Shewalul Mengistu

Shewalul Mengistu was an Ethiopian poet, songwriter, journalist and political activist. She was assassinated in 1977.

Family

Mengistu was born in Hararghe, Ethiopia, to a middle-class family. Her father was a musician who played the bägäna, a ten-stringed lyre. Mengistu was married at the age of 13 to a commander in the Ethiopian security forces. They had five children and later divorced.

Career

In 1973, Mengistu was employed by the Ministry of Information in Addis Ababa, where she produced radio and television programmes aimed at women.
Mengistu spoke Amharic and Oromo and wrote the song Erè Mèla Mèla, most known when sung by Mahmoud Ahmed. She also became a political writer, with her works including several poems and a pamphlet critical of Ethiopian society.

Death

She became a member of the Marxist-Leninist party of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who later became dictator. She was assassinated in Addis Ababa in 1977, dying after being shot.