The Silent Part of the Eritrean Diaspora: Reflections from a Visit to a Bustling East African City A conversation with a young Eritrean professional

The Silent Part of the Eritrean Diaspora: Reflections from a Visit to a Bustling East African City

A conversation with a young Eritrean professional

By Semere Solomon

January 21, 2026

The idea for this article emerged during a conversation with a young and accomplished Eritrean professional who had recently taken her first trip to Africa as an adult. Among other things, she visited a vibrant metropolis in East Africa. Raised in the United States, she holds a Master’s degree and is currently advancing her career at a private federal consulting firm in the DC metropolitan area.

During her visit, she spent time with local peers—highly educated, dynamic professionals her age. What she observed left a profound and lasting impression on her. These young individuals engaged in spirited and open discussions about their country’s politics, regional dynamics, and global affairs. They debated music, literature, and art. They analyzed the economy and advocated for youth-centric policies. They criticized their government without hesitation when warranted, yet were equally ready to give credit when it was due. Their confidence, intellectual curiosity, and free-flowing dialogue were, in her words, an eye-opening experience.

This experience became a lens through which she began to view her everyday life in the DC area. She reflected on her interactions with other young Eritrean professionals—engineers, lawyers, doctors, IT specialists—all raised and educated in the U.S., all in the midst of promising careers in the U.S. She noticed a stark and troubling contrast between the two. Unlike their East African counterparts, these young Eritreans seemed to actively avoid discussing Eritrean politics, the plight of youth back home, pervasive poverty, and human rights violations. Conversations would become stiff, and distance would be maintained if these issues were raised. She found herself wondering why these accomplished individuals had become so detached from the painful reality of their homeland.

She probed further by speaking with self-described youth leaders in the diaspora. She discovered a mission focused solely on career networking and social cohesion, deliberately excluding any discussion of Eritrea’s political situation. Engaging in career networking and other social activities is perfectly acceptable. However, for an organization that unites young professionals, its mission should encompass more than just these activities. The young woman concluded that this situation was a predicament—a regrettable state of affairs. I have also begun reflecting on this issue.

Several factors contribute to this silence. The Eritrean government (PFDJ) employs a dual strategy: first, to actively win over diaspora youth to its narrative, often through methods bordering on indoctrination; and second, to systematically depoliticize them, ensuring that they do not engage with or support the opposition. The outcome is a generation of educated youth seemingly drained of its critical spirit—a group that, despite its academic achievements and advancing careers, is reluctant to speak its mind, question authority, or challenge the status quo. They have secured personal success but abdicated the role of active citizen, a role so vibrantly embodied by their East African peers or elsewhere in the world.

We now face a youth cohort that, in many respects, displays attributes uncharacteristic of youth: a lack of curiosity, a deficiency in creative and critical thinking, and a caution that suppresses courage and risk-taking. They favor their comfort zones, fear retribution, accept the status quo, and remain silent about the endless national service that enslaves their generation back home. This alarming situation demands immediate attention.

The above does not reflect the essence of the members of the youth movement, symbolized by the Blue Wave. The movement’s goals are universal: the establishment of a democratic nation that guarantees the rights of all its citizens, ensures popular participation in all spheres of life, is founded on the rule of law, social justice, and peace, and builds solid relationships with its neighbors and the world based on mutual understanding and cooperation. And it is not an isolated occurrence. Instead, it is part of an unstoppable global youth movement characterized by discontent and anger, which is spreading and will continue to do so. Recent youth movements in the Arab World, Nepal, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, and Georgia, as well as the Qeerroo movement in Ethiopia, have been instrumental in shaking the foundations or toppling corrupt and authoritarian regimes. The spirit of youth resistance holds a significant place in Eritrean history, too. Hats off to these young and vibrant Eritreans!

We must encourage our diaspora youth to engage with open minds and hearts. They must cultivate curiosity, think critically, and draw their own conclusions. This call extends to everyone—the so-called silent majority and members of government-affiliated youth groups. Ask questions. Start conversations. Express thoughts freely. Critique failures and acknowledge progress, always with civility. Otherwise, the alternative is an Eritrea devoid of substance: a nation of passive observers and regime apologists, where no one feels incentivized to participate in genuine nation-building.

Parents also play a pivotal role in molding their children's behavior. True success lies not in raising docile children or clever apologists but in nurturing all-rounded, socially conscious individuals who are engaged with the world and the plight of their people. The vibrant, critical discourse of that East African city should not be a distant revelation but a model and a mirror held up to our own communities. The future of our nation depends on it.

I urge both Eritrean parents and their children to have a serious discussion on this subject. Please do not take this as an offense, but I challenge you.