Shewalul Mengistu

Mengistu was born in Hararghe, Ethiopia, to a middle-class family. Her father was a musician who played the bägäna, a ten-stringed lyre. Mengistu was married at the age of 13 to a commander in the Ethiopian security forces. They had five children and later divorced. == Career ==

In 1973, Mengistu was employed by the Ministry of Information in Addis Ababa, where she produced radio and television programmes aimed at women. She also became a political writer, with her works including several poems (one of which was banned from broadcasting and publication) and a pamphlet critical of Ethiopian society. == Death ==

She became a member of the Marxist-Leninist party of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who later became dictator. She was assassinated in Addis Ababa in 1977, dying after being shot. == References ==