Mammo Wudneh


Mammo Wudneh (Amharic: ማሞ ውድነህ; 22 October 1931 – 02 March 2012) was a writer, playwright, journalist and President of the Ethiopian Writers' Association. He was actively involved as a peacemaker between Ethiopia and Eritrea working on an interfaith committee chaired by Abune Paulos, the Patriarch of the Tewahedo Church.[1]

This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Mammo, and not as Wudneh.
Mammo Wudneh
Born(1931-10-22)October 22, 1931
Bashagia, Wollo province, Ethiopian Empire
Died2 March 2012(2012-03-02) (aged 80)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
NationalityEthiopian
Other namesMamo Wudneh
Occupation(s)writer, journalist and playwright
Known forPresident of the Ethiopian Writers Association,

Early life

Born in 1931 to a family of humble background. Mammo Wudneh was left orphaned during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War when the air force of fascist Italy bombed his tiny village, Bashagia in what was then Wollo Province.[2]

Career

His gift of writing has enabled him to secure journalistic jobs at the United States Information Service, a section of the American Embassy, and the Russian Cultural Center at Addis Ababa.

He also served at the Ethiopian Ministry of Information where he met and befriended authors like Berhanu Zerihun and Mengistu Gedamu. Mammo Wudneh was appointed head of Ethiopian News Agency in Eritrea. Shortly after the outbreak of the Ethiopian revolution in 1974, Mammo became an editorial staffer of the magazine 'Yekatit'.

Mammo authored historical, fictional and dramatic works, as well as translated works of authors into Amharic. His most notable translations are stories of espionage.

He also served a term as Chairman of the Ethiopian Writers Association. Furthermore, he was a recipient of different awards, including an international peace award for life-time achievement. Mammo was also instrumental in the preservation and restoration of Ethiopian historical artifacts and relics. [2]

Legacy

By chance he later met one of the pilots who took part in the raid that killed his family. In a moving encounter the playwright forgave the pilot.[1] Mammo Wudneh died of cardiovascular complication on 2 March 2012, at his residence in Addis Ababa.[2]

References
  1. Henderson, Michael. Forgiveness: Breaking the Chain of Hate. Arnica Publishing, Inc. p. 104.
  2. Tolossa, Fikre; Gebrehiwot, Taddelle (2012). "Mamo Wudneh (1931-2012)". International Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 6 (1/2): 207–208. JSTOR 41756948.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.