation on 12 February with patriotic zeal under the theme “Fenkil-Resolute Commitment”.

The commemoration event that was organized in Nantes has been participated by a number of nationals from the French cities of Paris, Rennes, Ange, Marseilles and Nantes.

The event has been highlighted by cultural and artistic programs.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Bereket Paulos, Charge d’Affairs at the Eritrean Embassy, and Mr. Berhane Kidane, chairman of the YPFDJ in France, said that the heroic feat demonstrated by Eritrea’s liberation fighters at the coordinated land and naval Fenkil Operation will be proudly commemorated by the Eritrean people for posterity.

They also said that the commemoration anniversary of the operation that signaled the total independence of Eritrea shoulders every citizen to live up to the expectations of martyrs and commitment to strengthen participation in national affairs.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Eritrea’s Henok Mulubrhan defended his men’s road race title at the African Cycling Confederation (CAC) African Road Championships in Ghana’s capital Accra, while Nigeria’s Ese Upkeseraye won the women’s road race.

Mulubrhan triumphed again in a sprint at the end of the 11-lap, 132-kilometre race after his success in Sharm El Sheikh last year.

He crossed the finish line first in 3hrs 4min 27sec, edging out Algeria’s Yacine Hamza in second and Morocco’s Achraf Ed Doghmy in third.

The victory added to Mulubrhan’s bronze in the men’s time trial and silver in the team time trial in Accra.

In the 72km eight-lap women’s road race, Upkeseraye prevailed in a sprint to triumph in 2:00:36.

Burkina Faso’s Ese Upkeseraye Awa Bamogo made the podium after finishing fourth in the individual and team time trial, earning silver in the road race.

Bronze went to Mauritius’ Lucie de Marigny-Lagesse.

Under-23 titles were also awarded in the road races.

Byiza Uhiriwe Renus of Rwanda placed seventh in the men’s race to earn under-23 gold in 3:04.27, with silver going to Eritrea’s Aklilu Arefayne and bronze to Algeria’s Hamza Amari after they placed 10th and 15th respectively in the sprint.

There was a Rwandan one-two on the women’s under-23 podium.

Diane Ingabire just missed out on the senior podium in fourth, but claimed the under-23 title.

Her compatriot Xaverine Nirere was sixth in the race, with her time of 2:00:42 earning silver.

Algeria’s Nesrine Houili took under-23 bronze with a 13th-place finish in 2:06:15.

The CAC Para-cycling Road Continental Championships in Accra are due to begin tomorrow and run until Friday (February 17).

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Timket (Epiphany) is celebrated to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ in the hands of John the Baptist at River Jordan. The celebration, which is held annually on the 19th of January, is primarily a function in the purview of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, a ceremony as old as Christianity.

The first mystery of the Christian faith rests around Epiphany, which traditionally calls for grand annual celebrations among Christians in Eritrea and Ethiopia. The ceremony led by the Eritrean Orthodox Church in Asmara is the most colorful one. The whole city, especially adherents of the faith, gather around the baptismal pool known as ‘Mai Timket’.

The day marking the eve of the Timket celebration, seven Tabots of the Orthodox Tewahdo Church within the city flock towards Mai Timket from all directions. At the center of each parish church is the Tabot, the wooden slab believed to be a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. This is the holiest object that has to be carried on the head of the archpriest of the parish church with much reverence.

The hymns of St. Yared and other religious songs, as well as popular songs, accompanied by tirumba, koboro, kirar and traditional dances highlight the festive mood of the day. It is believed that if there is not enough festivity and songs, traditional hymns sung by Debteras (seasoned church-educated elite), the Tabot would exert pressure on the priest carrying it and force him to stop from walking farther. The parishioners of every church are dressed up in their finest traditional costumes, respectively resting their Tabot in a tent of their own until the next day when the actual celebration begins.

After mass and the reading from the four Gospels is completed, the blessing of the water in the pool is performed by the Abun, the Bishop of the city. At this instance the focus is on the pool of water, with much jubilation and ululation of the womenfolk. Then the Tabots, surrounded by the enthusiastic faithful, begin to return to their original parishes while more joyous moments are shared by the parishioners, dancing and singing to the best of their performance. This takes almost the whole day.

The pool of water is important for several reasons. It symbolizes the importance of baptism in water and is believed to be the source of healing through the blessings of the water by the clergy. As soon as the Abun and other members of the clergy bless the water in the pool with the holy cross, they sprinkle water on the faithful who are eagerly waiting aside for the showering of blessings. Many take the blessed water in bottles for their sick relatives and to keep in their homes for protection and good luck.

When the ceremony is closed with prayers, it is time to escort back the Tabots to their respective churches, which is done with great enthusiasm. Tabots have a long history in the Eritrean orthodox church as long as the history of “tabot xion” of the Old Testament. Since the introduction of Christianity every church sculpts its own tabot, the most sacred object of the Orthodox Church and a covenant between humans and God.

Another interesting part of the celebration is the clothes worn by believers, who dress up in traditional clothes that signify the importance of the event.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea