Reflection on “Child Mortality in Eritrea- an Overview of
History and Progress”
On Friday, April 21, in an event organized by the embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Eritrea and the PFDJ office for Institutions of Higher Education, Dr. Fikreyesus’s book “Child Mortality in Eritrea- an overview of history and progress” was celebrated and introduced to Eritrean readers. The event was attended by students from Orotta College of Medicine and Health Science, College of Engineering and College of Sciences. At the event reflections on the book were presented by Chinese embassy officials and by Eritreans.
In his opening speech, China’s Ambassador Cai Ge had this to say about the author and the book: “Being a representative of Eritrea’s excellent young generation, Dr. Fikreyesus illustrated in his book, Child Mortality in Eritrea, the achievements of Eritrea in lowering child mortality rate with informative data. I believe this book will help us to better understand Eritrea’s health care system.” Expressing his good wishes for the strengthening of China-Eritrea relations, Ambassador Cai Ge added that “young generations in both countries shoulder a great mission in nation building and development of ChinaEritrea relations and have bright prospects in accomplishing great things.”
Dr. Fikreyesus, on his part, said his book will serve as a foundation for future writers. Hoping his contribution would fill the existing gap he pointed out that “although child mortality has been a popular topic of research and scholarship globally, Eritrea’s child mortality story has largely gone unrecognized.”
Representing the PFDJ for Institutions of Higher Education, Mr. Lul Fissehaye expressed his appreciation for the Chinese embassy and the author for their initiative to bring the book to the attention of Eritrean readers. He advised young students to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Fikreyesus. Then, I shared my reflection on the book at the event. Here is the abridged form of my reflection.
Bill Gates is reported in the book to have described the chart that shows the sharp decline in child mortality globally as ‘the most beautiful chart in the world.” I have been so impressed with the book that I have the audacity to say it is one of the most interesting and informative books I have read on Eritrea. The
book is also quite different in that it popularizes the silent revolution taking place in Eritrea against a different type of an enemy– diseases and poverty — and gives extensive report on the silent but salient victory– health security.
The 16-page book is organized into six chapters, which are rich in content that is substantiated with 54 illustrative figures and eight tables. The author’s skillful presentation of statistical data and interpretation are amazing. The content, organization, and presentation of the book bear witness to the author’s hardworking sprit, acquisitive mind, sharp observation, and unclenched dedication. The book helps readers to travel across a vast terrain of science of humanities and nature. When I read the book, I came to understand that infant/child mortality is not only about the death of a person but also the death of an economy, the future, and human beings’ right to life, happiness, and dignity.
The benefit of the book to Eritrea is self-evident, but the book is also important to the rest of the global community because it provides important information and analysis that adds to human intelligence. The
large stock of academic knowledge contained in the book would serve to clean the smut that is being produced by Western governments and media to stain the image of Eritrea.
The publication, distribution, and discussion of the book may help bridge the deplorable gap between what is being said about Eritrea
and the reality in Eritrea. Noam Chomsky has once said that ‘it is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and to expose lies.’ Dr. Fikreyesus has assumed responsibility as an intellectual and through his labour has corrected many wrongs that have harmful effects on the national image of Eritrea.
Eritrea’s share of child mortality in the world is declining and is being replaced by a rise in the number of healthy children. Despite the acclaimed victory of humanity, “the global burden of child deathsstanding at approximately five million in the year 2020- remains immense.” For Eritrea, the death of one child is too many.
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