Category: Books

Mary Tadesse, My Life My Ethiopia

Mary Tadesse’s autobiography weaves together the personal, the professional, and the political bringing to life and providing rare insights into the multiple dramatic events spanning much of the twentieth century in Ethiopia. This candid account, which draws on the diaries…
Surviving the sting of my father’s nettle switches

Poet and playwright Mengistu Lemma came from a prominent clerical family. His father Aleka Lemma Haylu Wolde Tarik (1868- 1967), was an important head priest who commanded respect and admiration. He was a stern disciplinarian who imposed strict rules on…
አሳዛኙ ጀግና

“ጀግና ነበር ብርሃነ መስቀል፡፡ ኢትዮጵያ የነበረችበትን ሁኔታ ከማንም ቀድሞ በመረዳት የዕሪታ ድምፁን በአደባባይ አሰማ፡፡ አስተማረ፣ ሰበከ፣ የተቃውሞ ሰልፍ መራ፡፡ ለለውጥ የተሰለፈ ጀግና ትውልድ አፈራ፡፡ ህልሙንና ዓላማውን ለማሳካት ኢሕአፓን በግንባር ቀደምትነት አቋቋመ፡፡ ሁለቱም ጀግኖች ነበሩ፡፡ ለየትውልዳቸው፡፡ ብርሃነ መስቀልና ጌታቸው ማሩ፡፡ ሁለቱም…
A Child’s Book of Death and Dying

By Abraham Verghese Abraham Verghese was born and raised in Addis Ababa to Indian parents who worked as teachers. He began his medical training in Addis Ababa and he completed his training at Madras Medical College, the year Emperor Haile…
የታላቁ ጸሐፌ ተውኔት የሎሬት ጸጋየ ገብረመድኅን ማስታወሻ

አምቦ ዩኒቨርሲቲ የባህል ጥናትና ምርምር ማዕከል ያቋቋመለት ታላቁ ጸሐፌ ተውኔት ሎሬት ጸጋየ ገብረ መድኅን ስለ ሕይወት ታሪኩ ራሱ ከጻፈውና ሌሎችም ከመዘገቡት ማስረጃዎች ለመረዳት እንደሚቻለው በ1929 ዓ፡ ም የተወለደው የሜጫ ጎሳ አባል ከሆኑት ከአባቱ ከሐምሳ አለቃ ገብረ መድኅን ሮባ ቀዌሳ እና…
Andargachew Tsige: A History of Addis Ababa (II)

(This is the second installment in a three-part series looking at the memoir written by the Ethiopian intellectual, freedom fighter and opposition politician, Andargachew Tsige. Find the first part here.) Andargachew Tsigie’s narrative tells the emergence of Addis Ababa as…

(This is the first installment in a three-part series looking at the memoir written by the Ethiopian intellectual, freedom fighter and opposition politician, Andargachew Tsige.) Andargachew Tsigie and Meles Zenawi became friends- or more precisely, card-playing partners – one Christmas break…
Emperor Haile Selassie by Bereket Habte Selassie-review

Emperor Haile Selassie. By Bereket Habte Selassie. (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2014. Pp. 147. $14.95.) Reviewed by Charles W. McClellan This slim volume by distinguished scholar of African studies and law, Bereket Habte Selassie is part of Ohio University…