The sleek, hand-made metal and wood structured shelves of the Assouline library, are decorated with phrases like, ‘a library is a roomful of friends’; ‘a room without books is like a body without a soul’… etc. But the one that attracted my attention was the statement that says, “Culture is not a luxury but a necessity.”

A person’s life is built upon many events. Regardless of whether the event has a positive or negative result, its conclusion will always end with dramatic lessons. These lessons are the steps paved down for a successful life. Although each event takes time to be realized on how it would be effective in the near future, the time does come; and mine had.

Take time to make a list of open air markets in Asmara where vendors sell vegetables, cereals and grains, fish, spices, pottery and basketry works, new and second hand household and office equipments. Probably you might end up with these: Markato, Edagha Ekhli, Edagha Haraj, Edagha Lakha….etc. Take a look at the names. With the exception of the former, the name tells what type of services is given at the market. For instance, in Edagha Haraj, second hand articles, household equipments are sold. So is in Edagha Lhaka where a range of Lakha and its byproducts like basketry made up of wickers, pottery works, souvenirs and spices are sold.

Every year during the months April and May, we see holidays that are only celebrated by womenfolk in the villages of highland Eritrea. Rufael and Mariam Gunbot are the most known. The latter is celebrated on the first of May to commemorate the birth of the virgin and to herald the plowing season. On this holiday, neighborhood women prepare salt-free legume and mixing some herbal seeds in it, they go about scattering the mixture using a branch of a tree. On this occasion an informal out door theatre is performed in the main playing field of the village. Here is how it goes!

For Eritreans, coffee is not just drinking grinded beans. It displays love, respect and harmony with one another. So, it often stands by it’s own with a vivid ceremony.

It all begins with the roasting of the coffee beans over a traditional stove, with its ‘shew…shew’ sound. It is then grinded manually, then put in to the coffee pot by hand. The coffee pot bursts out repeatedly splashing hot coffee. The coffee maker takes care of the bursts by a cup. And after every burst, she puts it back to where it came from with a little cold water added. After numerous splashes, the coffee pot is lowered from the fire, and put to rest a little down tilted so that the coffee would precipitate.