ANSEBA The Chronicle of a City And its Enduring Passion 1957 – 1974: ANSEBA Sports Club - Keren

In the 1960s and 1970s , the city of Keren lived in a time very different in every detail. There were no television screens bringing the world into homes, no mobile phones connecting people instantly, and no computers occupying minds. Life was simple, but hearts were wider, and joy was created from small things that have today become great memories.

The people of Keren had two main sources of happiness (entertainment) : the cinema, which only those who could afford a ticket, and the football matches held in the large field (Joko Stadium) , which were played free of charge every Friday and Sunday (and later only on Sunday afternoons). There, under the open sky and with eager hearts, people flowed from every neighborhood of the city, young and old alike, turning the stadium into a weekly festival and an open stage of life.
In those days, the radio was a small window onto the larger world, carrying through the air-waves news, songs, and the echoes of distant matches. Owning a radio was not ordinary; it was a symbol of knowledge and refinement. Neighbors would gather around it in the evenings to share in the wonder and the news. The radio was Keren’s bridge to the world and its faithful companion in a simple and pure time.

Within this modest popular space, the star of Anseba Sports Club began to rise, a team that quickly became one of the largest and most widely supported teams in the city. It soon became a symbol of the spirit of youth and a living memory for entire generations.

Anseba was not merely a football team; it was the dream of an entire city, a banner of belonging, and a clear mirror reflecting the hopes of the people at a time when hope itself was the only capital the people of Keren possessed.

Yet behind this bright scene, Eritrea lived under harsh Ethiopian occupation , and Keren experienced the bitterness of siege and coprifuoco ( curfew ) , suffering under the authority of soldiers and mercenaries from the commando forces and Tor Serawit , who turned its streets into a theater of fear and repression.

Amid this darkness, the football field became a refuge from oppression, and Anseba’s matches were exceptional moments that reminded people that life was still possible, and that joy could defeat fear, even if only for a few hours.
For me personally, Anseba was more than a football team ; it was part of my childhood and my inner world. It represented our historic neighborhood Hillat Sudan , and the field stood beside our home, allowing me to watch the players’ training closely and live their details moment by moment.

In the city of Keren , football was never just a game played on a field. It was a shared language that brought people together and a window through which young men glimpsed joy and hope during turbulent times.
Between 1957 and 1974 , the Anseba Team became more than a sports club. It evolved into a symbol of the city and the spirit of its supporters, and into a living memory for generations who experienced those years with all their passion and challenges.
Drawing on oral testimonies, personal memories, and rare photographs, this book presents a unique documentation of an important period in the history of football in Keren. Through the story of Anseba, it opens a window onto the social and cultural life of the city and the role sport played in shaping the collective identity of its people.

This is not simply a book about football.
It is the story of a city…
The memory of a generation…
And a passion that still lives on despite the passage of time