Alemtsehay Wedajo (Amharic: áÂÂáÂÂá áÂÂáÂÂá áÂÂá³áÂÂ- Alem-tse-hay, born October 1955) is an Ethiopian actor, songwriter, and playwright.
Alemtsehay was born in October 1955 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Her artistic development was encouraged by her teachers from a young age and with support from them, she began performing at venues such as the Hager Fikir Theater.
After graduating from high school, she was selected by the poet Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin for a two-year training program, after which she began to act and write full time.
She has written more than 400 songs, including a series of children's songs for Ethiopian artists such as Aster Aweke, Theodros Teshome and Ephrem Tamiru.
She founded The Tayitu Cultural and Education Center in January 2000, a non-profit organization that aims to support the cultural, social and artistic needs of the Ethiopian community in North America, especially in the Washington metropolitan area. The centre primarily focuses on producing and presenting theatrical or literary works by Ethiopian-American authors for the public. The centre also supports a range of educational programs, including youth tutoring and mentoring schemes, along with providing lessons in Amharic poetry writing and acting for young Ethiopian-Americans. The centre was named after Empress Taytu Betul, a co-founder of the city of Addis Ababa known for her role in the 1896 Battle of Adwa.
Alemtsehay also founded and ran the YeLijoch Amba â the First Children's Theater Group â running it from January 1990 to December 2000. This organization focused on training young, orphaned children in music and drama, and performed in multiple European and African countries.
She co-founded The Ethiopian Theatre Professionals Association and acted as a chairperson for 14 years after its establishment, from January 1986 to January 2000.
Alemtsehay wrote and directed Tiru Nakfaki. She has played the role of Ophelia in Hamlet among others. In one of her films, Woven, she played an Ethiopian mother who holds to Ethiopian traditions while raising her Ethiopian-American daughters.
Alemtsehay has been an activist throughout her adult life. She is associated with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP).
Alemtsehay has written numerous poems, some of which are inspired by traditional war songs composed by women. For example, one of her poems, titled Marafiya yattach Heywot and published in 1996, translates to "A life that has no resting place".
<big>Awards</big>
She won the 2016 Bikila Award for her contribution to celebrating Ethiopian culture.