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Background
In June 1998, Ethiopia experienced a genocide in
which schoolchildren, teachers, parents, and other civilians were
bombed and massacred by the Eritrean government warplanes in the
premises of the Ayder Elementary School, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
Through the establishment of the Ayder Memorial Library Project,
in memory of the victims, it is our hope that the tools used for
destruction will be replaced with tools of knowledge. Successful
completion of this monumental effort will mark a watershed in
Ayder’s history, finally providing unfettered access to a
treasure trove of knowledge.
The memorial library - a living sanctuary for
knowledge and a forum for the free exchange of ideas/projects -
will also be a monument to serve as a permanent reminder to all of
us and the rest of the world that the atrocities committed in 1998
by the Eritrean government will never be forgotten. It must be
reminded that, as of today, the Eritrean government has never made
any formal or official apology nor made arrangement for
reparations or any sort of atonement to the Ethiopian people or
the local community, for the crime it committed against innocent
civilians that included children in the elementary school
premises.
The Memorial Project
Some concerned Ethiopians from the Tigrean
community, initiated the Ayder Memorial Library Project (AMEL) in
June 2007. Soon thereafter, it gained the ardent support of others
such as Tigreans in North America and organized a Project
Committee, which was established in Washington, DC, in September
2007.
The effort to build and equip the Ayder Memorial
Library has also received strong support from the Ayder Elementary
School Parents and Teachers Association in Mekelle. Furthermore,
the Tigray regional government through its representatives has
expressed its full support for this initiative.
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