Genet zewdie biography of abraham

Dr Genet Zewdie came; saw and conquered all with disarming charm!

A ‘Joan of Arc,’ and a true trailblazer, shattered barriers and devastated impenatrable walls in her way to victory. Ambassador Genet Zewde is an academician, politician, a former Member of Parliament and the first woman to hold a minister position at the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. Now every kebele has primary and secondary schools and every zone will have university.’’

Relating past, she said, ‘‘When I was education minister (1991-2006), for female, education was non-existent; the old tradition would say female should be a housewife and rear children.’’

She further adds, ‘‘But, things got to change,’’ appreciating Indian media for aggressively highlighting atrocities against women, she says, ‘‘I was delighted to see men joining movement in New Delhi and I hope Ethiopian media to follow the suit.’’

On her success, she said, ‘‘I had support from all across; as student my mother backed me; but I had smoldering fire within that made me a fighter and I grabbed success after success.’’

Students’ movement of 60’s and 70’s literally redefined her persona and she found herself fighting for farmers, rights of nations and nationalities, free education, democratic and women’s rights and equality during Haile Selassei and Derg that made her multi-dimensional.

On Glass Ceiling, ‘‘We were entrapped in traditional stronghold that looked down upon us; walls are still there, but it’s pregnable, cracks are already there and soon it will be razed for which every one of us need to be strategically organized,’’ she exhorted.

As a minister, changing medium of instruction into 50 different local languages, changing educational structure from 1-to-10 and putting affirmative action in place were the biggest impediments, she had ever faced.

On hurdles faced by women today, she said, ‘‘Women are educated and working but, household chorus bogs them down; cooperation from men can change the scenario,’’ she stressed.

Inspired by Ethiopia’s first woman Parliamentarian, Sinidu Gebru, she still feels that there is an unfinished business of making democracy vibrant and taking development to reach every nook and corners of Ethiopia.

What made her tough, pat came the answer, ‘‘I am not a quitter; every hurdle I faced, left me toughened.

We have a tough road ahead of us - time and again, we observe a growing culture of woman hating, perpetuated through a global pushback against feminism. Although I did not understand the contents of what were discussed in parliament as a kid, I learnt it was possible for women to occupy such high places and allowed myself to dream that big - all because she and other women in political decision-making positions existed.

Hanna Lemma

Founder at Addis Powerhouse | Mandela Washington 2024 Alumna | Oxford-Featured Writer | Women’s Rights Advocate | Researcher

Ambassador Genet Zewde allowed us to document HerStory over coffee, and we loved every minute of it!

A pioneer, who opened the floodgates of education and as an envoy to India for 10 long years, strengthened diplomatic and business ties.

You know, amid adversities we launched education policy and implemented it as old guards were against it, but we went ahead and now people are harvesting its fruits.’’

Don’t look for short-cut, work hard and face challenges; know your subject, be well informed and stand up against injustice. At Addis Powerhouse we try not to personalize negative comments directed at us and the individuals we spotlight, and instead we make data out of it.

This was what I knew then, now I know I also have to thank these same women and more for the revision of the discriminatory family law that questioned women's ability, freedom and power. We dream of telling the stories of the giant women who came before us, so this is only the beginning of our journey. And we will continue to shine a light on the women whose shoulders we stand on to see further!

The first female minister then, fired the first salvo at Glass Ceiling that paved the way for women’s emancipation in Ethiopia! She has done quite a lot with her life since then - and during the shoot, we had to agree to save some conversations for another time despite being completely immersed in her powerful personal and political journey.

Education

Degree in business education, Haile Sellassie I University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1971; Bachelor of Science in Business Education, Plymouth State College, 1973; Master of Science in Business Education, Suffolk U., Boston, 1984.

Career

Assistant lecturer department technical teacher education, Addis Ababa U., 1973-1983; assistant professor, lecturer, Addis Ababa U., 1984-1991; head department business education, Addis Ababa U., 1986-1991; intern department office education, Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, 1983; external examiner, Kenyatta U., Nariobi, Kenya, since 1990; vice minister higher education, Government Ethiopia, 1991-1992; minister education, Government Ethiopia, since 1992.

Achievements

• Genet Zewdie has been listed as a noteworthy Minister of education of Ethiopia by Marquis Who's Who.

Connections

Married; 2 children.

I grew up watching Genet Zewde (the Minister) on TV - mind you, there were two channels to pick from back then.

Her activism began during the student’s struggle in 1960s and 70s, where she made a name for herself by challenging the school administration to let girls take the national exam that allows students join a university as a high school student. Doing what we do, we are not new to being criticized or to receiving hateful comments.