Snapshot of One of the Most Oppressive Countries in the World

Eritrea has often been described as one of the most repressive states in Africa, where people lack basic political and religious freedoms.  This is not surprising as it has been a one-party state ruled by President Isaias Afwerki since it officially gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

The government has banned opposition parties and local private media, jailed critics (some of whom have not been heard of for years), and has imposed military conscription on young people.  The BBC recently reported on the extraordinary control the government has on peoples' lives.

SIM cards are extremely precious.  State-owned EriTel is the sole provider of telecom services. The service it provides is bad, and tightly controlled by the government.  Citizens need to apply to the local government administration to a SIM card for a mobile phone.

And even if you get a SIM card, you can't use it to access the internet because there is no mobile data.  People can only access the internet through WiFi, but it is very slow. To get onto social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, people use a virtual private network (VPN) to circumvent government censorship.  Because of the huge difficulty in getting SIM cards, people still rely on public pay phones to make calls.

The government has also imposed restrictions on the amount of money depositors can withdraw from their bank accounts.  Even if they have millions of nakfa (the Eritrean currency) they can only withdraw 5,000 ($330) a month.  And such withdrawals must be made at a bank counter, as there are no ATM's anywhere in the country.

To make large purchases such as cars or appliances, residents have to make a series of withdrawals over many months to accumulate the cash needed for purchase.  The government would have preferred the entire sum to be transferred by wire, but some businessmen prefer cash in their hands because it is scarce.  There is an exemption for weddings, which are usually big ceremonies costing more than 5,000 nakfa.

Opinions differ on why the government has imposed restrictions on cash withdrawals. Some said it was to develop people's habit of saving and to curb inflation, while others said it was because the government doesn't like trade activities. So they limit money circulation.

If all that wasn't enough State-owned Eri-Tv is the only television station based in Eritrea. It is the government's mouthpiece, but if you have a satellite dish you can watch the BBC and other international channels run by political exiles.  Media freedom is virtually nonexistent in Eritrea, with the country considered the world's most censored country, behind even North Korea.

Satellite broadcasts of radio stations in exile are restricted through occasional signal jams, as well as by the poor quality of the government-controlled internet.  Despite that, Eritrea Information Minister Yemane Meskel denies that Eritrea is a "closed" society. He points out that more than 91% of homes in towns and cities have satellite dishes and receive more than 650 international TV channels.

And to top it all off, there is only one brewery in the entire country-- Asmara Brewery, which was set up in 1939 by Italian engineer Luigi Melottia.  Asmara beer is commonly referred to as melotti, after Melottia. He came to build roads and other infrastructure in the former Italian colony, saw a gap in the market for a brewery, and seized the opportunity to open one. And he seems to be most remembered for that.   Until recently, citizens were only allowed to drink two beers in a bar. So they used to take non-drinkers with them - and drink their quota as well.

The oppressive conditions of living in Eritrea have resulted in hundreds of thousands of Eritreans fleeing the country, some of whom perish during the treacherous journey across the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea as they try to reach Europe.

But even that is difficult, as getting a passport is almost impossible.  Youngsters are not given passports until they complete their national service - which includes military training - and get a letter in support of their application from the offices of their local government administration.  From a practical perspective, most folks are then too old - 40 or 45 with a spouse and children.

And once someone gets a passport they cannot just leave the country - they need an exit visa. There is no guarantee that they will get one because the government apparently fears that they will not return.  Which explains why many young Eritreans become economic refugees--crossing the porous borders to settle in Ethiopia and Sudan.  Others risk the treacherous journey through the Sahara and the Mediterranean to reach Europe, only to die of hunger and thirst in the desert or drown at sea.

With the exodus of youngsters, old people are the most visible, sipping macchiato in cafes to pass their time.  The size of Eritrea's population is unclear because the government has never carried out a census since independence.

Nevertheless, people say the capital is beautiful- largely a relic of its history under the Kingdom of Italy.  Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini wanted Asmara to be the "Piccola Roma" (Little Rome) in Africa, as he planned a new Roman Empire in the 1930s.  The city's leafy boulevards and modernist buildings are a constant reminder of its Italian colonial past.   UNESCO has listed Asmara as a World Heritage Site, describing it as an "exceptional example of early modernist urbanism at the beginning of the 20th Century and its application in an African context".