Finixua Mutam Tenesalech The Unfinished History of Tigray Women by Yewubmar Asfaw

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Gudeta Kebede Asfaw

Abstract

 Yewubmar Asfaw was a former guerrilla fighter of Tigray Peoples LiberationFront (TPLF). She had dedicated 25 years of her life to the front until she left [TPLF] in2001. In 2011, she published a book in Amharic that attempts to describe TigrayWomen’s roles in armed conflict and their marginalization in the governance of post-conflict society in Ethiopia (Mugambe, 2000). This book is the spotlight of this review.Ethiopian women’s status has always remained shaky as compared to that of men(Haregewoin & Emebet, 2003). They have never been treated equally in the social,economic and political sphere (Paulos, 2006). Historically, the beginning of women’smovements in Ethiopia has been associated with the Ethiopian students’ movement in thelate 1970s (Biseswar, 2008a). Particularly in Tigray region, women’s associations emerged together with the development of the insurgence of TPLF and it had an explicitagenda of addressing women’s equality. By taking this issue as the reference point, Yewubmar has produced a magisterial work that synthesizes the recent past history ofTigray women’s involvement in armed conflicts during the armed resistance of TPLF thatwaged against the Dergue regime (Emebet, 2005). The central concern of the book is toevaluate historical trajectory of emergence and development of women’s movement inTigray during the liberation struggle and the post victory period. Regarding women’smovement in the country, Yewubmar adopted an optimistic view. This could be reflectedin the name of the book entitled ‘Finixua mutam tenesalech’. The literal meaning of thetitle seems to imply that Tigray women’s question is disappointed but not defeated. Sheused the term ‘phoenix’ that symbolizes her persistent sense of hope and redemption of the women’s movement in Tigray. According to Greek mythology, phoenix is the nameof the mythical bird and it symbolized unforgettable power, strength and renewal

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How to Cite
Kebede , G. (2017). Finixua Mutam Tenesalech. The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies (EJSSLS), 4(2), 111-115. Retrieved from https://ejhs.ju.edu.et/index.php/ejssls/article/view/713
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Author Biography

Gudeta Kebede Asfaw, Jimma University

Lecturer at Department of Governance and Development Studies; Jimma University; Corresponding
address: Email: gudetakebedebet@gmail.com; Mobil: +251911672920, P.O.Box-26118, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia