Eritrea - Ministry of Information

Basketball in Eritrea was introduced in the 1940s during the British colonization period. At the moment, there are 13 men's teams in the 1st division and seven women's teams. Although a favorite sport among many young Eritreans, basketball has not shown much progress in the past three decades. In an effort to upgrade the skills of its teams, the Eritrean National Basketball Federation recently sent a young coach, Mr. Henok Amine to Semmelweis University in Hungary to attend a three-month course in basketball coaching. Shabait conducted a brief interview with coach Henok regarding his experience in Hungary and basketball in general. Excerpts follow:

Thanks to distorted images and information spread through the western media, some foreigners have an image of Eritrea as a barren land and war wrecked country, where every citizen lives in starvation and destitution. But the reality could be more different. Ethiopian-Belgian writer, Mohamed Hassan came to Eritrea with an image of a barren land in his head but was quite astonished to find out that the reality was in fact quite different from the commonly held perceptions. Shabait conducted an interview with Mr. Mohammed regarding his impressions during his visit. Excerpts follow:

He gained his nick name from one of his popular short comedy films titled ‘Suzinino’.  Although best known for hilarious short comedies, which he writes himself, artist Hagos Woldgebriel (Suzinino) is also a talented singer with a number of popular songs. Following is a brief interview with the gifted writer, singer and actor:

Last month, an English-Tigrinya electronic dictionary (ERI-DIC) devised by Mr. Abrehe Yemane, a computer programmer, was inaugurated. The electronic dictionary comprising of around 24,000-words was published by Hidri Publishers and Awghet Book Shop. In an age of software technology the dictionary is expected to promote the local language and provide an easier access to dictionary. Such an initiative could also encourage other skilled young professionals to take similar innovative steps. Shabait interviewed Mr. Abrehe regarding his project, excerpts follow:

A couple of weeks ago, an international “Tour Eritrea 2009” cycling race was hosted in Eritrea. Cycling race is one of the most favored kinds of sport among Eritreans. Whenever there is a cycling race, spectators come out in crowds and swarm city streets. "Tour Eritrea 2009", was the first international cycling race in the country, which extended over 717 Kms, making it one of the biggest events in the history of Eritrean sport. One of the many important aspects of the tour was that it highlighted the fact that Eritrea can boast of talented professional cyclists that can successfully compete in any international race. At the end of the competition, Bereket Yemane, a young Eritrean cyclist shined more than any other cyclist. Bereket talked to Shabait about his experience as a cyclist, excerpts follow:

Eritrean cinema halls are always packed with movie-goers during weekends to watch locally made Tigrigna movies. Previously, these cinemas primary hosted foreign productions such as that of Hollywood and Bollywood. The fact that local productions are dominating cinemas is a clear indication of how the film industry is flourishing in the country. However it is not just the quantity but also the quality of films produced that is crucial for the development of any film industry, because films today are not only sources of entertainment but also essential tools of education and communication. Recognizing the impact films can have on young minds, an Eritrean film rating committee was set up to review the quality of locally made films. Shabait interviewed Ms. Ruth Simon, Secretary of Eritrean Film Rating Committee regarding film production in Eritrea and future prospects of the industry.