Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
: አለባቸው ተካ; 1962 – 16 January 2005) was an Ethiopian comedian and television personality. He was known for his talk show ''The Alebeh Show''.
Biography
Alebachew was born in
Wollo Province
Wollo (Amharic: ወሎ) was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed part of the present day Amhara, Afar, and Tigray regions. During the Middle Ages this region was known as Bete Amhara and had Amhara kings. Bete Amhara had ...
, in a small town called
Wurgessa
Wurgessa () is a small town located in the district of Habru, in the North Wollo zone of the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Wurgessa is located along Ethiopian Highway 2, or Kombolcha – Woldiya road, 465 km from Addis Ababa and 25 km south of the wo ...
in 1962. He completed his elementary education at Wurgessa junior high school and moved to
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
for his high school education. Alebcahew loved comedy even from his elementary days. He was one of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
's best known contemporary and renowned comedians. He also hosted a talk show, '' The Alebeh Show'', carried by state-owned
Ethiopian Television
The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), now rebranded as ETV (stylized in all lowercase), is an Ethiopian government-owned public service broadcaster. It is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is the country's oldest and largest bro ...
(ETV). The weekly program, which was modeled similar to the American ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'', was a hit and brought him widespread fame across the country.
His career took off for his
satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
TV shows, in which he often appeared along with his comedy partner Lemenih during the repressive
regime
In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...
of
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam ( am, መንግሥቱ ኀይለ ማሪያም, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian politician and former army officer who was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Work ...
. Before starting his show, Alebachew Teka had lived in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
In the documentary ''HIV/AIDS Awareness'' of the series '' Seeds of Hope: HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia'', Alebachew and his wife at their wedding treated as honored guests many orphans who had lost their parents to
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
.
Alebachew died on 16 January 2005, in a car accident while traveling from
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
to
Jimma
Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrative ...
, a city some 124 miles west of the capital, to film a documentary for a new show. His car reportedly plunged into a
ravine
A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.AP: Ethiopian TV personality Alebachew Teka dies in car crash