Eritrean

Meet Gumesh Isaak. Hello my name is Gumesh Isaak and I am Eritrean.

Heritage
I was born in a small village called Adi Musa near the capital city of Eritrea Asmara. Eritrea is in the horn of Africa. Bordered to the north and west by Sudan, south by Ethiopia, southeast of Djibouti and to the northeast of the red sea. It is roughly the same size as England and has a population of four million. The country is divided into two regions: the mountainous highlands and flatter lowlands.

Religion and Culture
Religion is an important part of my life and I practice Christianity (orthodox). When I do visit the church, I normally go the church in Islington. The main religions practised by Eritreans are Christianity and Muslim. Eritrea has nine tribes, and every tribe has its own culture tradition and language. I am from the tribe called Tigrignia. Our traditional ceremonial clothes, called "Zuria" are worn on special occasions.

Important Events
Important events in my calendar are Easter, New Year, Eritrean Independence Day (24 May) and Martyr's Day (20 June). In Britain, this is commemorated by a procession that normally ends in Hyde Park, where we light candles and remember the people who sacrificed themselves for Eritrea's freedom. The Eritrean community in Newham is quite small and there are frequent events where we can meet and chat at social gatherings.

Food
My traditional dish is called Zgni. It is normally cooked at weddings and other celebrations. If you want to taste Zgni and other Eritrean dishes there are many restaurants in Lambeth. Adulis restaurant (44 Brixton Road) is one of the restaurants that I visit.

Living in Newham
I have lived in Stratford since 1990 and see it as a good place to live in terms of quality of life and opportunities for education and training.
I have seen tremendous change since moving here and remember the bus garage and the station before it was redeveloped. It is hard to believe it's the same place. Even my own area has benefited in terms of security and physical appearance.

Language
I would be very impressed if you said "selam" to me which means hello in Tigrignia(my mother tongue) or "dehan weali" that means have a good day. There are many language dialects spoken in Eritrea depending on the region. Tigre, Bilen, Nara, Kunama, Hdareb, Rashaida, Afar and Shao have their own languages.