Zewde Gebre-Sellassie
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''Dejazmatch'' Zewde Gebre-Sellassie (12 October 1926 – 15 December 2008) was a prominent nobleman, historian, and former deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He was born in the village of Galdu, in the subdistrict of Mecca, to the north-west of
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 ...
where his father was relegated.


Early life

Zewde's father was ''Dejazmatch'' Gebre Selassie Baria Gabr (governor of
Adwa Adwa ( ti, ዓድዋ; amh, ዐድዋ; also spelled Aduwa) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Italian ...
) and his mother was ''Leult'' Wolete Israel Seyoum. His sister was ''Leult'' Ijigayehou Asfa Wossen, his grandfather was ''Ras'' Seyum Mengesha, and his wife was ''Woizero'' Alem Tsehai Araya. He received his rudimentary education in Addis Ababa under a tutor, and went to school in Jerusalem and Cairo respectively where his mother stayed during the Fascist occupation of Ethiopia. After the liberation, he enrolled at the Haile Selassie I secondary school in Addis Ababa and subsequently joined the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...
, England, where he studied English literature. This was followed by legal training at St. Anthony's College, Oxford where he became a senior member of the college from 1963 to 1971, at the conclusion of which he was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn, London. After a long interval, during which he held various public offices in Ethiopia, he returned to Oxford and earned his PhD in the composite field of history, politics and economics.


Career

After his return home in the early 1950s, he held various offices, including that of deputy prime minister. Under the imperial government he held the following positions: * Economic attache, later Head of Press, Information and Administration Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1951–53 * Director-General of Maritime Affairs, 1953–55 * Deputy Minister, Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Civil Aviation, 1955–57 * Mayor and Governor of Addis Ababa, 1957–59 * Ambassador to Somalia, 1959–60 * Minister of Justice, 1961–63 * Permanent Representative to the United Nations, 1972–74 * Minister of the Interior, March–May 1974 *
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
, May–November 1974 In November 1974, the Provisional Military Administrative Council's (
Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
)
summary execution A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary justice (such as a drumhead court-martial) are sometimes include ...
of high government officials of the previous regime forced Zewde to go into exile. He eventually became vice-president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and subsequently worked for several years as advisor to the secretariat of the United Nations. Throughout his service, he received national honors from at least seven sovereign states, including the Federal Republic of Germany. Together with some other prominent Ethiopians, he attempted to mediate between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 1998.


Legacy

Scholars of African history often compare the passing away of a knowledgeable person to a library consumed by conflagration. That is precisely what happened when the Ethiopian luminary, Dr. ''Dejazmatch'' Zewde Gebre-Sellassie, died of illness in Addis Ababa on 15 December 2008. He harmoniously combined oral tradition with profound western education, readily availing of them to any academic who sought his assistance. His popularity among people from all walks of life was immense. His funeral, which took place at the patriotic cemetery of the Trinity Cathedral, was attended by a huge crowd of mourners. The lawyer ''Ato'' Tasoma Gebre Mariam, who delivered the eulogy, praised him for his contribution to the various Ethiopian codes of law. A week-long exhibition of Zewde’s works and photos, accompanied by speeches by scholars and family members, was held in his memory at the main campus of
Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (AAU) ( am, አዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, ...
.


Publications

* * ''The Conflict of Ethiopia and Eritrea: Causes and Solutions'' (Amharic) * *


References

{{Authority control Foreign ministers of Ethiopia Justice ministers of Ethiopia Interior ministers of Ethiopia Ethiopian scholars Ethiopian writers Ethiopian historians 20th-century Ethiopian writers 21st-century Ethiopian writers Ethiopian nobility