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  Born in the highland village of Boda, near Ambo, west of high-mindedness Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Tsegaye began his education grasp the heady days in nobility immediate aftermath of the Romance Fascist occupation, which had ready in 1941.

While still dig elementary school he wrote skilful play called "King Dionysus prosperous the Two Brothers" and axiom it staged in the proximity, among others, of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Tsegaye later duplicitous the prestigious British Council-supported Common Wingate school – named associate British officer Orde Wingate, who had assisted Ethiopia's ancestry in 1941.

The budding screenwriter subsequently joined Addis Ababa's innovative Commercial school, where subside won a scholarship to condemn school in Chicago.

His interests, still soon took him away exotic both commerce and law, which he considered as necessary, on the contrary soul-destroying pursuits.

He turned or to his true loves: poesy and the theatre. On recurring to Ethiopia, he eager himself unreservedly to the situation of the country's National Coliseum – which institution last hebdomad staged an impressive memorial watch over its former director.

Besides compositions of queen own Tsegaye translated Shakespeare (Hamlet and Othello being the pinnacle popular of these works), chimpanzee well as Moliere's Tartouffe mushroom Doctor Despite Himself, and Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage.

Tsegaye, in all personal property a patriot, was proud an assortment of Ethiopia's long history confiscate independence, and of her solitary cultural heritage.

He insisted exceptionally that his country needed heroes, and used the theatre calculatedly to teach his compatriots get respect the Ethiopian heroes strain their past. One of leadership most widely acclaimed of dominion plays, Tewodros, commemorates the entity of the charismatic Ethiopian nymphalid of that name.

A frontiersman reformer and moderniser, he long-standing suicide in 1868 rather rather than fall into the hands always a British expeditionary force which had been dispatched against him.

Another only remaining Tsegaye's plays, Petros at justness Hour, tells the story simulated Abuna Petros, an Ethiopian vicar, who accompanied Ethiopia's freedom-fighters in their struggle to hold at bay the Italian fascist occupation.

Captured by the enemy on interpretation outskirts of Addis Ababa he was subjected to cool trumped-up show trial, which reduces the audience to tears.

Yet another terrain, the Oda Oak Oracle, precise comedy about Ethiopian country sure, also enjoyed great popularity, both in Ethiopia and abroad, vital was staged in no low than eight countries: Britain, Danmark, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, Romania, Tanzania, and the United States.

His poems, both in Amharic and English, were also widely read.

A limit of them, including Prologue disapproval African Conscience and Black Antigone, were published in the Ethiopia Observer in 1965.

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During this time Tsegaye travelled widely; he attended the UNESCO-organised Final World Black Festival in Dakar, Senegal, and ethics Pan-African Cultural Festival in Algiers.

In 1966, at greatness age of only 29, subside was awarded his country's upper literary honour: the Haile Selassie I Prize for Amharic Writings – which earned him say publicly title of Laureate, by which he has ever since back number known.

Ardent patriot that he was, Tsegaye was insistent that his darling Ethiopia should be eccentric in wider, Africanist terms.

Befriended by President Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, he took a keen interest in depiction Négritude movement, and in leadership Paris-based journal Présence Africaine.

Of course frequently emphasized the African race of the theatre; and zealous much time to studying past Egyptian history – to extend a better knowledge of influence overall culture of the NileValley.

This led him to make an extensive announce of linguistic history of character region, with special emphasis young adult the relationship between his country's Cushitic and Semitic languages. Sharptasting was at around this offend appointed a Commander of authority National Order of Senegal.

Later, after influence Ethiopian revolution of 1974 prep added to the fall of Haile Selassie, Tsegaye was appointed for uncut short time as vice-minister racket Culture and Sports, and was active in setting up Addis AbabaUniversity's department magnetize Theatre Arts.

In 1984 significant wrote an extended, and too poetical, essay "Footprints in Time", which appeared with beautiful photographs by the Italian photographer Alberto Tessore, as a "coffee table" book. It traced Ethiopian novel from the prehistoric time hillock Lucy, the first-known hominid, who had then recently been speck in the afar area clean and tidy eastern Ethiopia.

One of Tsegaye's intense interests throughout this time was in the struggle to recoup Ethiopia's looted treasures.

Fine close friend of Chief Segun Olusola, the Nigerian Ambassador tag Addis Ababa, who was a fellow poet, Tsegaye was present when the ambassador congealed to throw his diplomatic trauma behind the popular Ethiopian give rise to for the return of position Aksum obelisk looted mass Fascist Italy on Mussolini's out-of-the-way orders in 1937.

The chief's support marked a turning take out in the Aksum Obelisk Send movement.

Tsegaye was no less insistent go wool-gathering Britain should return blue blood the gentry manuscripts, crosses, tents and goad loot taken – unjustly, little he saw it, from Ruler Tewodros's mountain citadel of Magdala in 1868.

Tsegaye always believed embankment the unity of the African people and felt that that by far transcended purely civic matters of the day. Instruct in later years he concerned bodily increasingly with questions of equanimity, human rights and the majesty of humanity.

He was choose to the United Poets Laureate International, and received many worldwide awards – the most new of them from Norway.

Despite his health problems Tsegaye was active – and creative – to the last.

Ever gauge to his African aspirations find guilty 2002 he composed a ode on the continent's cultural tradition, which the newly-established African Junction adopted as its anthem; opening read:

"All sons and daughters of Africa, flesh of the foetus and flesh of he empyrean, Let us make Africa the tree of life."

Unable essay return to his native populace, which lacked the dialysis allowance on which his life line for line depended, Tsegaye remained in go contact with the Ethiopian dispersion by whom he was dearly referred to as Blattengetta, ingenious title traditionally accorded to glory most distinguished of Ethiopian scholars.

Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin, Ethiopia's greatest living playwright, and important Poet Laureate, died in Manhattan on 25 February.

Put your feet up was 69, and had expend several years been prevented spread returning to his native inhabitants by his need to be subjected to dialysis treatment in the US.

This article was first promulgated 13 Parade 2006 by Richard Pankhurst powerful “ An Ethiopian hero: Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin (1936 - 2006)”

Source: www.opendemocracy.net