Fortune News | Sep 03,2022
Q: Do you write to change society, or to document it before it changes?
A: If possible, I would say I would want to write to change society.
Q: In your stories, who is usually a free person? Is it the person with money, or the one with nothing to lose? Why?
A: There is a positive side to both of the characters. The one with money experiences freedom to a certain point, especially when it comes to doing as they wish. But there is an anxiety that comes with the freedom because the person who has money focuses on getting more and not losing what they have, and also gets to do what they want. On the other hand, the person with nothing to lose lives on what they get daily and worries less. Although they cannot support themselves as well as the others with money, they don't lose happiness because of it. At the end of the day, they both have different lives and different stories.
Q: If you had to ban one word from everyday Ethiopian social vocabulary, what word would go first? What would replace it?
A: There is no word I would replace because every word has its purpose in the right place in different disciplines. Even insults have a purpose in the right time and place.
Q: Was there a comment about your books that changed your point of view? Which book?
A: There was an opinion about my book "Yewedyanesh" by a well-known published author of 40 books, which sparked a debate which I will never forget. It gave me the chance to become friends with the author after that.
Q: What part of writing do you dread the most? Why?
A: I actually love every part of the writing process. I did all the editing for all the books I have written and published, including those in Tigrigna.
Q: What does literature teach you about life that you do not learn in schools?
A: I have learnt beyond the theoretical lessons that I have gained from my academic journey, like different characters and the journey of authors, and the behavioural change of character in depth. Even humanity is a school by itself. And the main ownership of literature is the society
Q: Unforgettable childhood Christmas memory?
A: I was born and raised in the rural parts of Ethiopia, Ifat and Timuga, Gimza Wereda Majete, in the Amhara Regional State. I have cherished memories of "Yegenna Chewata," the ball (Rur) and the stick. I remember how the referee would scold us if we hit an opponent with either the stick or the ball, whether by accident or on purpose, and how we would fuss when we lost a game, and how we vowed to win next year’s game. I sometimes think hockey was adapted from "Yegenna Chewata" and American football was taken from the Afar people’s game, "Ku'oeusso".
Q: What do you think about this generation’s (Youth) readership/reading habits?
A: The youth of this generation is consumed by the social media platforms of this age (TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube). Since they are more keen on getting information right away, they rarely focus on books and sink into the stream of social media. For instance, there was a lot of opposition when Kana TV aired. Now, the film industry has evolved in a few ways to be able to participate on a global level.
Q: What’s Next?
A: I have edited more than 94 books in my whole career. I am planning to give up editing entirely and go back to writing. I only pray that God grants me more life and health.
PUBLISHED ON
Jan 04,2026 [ VOL
26 , NO
1340]
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