In Ethiopia’s history, there are many influential women who paid scarifies for their country. These women have registered remarkable contribution winning the challenges they encountered because of their gender. Even if we cannot tribute all of them in this piece, let us remember some of them.
Taitu Betul
It is clear that while talking about Ethiopian women contribution, it is impossible to simply skip the name Taitu as she is an icon of Ethiopian women. Taytu Betul (1851–1918), wife of Menelik (King of Shoa and later Negus Negast or King of Kings), was a formidable queen and empress of Ethiopia.
She used her exceptional intelligence to strengthen and extend her power through an adroit blend of patronage, political marriages and leadership craft.
Determined to resist imperialist designs on her country, she increasingly opposed any negotiations that would result in the loss of Ethiopian territory. When diplomacy gave way to war, she rode out at the head of her own army, at her husband’s side.
It was she who devised the plan which led to the Ethiopian victory, and her presence was crucial in the Ethiopian Victory at Adwa in 1896, the most significant Victory of any African army during the climax of European colonialism.
Patriot Shewareged Gedile
She is called on the front from ladies who paid sacrifices on the five years Italian invasion of Ethiopia. She was born in 1886. She was one of the first bank users, stake buyers and factory builders.
But sources magnify her patriotism acts and point out as she is well known patriots.
Shewareged spent the five invasion years through sending meal for patriots, purchasing guns, sending drugs, building the spirit of patriots and serving as source of information for patriots-(intelligence services).
However, as the Italians learnt that she spied on them and sent off information to patriots, they passed death sentences on her. Fortunately it was ineffective.
Ambassador Konjit Sinegiorgis
As to source of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ambassador Konjit lived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with her family until she moved to London, UK with her elder sister to join the London University College and get her degree in International Relations in 1954. Fascinated by international issues and the work of the UN, she has always wanted to see how the UN functions and was enthusiastic to work in the organization; but did not know how to join. It was until she got a tip of advice from a friend who used to work at the Ethiopian Embassy in London that she could have a chance to work in the UN if she can work in the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and get assigned to the New York Mission. Without hesitation, she accepted the advice and came to Addis Ababa to apply for a job in the Ministry.
However, the response of the senior officer at the then Ministry of Education, who was in charge of assigning jobs for returnee Ethiopians from abroad, was not as welcoming as she expected. He gave her an appalling response saying “this is not a job for women”. However she never gave up. She struggled to persuade him regardless of his continuous rejections until finally there was no other option than to offer her the job… and it was at this junction, that her journey begun.
Konit started her career in 1962, a year before the establishment of the Organization of the African Unity (OAU). After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has held numerous positions both in Addis Ababa and overseas for 53 years.
In the early days of her career, Ambassador Konjit served as an officer in charge of decolonization Affairs in the Ethiopian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. She had played a significant role in strengthening the African Union while holding positions in the AU, UN, serving as Ambassador overseas in Austria, Egypt, Israel, Canada, Mexico (non-resident) and serving in different positions starting from third secretary to permanent representative in missions to New York, Vienna and Geneva. Later in 2009, she became Ethiopia’s Permanent Representative to the OAU, and eventually to the AU and UNECA, and contributed her share in the transformation of OAU to the AU.
Ambassador Konjit is an inspiration for many of the courageous and strong female diplomats who come after her as she paved the way for those in the profession today. In her last speech during a farewell bid to her by the African Union in November 2015, Ambassador Konjit Said “My career has been my life and I sacrificed everything for it… there is no greater honor than serving one’s country to the fullest!”
Mulumebet Emiru, The first pilot
She has got a name called “Lady Bird” from American news paper in 1935. Mulumebet is the first Ethiopian pilot. In 1927, she did her flight by her own.
Athlete Derartu Tulu
Dearatu was born in 1969 in the small town of Bokoji, in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia State as a seventh child in a family of 10 children. Even in elementary school, Derartu excelled in horse riding competitions. Derartu’s first significant win came in a 400 meter race in her school where she outran the school’s star male athlete. That, along with a win in 800 meters race in her district, convincingly, put Derartu in a path of a successful career in Athletics. In 1988, Derartu representing her birth place, Arsi, competed in a national 1500 meters race in which she won a bronze medal.
When she was 17, Derartu was hired by the Ethiopian Police Force. In 1989, she competed her first international race of six kilometer cross-country in Norway though ranked 23rd. In a year’s time, however, she competed in the same race and won the Gold Medal. Derartu won international recognition and success in the 90’s. Her record-setting win in the 10,000 meter race in Bulgaria and her win in the same distance race in Cairo, Egypt are worth mentioning.
Derartu’s win in the 10,000 meter race in the Barcelona Olympics goes down in the History Books as the first gold-medal win ever by an African woman. Derartu is now serving African sport family being the Vice President of East African Athletics Region.
The Ethiopian herald March 8, 2019
BY GENET FEKADE
