Hospitality is among many Eritrean norms and values that make up our identity. This valuable culture along our environmental beauty make strangers or guests feel at home and alive. As it affects every state sector in a progressive way, states strive to generationally nurture it. Economically through tourism attraction, politically through people’s interaction and socially through integration, it accelerates the process of nation building.
The origin of our hospitality goes back centuries when world greatest civilizations like Roman, Greek, Egypt, Persian, Indian and others passed by to trade in our region. This contact become a reason for our people to foster the culture of hospitality and be acquainted with diversified cultures and technologies. Despite such advantages, our hospitality has been miss-interpreted as a subjugation and exposed us to outside invasions and colonization, across our history.
Our Eritrean hospitality is not only limited to guests or strangers, but also enemies, as was practically demonstrated in our struggle for independence, where over 130 Ethiopian prisoners of war were treated humanely, provided with adequate food, shelter, clothing, medical and educational services (Eritrean history: 2012). This historical moment glowed our national norms and values like unity, resilience, hard work, creativity, nationalism and others, in the global image.
We mark hospitality as a treasure for national prosperity: when it unites local people within and with outsiders, attracts tourists and investors, as well as facilitates cooperation among different nationalities.
When people with diverse backgrounds come together in a particular space, they get the chance to interact, exchange ideas and build a relationship. This space helps society create a sense of belonging and unity. Hospitality and unity as two faces of the same coin, are interdependent to one another, none of them can stand apart. When hospitality hosts, unity integrates. One bold reason that made Eritrea a hospitable state is the golden unity amongst our diversities, the precious asset that rewarded us independence and promising development.
In the opportunity to exchange ideas, people also experience and appreciate different cultures, dishes and traditions. Strangers are encountered with new perspectives, local cultures, arts and heritages. Eritrea as a state with nine ethnic groups, provides tourists with a wide opportunity to extensively study and experience the meals, tradition and culture of its people.
Tourism as a profitable smokeless industry, is much dependent on hospitality. It generates revenue, creates jobs and motivates growth of the local economy. Eritrea’s conducive weather and climate, people’s hospitality, clean and attractive Red sea coast, rich diversified culture of its nine ethnic groups and towns built with Italian architecture makes tourism an advisable industry in Eritrea. However, this huge potential has not been fully utilized yet, due to the ongoing intensive hostilities of enemies.
Hospitality hospitalizes people’s health with relaxation, recreation and leisure. In today’s world when all rounded pollution is a major health issue, searching for a place where we can relax and hospitalize our health is everyone’s top priority. In this case, Eritrea has high potential as it possesses clean air, sea and streets, despite hostilities and lack of appropriate infrastructure.
When hosting different nationalities, tourism and hospitality creates bonds and facilitates cultural exchange, cooperation and collaboration among nations. Especially hospitality businesses as they serve the likes of embassies, they direct diplomacy and international relation. Our strengthened bond with Sudanese people is a significant example.
In conclusion, hospitality is a treasure for national prosperity. It lays a ground for social cohesion, economic progress and political stability. To fully utilize this potential, great investment and careful supervision of social and governmental institutions are much needed. Eritrea as a state that is marked by hospitality, has a huge potential to make use of this. Therefore, we all have to cultivate, preserve and transfer this culture to realize our better tomorrow.
Written by Kidane Shmendi