Remarks	  Made	  by	  H.E.	  Mr.	  ESTIFANOS	  Afeworki,	  Ambassador	  of	  the	  State	  of	  Eritrea	  to	  Japan	  and	  Dean	  of	  the	  African	  Diplomatic	  Corps	  on	  the	  Occasion	  of	  the	  National	  Day	  of	  the	  Peoples	  Republic	  of	  Algeria	  in	  Tokyo	  December	  20,	  2019:	  Your	  Excellency	  Mr.	  Mohammed	  El	  Amine	  BENCHERIEF	  Mrs	  Amira	  Lotifia	  BENCHERIEF	  Citizens	  of	  Algeria	  present	  Honorable	  guests	  present	  (all	  protocol	  observed)	  	  First	   and	   foremost	   let	   me	   express,	   in	   may	   capacity	   as	   a	   Dean	  of	   the	   African	   Diplomatic	   Corps	   here	   in	   Tokyo	   and	   as	  Ambassador	   of	   the	   State	   of	   Eritrea,	   our	   deep	   respect	   and	  unfathomed	  love	  for	  the	  brave	  Algerians	  who	  sacrificed	  their	  life	   for	   freedom	   and	   dignity	   –	   the	   sole	   reason	   why	   we	   are	   all	  gathered	   here	   to	   commemorate	   and	   celebrate	   the	   National	  Day	  of	  Algeria	  today.	  	  	  The	   glory	   of	   this	   day	   shall	   always	   be	   shared	   with	   all	   the	  people	   of	   the	   54	   independent	   countries	   in	   our	   beloved	  continent	   of	   Africa	   -­‐	   not	   only	   because	   the	   heroes	   and	  heroines	  of	  Algeria	  ascertained	  by	  a	  historic	  armed	  struggle	  their	   inalienable	   right	   to	   self-­‐determination	   and	  independence	   in	   1962	   but	   because	   it	   is	   also	   these	   same	  heroes	   and	   heroines	   who	   have	   established	   the	   benchmark	  for	   all	   African	   nation	   states	   and	   oppressed	   people	   in	   the	  world	  that	  there	  is	  no	  going	  back	  on	  the	  long	  arduous	  road	  which	   is	   destined	   towards	   human	   emancipation	   in	   general	  and	   the	   preserving	   the	   dignity	   of	   the	   colonized	   people	   of	  Africa	  in	  particular.	  	  	  On	  this	  auspicious	  occasion,	  I	  would	  like	  to	  share	  briefly	  how	  the	  revolutionary	  experience	  affected	  my	  generation	  and	  the	  generation	   of	   our	   fathers	   who	   fought	   in	   World	   War	   II	   and	  subsequent	  wars	  in	  Korea	  peninsula	  and	  the	  Congo.	  	  	  	  1	  (I	   understand	   Madam	   BENCHERIEF	   the	   good	   wine	   and	  cuscus	   of	   Algeria	   are	   still	   waiting	   for	   the	   guests	   to	   enjoy	   and	  hope	  you	  will	  be	  patient	  with	  me	  as	  usual)	  	  1. Let	   me	   ask	   the	   participants	   if	   they	   know	   who	  	  “Djamila	  the	  Algerian”	  is:	  	  	  In	  early	  60th,	  a	  film	  made	  on	  the	  story	  of	  one	  heroine	  of	  the	  Algerian	   struggle	   was	   shown	   in	   Cinema	   Impero	   in	   the	   city	   of	  Asmara	   Eritrea.	   It	   was	   like	   when	   the	   Beatles	   Music	   Band	  arrival	  in	  Tokyo.	  Our	  father’s	  generation,	  who	  were	  betrayed	  after	   the	   Second	   World	   War,	   and	   the	   screening	   of	   this	   film	  infected	  us,	  their	  siblings	  immediately.	  Every	  one	  of	  us	  in	  the	  city	   wanted	   to	   be	   a	   “Djamila	   the	   Algerian”.	   	   The	   genie	   of	   a	  revolution	   to	   achieve	   freedom	   was	   out	   of	   the	   bottle	   and	   no	  super	   power	   could	   get	   it	   back	   to	   the	   bottle	   again	   -­‐	   into	   the	  status	  quo	  of	  oppression	  -­‐	  in	  the	  Horn	  of	  Africa	  after	  this.	  	  	  I	   am	   sure	   when	   go	   home	   today	   and	   Google	   “Djamila	   the	  Algerian”	  in	  U	  Tube	  –	  and	  take	  time	  to	  watch	  it	  carefully,	  you	  will	  be	  infected	  definitely	  and	  if	  you	  are	  not	  infected	  by	  any	  chance	  positively,	  I	  think	  it	  is	  a	  missed	  opportunity	  that	  only	  happens	   once	   in	   a	   century	   in	   humans.	   You	   should	   not	   worry	  much	  about	  it.	  	  2. Let	  me	  ask	  to	  the	  participants:	  	  Who	  is	  Mohammed	  SAHNOUN?	  	  In	   late	   60th,	   the	   Assistance	   Secretary	   General	   of	   the	  Organization	  of	  the	  African	  Union	  (OAU)	  who	  was	  a	  beacon	  of	  hope	  for	  the	  struggle	  for	  freedom	  and	  dignity	  in	  the	  Horn	  of	   Africa	   was	   Mohammed	   SAHNOUN.	   He	   was	   the	   one	   who	  conveyed	   again,	   this	   time	   in	   person	   and	   intellectually,	   the	  spirit	  of	  “Djamila	  the	  Algerian”	  to	  Haile	  Selassie	  University	  of	  Addis	  Abeba.	  	  	  	  	  2	  SAHNOUN	   was	   the	   only	   official	   in	   the	   OAU	   who	   faced	   and	  kept	   at	   bay	   the	   wrath	   and	   anger	   expressed	   by	   the	   students	  from	   Eritrea,	   Ethiopia	   and	   other	   scholarship	   African	  students	   who	   were	   lead	   by	   Tilahun	   Gizaw.	   In	   1968	   this	  group	   of	   students	   were	   dismayed	   and	   ready	   to	   ransack	   the	  OAU	  headquarter	  for	  its	  absolute	  silence	  on	  the	  1965	  White	  Unilateral	   Declaration	   of	   Rhodesia’s	   Independence	   lead	   by	  Ian	  Smith,	  and	  assisted	  by	  South	  Africa	  and	  Portugal.	  	  	  Indeed	  the	  voice	  of	  the	  student’s	  represented	  by	  their	  leader	  Tilahun	   Gizaw,	   Mohammed	   SAHNOUN	   the	   Assistance	  Secretary	   General	   of	   the	   Organization	   of	   the	   African	   Union	  and	   President	   Kwame	   Nkrumah	   of	   Ghana	   were	   loud	   and	  clear	   like	   “Djamila	   the	   Algerian”	   for	   everyone	   to	   hear	   in	  Africa.	   Unfortunately,	   Nkrumah	   was	   overthrown	   and	  Tilahun	   Gizaw	   was	   gunned	   dawn	   in	   the	   street	   while	   walking	  home	   peacefully	   from	   school.	   When	   oppression	   and	  persecution	   became	   rampant,	   many	   of	   our	   student	   leaders	  who	   survived	   imprisonment	   and	   assassinations	   headed	   to	  the	  land	  of	  “Djamila	  the	  Algerian”	  for	  protection	  and	  wisdom	  during	  this	  period.	  It	  is	  through	  this	  and	  other	  local	  history	  of	   struggle	   and	   solidarity	   that	   generations	   in	   Africa	   got	   the	  chance	   to	   develop	   among	  them	   trust	  and	  friendship	  towards	  a	  common	  destiny.	  	  	  	  Mohammed	   SAHNOUN	   -­‐	   from	   the	   Land	   of	   the	   spirit	   of	  “Djamila	  the	  Algerian”	  -­‐	  was	  one	  of	  the	  key	  negotiators	  who	  facilitated	  the	  signing	  of	  the	  final	  and	  binding	  Algiers	  Peace	  Agreement	   between	   Eritrea	   and	   Ethiopia	   in	   2000.	   May	   he	  rest	   in	   peace	   now!	   	   The	   mission	   he	   embarked	   on	   decades	  back	   has	   been	   accomplished	   after	   18	   years	   of	   open	  deception.	  	  As	   we	   all	   know,	   Prime	   Minister	   Abiy	   of	   Ethiopia	   was	  awarded	   the	   Nobel	   Peace	   Prize	   for	   2019.	   	   Yes,	   it	   is	   dawn	  after	  a	  long	  night	  since	  we	  saw	  “Djamila	  the	  Algerian”	  in	  film	  screens	   of	   the	   60th	   but	   it	   is	   obvious	   that	   her	   true	   spirit	   has	  	  3	  always	  been	  here	  in	  the	  last	  half	  a	  century	  and	  shall	  stay	  in	  the	  Horn	  of	  Africa	  for	  ever	  now.	  	  	  Last	   but	   not	   least,	   I	   would	   like	   to	   reiterate	   and	   remind	   all	  present	  here	  to	  celebrate	  the	  National	  Day	  of	  Algeria	  and	  the	  spirit	  of	  “Djamila	  the	  Algerian”	  –	  who	  still	  lives	  and	  is	  kicking	  alive	  in	  Africa	  especially	  in	  the	  Horn	  of	  Africa	  today.	  	  	  Thank	  you	  for	  lending	  me	  your	  ears	  and	  please	  don’t	  forget	  to	   watch	   the	   film	   –	   “Djemila	   the	   Algerian”-­‐	   because	   that	   is	  why	  we	  are	  gathered	  here	  tonight.	  	  Pass	  the	  word!!!	  Africa	  is	  a	  land	  of	  heroes	  and	  heroines!!	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  4