The IDC

christian and muslim
Yikealo Beyene, who fled Eritrea two years ago,
studies by day and works by night to afford his
tuition but is thankful to be a free man
52 < IDC Winter 2010
Ephrem Solomon from Eritrea, who says that even though
he is often so tired from working and studying, nothing will
stop him from achieving his educational dreams
African refugees
two years ago, yikealo Beyene fled for his life from eritrea, a country located
along the red sea and bordered by sudan and ethiopia. it is a single party state
in which national elections have never been held and those who criticize the
government are summarily arrested and held without trial. today, Beyene is one
of six African refugees studying at the rris: two in the government track, three
in communications and Beyene, who is studying psychology. they are six among
thousands of Africans who have entered israel seeking refuge from persecution
in their home states. “i must apologize in advance,” Beyene says to me moments
after we meet. “All yOu will heAr Are sAD stOries.”
Somalian refugee, Daher Said, always carries a smile
on his face despite the many hardships he has faced
Beyene, 25 years old, was one of 23 nationwide students selected
to matriculate at Eritrea’s Institute of Technology. Excited at the
prospect of higher learning, he arrived at the institute only to
discover that the ‘college’ was run more like a military camp, with students
forced to rise at 5am for physical training and every academic post held by
a member of the military.
It wasn’t long before Beyene, an avid poet and writer, published a
controversial article under a pseudonym in Eritrea’s single newspaper. After
a brief investigation he was caught, imprisoned and ultimately released on
bail to await trial. Beyene decided then to seek freedom and began a long
journey that took him first to an Eritrean refugee camp in Ethiopia where
he lived for 2 years, then into a deteriorating Sudan and finally through
Egypt’s Sinai desert and into Israel.
“I was told that crossing into Israel meant risking my life, because the
Egyptian troops shoot at people,” says Beyene, as we sit on comfortable
couches drinking coffee in the lobby of the Sammy Ofer School of
Communications. It’s raining outside but warm and cozy in the lounge