Gibreab Teferi

Gibreab Teferi Dasta

Gibreab Teferi Dasta (Amharic: ግብረአብ ተፈሪ ደስታ; 1923 – 15 January 1988), also spelled Gebreab Teferi, was an Ethiopian activist, poet, and playwright. He knew a lot about the Ge’ez and Amharic languages.

Gibreab passed away at the age of 65 in Addis Ababa. He was one of the first people to help start Ethiopian music and theater. He wrote over two hundred songs, many plays, and hundreds of poems in the Amharic language. His love for his country can be seen in his songs and plays.

In addition to his writing, Gibreab also worked as a journalist, author, musician, composer, and theater director. He was part of the Imperial Army (Amharic: ˈክቡር ዘበኛ), reaching the rank of Shalaqa-Basha. He was the main Amharic lyricist for the Ras Band at the Ras Hotel and later became a manager there, working there until he retired.

Life

Gibreab Teferi was born in 1923 in the Bure Damot region of Gojjam Province. His father was the Commander of the Right Brigade, Qenyazmach Teferi Dasta, and his mother was Weyzero Semagne Tasama. Gibreab married Yeshimebet Aregaye and had ten children—four boys and six girls.

When Gibreab was nine months old, his parents separated, and he was raised by his aunt. He went to traditional schools and learned to read and write at the church. He learned Ge'ez very quickly and studied with Aleka Teffera, who loved music just like Gibreab did. At ten, Gibreab visited Addis Ababa and was very excited by the city.

In 1945, Gibreab went back to Addis Ababa and joined the Imperial Army as a deacon. There, he started writing plays and lyrics. He helped create a theater and music department. His plays taught important lessons to soldiers and had secret meanings in the poetry. Gibreab also wrote many lyrics for the army band that people still like today.

Gibreab wrote well-known plays, including Astyages The Cruel Leader, about the last king of the Median Empire. His work was praised by military and government leaders. He wrote military marches and played the clarinet and the traditional krar. Later, he joined the Ras Band and wrote lyrics for many popular songs.

Other professional roles

In 1967, when the original Ras Band moved to Ghion Hotel, Gibreab decided to stay at the Ras Hotel. He took on many jobs there, like giving legal advice and managing people. He worked for many years in hotels, in jobs like management and law. He worked at places like Genet Hotel, Assab Hotel, and Hotel D'Afrique.

Gibreab was known for working very hard and was respected by everyone. Even after he stopped working, people still respected him a lot. While working in hotels, Gibreab also kept writing plays, poems, and songs.

"አራዳ ለ አራዳ ሲነፋ መለከት
ትንቡክ አርጎ ስሞ ዐይን ዐይንዋን መመልከት
ክራር አመታለሁ በየሁሉ ደጅ
እንደ አራዳ ቅኝት አላገኝም አንጂ"

— Lines from Gibreab's Oh Addis Ababa, Oh Arada Hoye

Later years and death

After leaving the hotel business, Gibreab worked on more plays. He translated famous plays, such as Molier's L'Amour médecin (1665) from French into Amharic.

Gibreab Teferi died on 14 January 1988 at Maekalawi ez Hospital. His funeral took place at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa.