Where do heroes go, when they die?
By: Rahwa Ghebreab
https://rahwageb.medium.com/where-do-he ... 287f56919c
15 hours ago·
Ambassador Araia Desta, a proud native son of Eritrea, moved to Canada to obtain his Masters Degree in Atmospheric Physics in 1985 from the University of Toronto. He then went on to become a computer programmer for a major petroleum company in Canada. Despite the comforts of his new life, his deep love of country would not allow him to stay in Canada while the armed struggle for Eritrean Independence ensued. Ambassador Araia chose to leave his job and comfortable life in Canada and returned to Eritrea to join the revolution.
He never looked back.
Ambassador Araia survived the ravages of the war and lived to see his beloved Eritrea finally free. For the next thirty years, he would dedicate his life to serving his country in hopes that future generations of Eritreans would never suffer the indignities of colonial occupations and annexation that he witnessed. His commitment to serve did not end until the day he passed away, May 27, 2021.
I had first spoken to Ambassador Araia in 2013, when he was serving as the Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the United Nations. I had graduated from law school and was exploring the possibility of working for the mission, however my heavy law school debt made it impossible. I went on to work in private practice, but chose to focus on renewable energy and infrastructure development, in hopes that I could one day use these skills to make a small contribution towards Eritrea’s development.
I was not alone in this thinking. In March 2019, an Ethiopian friend who I met in New York invited me to attend an energy conference in Addis Ababa that was being held at the Sheraton Hotel. He along with Minister Seleshi announced the launch of Ethiopia National Electrification Program, an effort to extend access to electricity through clean energy sources to all Ethiopians.
I was waiting in the hotel lobby with two of my Ethiopian buddies from New York, when Ambassador Araia arrived. I had called him to see if I could come visit him, while I was in town. He instead came to me, because he knew I could not navigate Addis Ababa on my own.
Ambassador Araia greeted us with a big smile. I introduced him to my friends, who I explained were based in New York. He then said,
Typical of his humility, he did not share that his “work in Manhattan” was serving as the Eritrean Ambassador to the United Nations. I of course had to interject and tell my friends who he was, as it was clear that he would never have.I once worked in Manhattan, it is a very energetic city.
We sat down to have tea.
Ambassador Araia: How are you? How is your family?
Me: I am fine Ambassador, we are all fine. Thank you for coming all the way over here to meet with me.
I felt the weight of his presence. Here before me was a giant, who committed his entire adult life to serving Eritrea. I did not want to waste such an opportunity to pick his brain, so I skipped the small talk and asked:
Me: Will this peace last, between Eritrea and Ethiopia?
Ambassador Araia: We are fighting for it. Ethiopia has been fragmented for a long time, but this new generation grew up more divided than before. We know their history very well and are fighting to change it, but there are those who wish for us to stay divided.
I thought about this last point. How much history and experience his generation had. How would that knowledge be transferred? How could our generation possibly fill their shoes? I had to ask…
Me: You have so much experience leading, so much knowledge and deep insights about the people, don’t you worry that all the effort you put in will be undermined if the next generation can’t fill your shoes? If there are gaps in knowledge, how can our generation carry the torch?
He smiled and gave me a look, that showed he was not worried one bit.
Ambassador Araia: Every generation becomes equipped with the tools it needs, to solve the problems of its time.
Did he not want us to be burdened by conflicts past and focus on building our future? Was he alluding to succession plans already in place? He continued to share more history lessons, and I became so taken by his wisdom that I left these follow up questions behind.
Ambassador Araia then pulled out his phone, an old semi-smart phone with a cracked screen and told me he had to leave for another appointment. I had to squeeze in one more question.
Me: Don’t you ever get tired? Now is the time for you to retire and go relax in Massawa.
Ambassador Araia laughed and said: Our hands are tied.
This was a phrase I had heard my dad say before when I asked him, when would he take a break from his nearly fifty years of community organizing and nation building. My father and Ambassador Araia, like many other unsung heroes, know full well that Eritrea’s sovereignty and prosperity continues to be under attack. Their love of country is in their dna and won’t allow them to sleep, until there is certainty in Eritrea’s future.
What Ambassador Araia truly meant, I will never know. What I do know is that he served his beloved Eritrea, until the day he died. His unwavering commitment reminds me of the many unsung heroes in Eritrea who keep their heads down and go to work every day to keep the country running, despite the wars, despite the media attacks, despite the low salaries, despite the constant criticisms from their own people.
At a recent Eritrea Independence Day celebration in northern California, I spoke with a veteran and prolific writer of Eritrean history. He told me that he wrote, so that the history of those who died to liberate Eritrea would never be forgotten. He said
pointing at the people around him in attendance, and looked up to the sky and saidI’m not here with them
I am with them (fallen comrades).ane misom iye zelokhu
Where do heroes go, when they die? Wherever that is, I believe Ambassador Araia is there with them.
