Alemu Kebede Eshetie

Father's name: Kebede Eshetie

Mother's name: Wegara Bazu

Year of birth: 1960

Place of birth: Aywara, Gondar

Region in Ethiopia: Gondar

Main occupation in Ethiopia: Artist

The language of the interview: Amharic

Alemu Kebede Eshetie, shepherd, childhood, pupil, teacher, school, drawing, writing, portrait, colors, charcoal, flowers, actions, marriage agreements, letters, politics, veterinarian, ministry of health, vaccines, cows, cattle, epidemics, laboratory, manager, city, village, racism, theft, violence, fighting, Emperor Haile Selassie, Derg, rebels, Aywara, Dabat, Gondar, Semien, Debre Zeit, Elmatina, south Ethiopia, Harar, Addis Ababa.

Summary of the testimony:

Alemu describes his family tree. As a child, he worked with cattle. When he was six, he moved with his family to the village of Dabat. There, he began to study at school. He describes the racism he encountered while studying.

Alemu began to draw at a young age. He describes how his skills developed as he drew various events that took place at his school. From the age of 15, he was invited to draw at events, and people ordered portraits from him. He drew political candidates and important events. He describes how he prepared his art equipment from charcoal and flowers. Thanks to his beautiful handwriting, Alemu became Dabat’s document writer. His father dictated the content, which dealt with topics such as court actions, marriage agreements, and letters to relatives.

After completing his studies, Alemu took a course run by the veterinary services and was sent to work in the village of Debarq. With the veterinary team, he provided semi-annual vaccination services to cattle and sheep in the surrounding villages. Alemu documented these journeys in pictures and sculptures. He describes his work in detail. He talks changes in the government and battles between the forces of the Derg regime and guerilla warriors.

When it became too dangerous to travel between the villages, Alemu obtained the necessary permits to continue studying in the veterinary faculty of Debre Zeit University. While he was studying there, a cattle epidemic broke out. He went to work in Elmatina, in southern Ethiopia. He worked there for two years as medical manager of the district veterinary services. He explains how they identified what disease had broken out and what vaccine to use.

Alemu notes the cultural differences between the traditions of northern and southern Ethiopia in matters such as language, style of dress, and notification about death or marriage.

When he completed his job, he was promoted to medical manager of the veterinary services in the city of Harar. However, he was jealous of his brothers who had immigrated to Israel, and so he ran away to Addis Ababa to arrange his own immigration. All of his possessions were stolen along the way. He used his artistic talents to raise enough money to reach Addis Ababa and to travel from there to Israel.