Articles by Abraham T. Zere

Over their impatient Waiting for Godot, Eritreans have been deprived of their liberty, human dignity, and prosperity: the ratified constitution was shelved; military service made indefinite; businesses kept on hold; construction was banned; schools have been militarized; the only university was closed; the country has turned into a penitentiary state with numberless underground prisons, and the list goes on. Then to everyone’s surprise Godot arrived in July last year.

Many African dictators are facing new wave of dissent enabled through social media. The information monopoly has been challenged; ordinary citizens can now organize and confront their autocratic regimes from below. As they become more interconnected and bypass severe information control, citizens across these repressive countries have become emboldened in the face of armed repression.