I LOVE YOU
Helen Berhane spent more than two years in Eritrea’s notorious prison system after being arrested for her Christian work. On one occasion, after receiving a severe beating from her prison guard, she was handcuffed and thrown into an empty metal shipping container. The door was locked, the container was cold and dark, her body was still shaking from the beating and she was scared she would freeze to death. So she started to sing.
HELEN BERHANE’S PRISON SONG – I LOVE YOU
I love you, that’s why I draw myself closer to you I know that it’s worth following you. I am not only ready for prison, but I trust you until death. Even in a closed space or in a pit I will not surrender to evil spirits, Not even if I am bound or I am chained and I am suffering from cold, I will sing and I am not going to tire of singing, nor give up. My heart is burning with your love, And my heart declares I will never stop respecting you or lifting you up. I will sing again and again, I will sing a melody for you, My soul is pleased to sing for you.
Berhane H with Newrick E (2009) Song of the Nightingale, Milton Keynes, Authentic Media, p52