ERI-NEWS

Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Prepared by the Press Section of the
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AU
and UNECA

President Isaias Afwerki Met with President of FIFA Vol 5. Issue 79

President Isaias Afwerki, on 23 Febru- 06 March 2018
ary 2018, met and held talks with FIFA
President Gianni Infantino in Asmara.
In this issue
During the meeting, President Isaias
called on FIFA to step up the reform
process it has started. In addition, the
President affirming that enhanced
relations contribute to better achieve- Tiffany Haddish’s
ments, commended Mr. Infantino’s visit Eritrean Dress Wows 2
to Eritrea. Oscars

Mr. Gianni Infantino on his part noted

Eritrea’s long history and great potential
in football and underlined FIFA’s
readiness to contribute to the growth of
the sport in Eritrea and to enhance the
partnership. Mr. Infantino also met with
the Commissioner of Culture and
Sports, Mr. Zemede Tekle, and held
talks on issues of interest to the growth
of Eritrean football. “I have fallen in love
During his visit, Mr. Gianni Infantino with Eritrea ever
visited the grass-roots training at the since I first set foot 3
Asmara Stadium, the new office build- here”
ing of the National Football Federation Ms. Karalyn
of Eritrea and toured the art-deco build- Monteil, Culture
ings of Asmara that have been inscribed Specialist for
on the UNESCO world heritage list. UNESCO

“I discovered a beautiful country…. a warm population, very

welcoming and hospitable” Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA
The President of FIFA, Mr. Gianni
Infantino was interviewed by local
media during his visit to Eritrea. Below
are excerpts from the interview.
“I discovered a beautiful country I
didn’t know of before. I discovered a
little Italy in the architecture of
Asmara. I discovered a warm popula-
tion, very welcoming and hospitable.
They seem very happy, smiley and
extremely proud of their identity. I
discovered a country that all in all is
worthwhile working with.”
“I knew that football together with
cycling have a long history in Eritrea
…. And I knew that, historically, foot-
ball was extremely successful. For
example, the 1963, then Ethiopian Contact Addresses:
National team that won the African Tel: +251-116620052
Nation’s Cup, out of its 11 players nine Fax:+251-116620011
Email:eritreanaumission@
were Eritreans. Now, our conviction is gmail.com
that we can very well revive the P.o.Box: 5527
success history of Eritrean football. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Of course, much work will be needed. Eritrean Mission to
We will have to start from grassroots AU& ECA
level but the support and devotion I
have seen is just so great.” @EritreaAU
Contd. on page 2

Vol 5. Issue 79, 06 March 2018

Page 2 Eri-News

“I discovered a beautiful country…. a warm population, very welcoming and hospitable”

Contd. from page 1

To read the full interview: http://shabait.com/articles/q-a-a/25827-gianni-infantino-in-asmara-

Tiffany Haddish’s Eritrean Dress Wows Oscars

Comedienne Tiffany Haddish's Eritrean dress got She wore an embroidered cape, headdress and dress
special attention at the 90th Academy Awards held on called "zuria". The comedian and actress, who
the 4th of March 2018, in Hollywood. presented an award at the ceremony, said that the out-
fit was in honour of her Eritrean father, who died last
year. (Source: BBC)

Vol 5. Issue 79, 06 March 2018

Page 3
“I have fallen in love with Eritrea ever since I first set foot here”
Ms. Karalyn Monteil, Culture Specialist for UNESCO
Excerpts from an interview with Ms. Karalyn
Monteil, culture specialist for UNESCO,
who travelled to Asmara to participate in a work-
shop for capacity building in preparing nomination
files and making requests for international
assistance for the intangible cultural heritage (ICH)
of Eritrea, held in Asmara from 19-28 Feb. 2018.
Asmara’s modernist architecture and cleanliness
“….I was excited to see this modernist city but I
don’t think the depth of it impacted me until I saw
it for myself and it
was exceedingly in-
spiring and exciting
to see Asmara. As a
city it is not only
the architecture
that impresses you
but also the way
everything is being
reserved and re-
spected. And…such
a clean city!”
Eritrea’s Diversity as
Source of Strength
“As far as the culture,
the diversity of it is impressive. What impressed me
the most during my first visit and what keeps mark-
ing me every time I come is the harmony between
the diverse ethno-cultural groups. It is impressive
and rare to see the diversity of a people as the main
source of harmony…. I see it being a source of
strength for the people of Eritrea. So I think when
you are asking about first impression the comple-
mentarity between the diversity and the unity of
the ethno-cultural groups is praiseworthy.”
On the Institutions in Charge of Culture
“I have met with different ministers and officials of
culture of different countries in Africa. In Eritrea,
Vol 5. Issue 79, 06 March 2018
Eri-News
what marked me the most was how educated and
qualified the people of the Eritrean Commission of
Sport and Culture are. They hold high degrees in
various fields of culture but the rare part is that they
are practitioners. Most of them are either musicians,
theater experts, photographers or just writing some-
thing. Therefore, academicians and practitioners,
and that is really something I don’t see a lot. You
don’t always see revered ministries. And I know,
there isn’t a culture ministry yet in Eritrea and I
hope to see it soon, but the Culture Commission is
doing great. On the way I’d like to mention how
important the foundation of a culture ministry would
be to Eritrea in order to oversee a sustainable devel-
opment of culture because the potential is great.”
On the Annual Eritrean National Festival
“I want to compliment the yearly National Festival
of Eritrea held every August. That is an exemplary
way of passing down tangible and intangible
heritages. Once a year, Eritreans gather at the
festival and learn about their traditions. It has been
also an easy way for outsiders to learn and enjoy the
diversity and harmony of Eritrea’s ethnic groups.
The National Festival is really an eye-opening
experience for Eritreans, which goes in line, of
course, with what we do at UNESCO, safeguarding
and transmitting indigenous cultures to young
generations so that everyone knows about them and
passes them down to future generations.”
“I have fallen in love with Eritrea ever since I
first set foot here. Every time I go back after
spending some time here all I talk about to my
colleagues, family and friends is Eritrea, Asmara,
the culture, climate, cappuccino, the harmony
and warmth of the people. It is a place I really
love and want to come back to every time I leave.
So thanks for being such a beautiful community,
it is always a delight to be here with you!”
To read the full interview: http://shabait.com/
articles/q-a-a/25874-the-first-step-to-safeguarding-
eritreas-intangible-cultural-heritage-