Today is Awate Day. We mark the 26th anniversary of awate.com and its sister publication, Negarit. Above all, we commemorate the courage and sacrifice of Hamid Idris Awate, who, on September 1, 1961, raised his rifle and lit the first spark of the Eritrean armed struggle for liberation. With that single act of defiance, Awate […]
Today is Awate Day. We mark the 26th anniversary of awate.com and its sister publication, Negarit. Above all, we commemorate the courage and sacrifice of Hamid Idris Awate, who, on September 1, 1961, raised his rifle and lit the first spark of the Eritrean armed struggle for liberation.
With that single act of defiance, Awate transformed the aspirations of a people into a national revolution. He and his comrades fought to free Eritrea from occupation and to secure liberty, justice, and dignity for its people. Their struggle culminated in the liberation of Eritrea on May 24, 1991. Yet history took a tragic turn. The day that fulfilled one dream also ushered in a new era of repression under Isaias Afwerki—an era that denied Eritreans the very freedoms for which so many had sacrificed. Until the people of Eritrea are as free as the land they liberated, the torch that Awate lit will continue to burn.
On September 1, 2000, awate.com was founded to provide an independent voice at a time when Eritrea’s media landscape had been monopolized by state propaganda and its loyal echo chambers. Our mission was simple but enduring: to speak truthfully, to give voice to the voiceless, and to provide a forum where Eritreans could debate, disagree, and imagine a better future. Today, as we begin our twenty-sixth year, that mission remains unchanged.
For the Awate Team, this anniversary is not merely a celebration—it is a moment of reflection. The daily demands of publishing can wait. Today we pause to examine our record, measure ourselves against our principles, and renew our pledge to remain steadfast until Eritreans reclaim their freedom, restore their dignity, and recover the promise that inspired generations of struggle.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our readers, contributors, friends, supporters, and colleagues whose trust and commitment have sustained this journey for twenty-six years.
To every Eritrean living under oppression, and to every Eritrean who still believes that justice, freedom, and reconciliation are possible, we say:
Happy Awate Day.
May the ideals that inspired Hamid Idris Awate continue to guide us, and may the day soon come when Eritrea is free—not only in name, but in the lives of all its people.
Awate Team
September 1, 2000 – September 1, 2026
Inform. Inspire. Embolden. Reconcile.
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