1.1 Childhood in Addis Ababa

3Tsigie G/Mesih is one of the unsung living heroines. Daughter of Ato G/Mesih Betewelgne and wäyzäro* Alasäbu Täsfa-Mariam, both Orthodox Christians, she was raised in a reasonably well-off family. She was born in 1957, in Asmära (Eritrea) and her father was a fervent supporter for the union of Eritrea with Ethiopia and a member of the Mahbär Fǝqǝr Hägär (“Association for the Love of Country”). As a result, Tsigie’s family moved to Addis Ababa and she grew up in däğğač* Wube säfär.

4Tsigie attended Kälämäworqe Elementary and Junior School and her secondary education was in Bäyänä Märid and the John F. Kennedy School. The foundation for her athletics career was her participation in the Ethiopian Schools Inter–Athletics Competitions of 1966. During school competitions, the participants wore sports shirts and shorts coloured green, yellow or red depending on their performance. The green shirts were for competent male athletes, the red ones for proficient female athletes and the yellow shirts for the less successful male or female athletes. However, due to Tsigie’s extraordinary results, she always wore a red shirt indicating her top achievement. One Amharic magazine found in her private collection affirmed her astonishing achievement:

5In school competitions, Tsigie won more than forty medals and eight cups. In addition, she received a number of certificates and rewards from Emperor Ḫaylä Śǝllase I.

Figure 28. When Tsigie received awards from Ato Yednäqachäw Tasämma

Figure 29. When Tsigie received awards from Emperor Ḫaylä Śǝllase, 1960s.

1.2 Facing family opposition and criticism from society

6Her family, especially her father, was very disappointed at her sports activities. Therefore, when she had competitions, she used to go home after waiting until her father had fallen asleep.

7Later on, seeing her success, her father changed his mind and became her supporter. He even started to buy magazines which spoke about her athletics achievements.

8The most problematic challenge to overcome at that time was wearing shorts and appearing in public areas (the stadium) for competitions. This was considered by society as breaching and violating cultural norms and religious canons. In 1970/71, in a meeting held at Täklä Haymanot wäräda in Addis Ababa, the administrator, grazmač Kebede Bayu, asserted that husbands should prevent their wives and daughters from wearing miniskirts.

9Moreover, society thought and believed that if a woman participated in various sport activities, she might break her hymen because of hard physical activity whereas in traditional culture, an intact hymen at marriage was considered the proof of virginity. A female might also lose her femininity through sport and she might seem wändawände (“man-like”) in her behaviour. As a result, she might fail to please men and fail to secure a marriage proposal.

1.3 Professional training and career

10Despite all these challenges, Tsigie became a member of the Ethiopian National Athletics Team in 1968 and a member of St. George Athletics Club. Her coach, Ato Sora Järso, was a lecturer at Addis Ababa University in the Department of Health and Physical Education. With three other female athletes, Sänayet Täddässä, Atsädä Taddässä and Almaz Ejäta, she began her training. From the late 1960s, she started participating in international athletics competitions in the East Africa Athletics Championships, held in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Algeria in consecutive years. She became one of the first Ethiopian women to participate in the All-Africa Games and in the third All-Africa Games organised in Algiers (Algeria) in January 1978. In these competitions, Tsigie was awarded a bronze medal and a certificate. In the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, for the first time, two Ethiopian female athletes were included in the Ethiopian Olympic Team. They were Tsigie G/Mesih, and Ethiopia G/Eyesus and they opened a new era for Ethiopian female athletes. Even though it was splendid progress in the history of Ethiopian female athletics, however, before the Games began, Ethiopia and other African countries decided to boycott the Montreal Olympics.

1.4 Becoming a coach

11In the late 1970s, she ended her career as a runner and took coaching classes in Ethiopia and abroad. In 1979, she attended a six-month course at the Institute of Deutsche Hochschulefür Korpekultur (DHFK) in the German Democratic Republic.

Figure 30. Diploma from Institute of Deutsche Hochschulefür Korpekultur

12In 1980, she became a short distance coach for the Ethiopian National Athletics Team. With other colleagues, she also developed youth projects and provided training in athletics in Oromiya, Beni Šhangul, Tegray and other regions. As a coach, Tsigie, produced a number of elite athletes like Zäwdè Häilä-Mariam, Sänayet Häilè, Abaynäšh Aräga, Hiywote Sisaye, Wärqu Baru, Alämayähu Gudäta, Wätärä Gälälčha and others.

1.5 Life awards

13For her achievement in athletics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Tsigie from Africa “The Women and Sport Achievement Diploma” prize on 26 April 2002 for her contributions to the promotion of women and girls in sport in Ethiopia. It was publicised in their Press release dated 26 April 2002.

Figure 31. Tsigie G/Mesih, Diploma of “Women and Sport achievement” from IOC 2002

2.1 From a child tending cattle to physical education

14Ethiopia was originally considered as a country of only male competitors in the world of athletics, seeing as Ethiopian men dominated long-distance running. Some also asked, “Can the Ethiopian womb bear a female star athlete?” The athlete Derartu Tulu is a clear testimony that shows the Ethiopian womb does bear female athletes.

15Derartu Tulu is the daughter of Ato Tulu Gämäčhu and wäyzäro* Yäšhi Wägi, both Orthodox, and she was born on 21 March 1972 in Arsi-Bäqoji, into a large family of fourteen. She grew up in what was then a small agricultural village called Bäqoji, as a child tending cattle. Owing to her family’s economic problems, Derartu went to school two years later than the normal starting age. Moreover, like many young Ethiopian girls she had difficulty in reconciling her schoolwork with assisting her mother in the household chores. Therefore, she was always late for school, which was far from home. Derartu began running unintentionally, when she ran to school to avoid a latecomer’s punishment.

16At an early age she rode horses, watched over cattle and ran with boys. She was unafraid, unlike the rest of the girls. At school, Sentayahu Eshetu, her physical education teacher, recognised her talent and encouraged her to enter a 400 metres race at the Bäqoji Elementary School. Though she was the only female racing, Derartu Tulu won the contest and beat all the boys, which boosted her confidence. Then people started referring to her as “The man in disguise.”

2.2 From wärädä to national championships

17Once Derartu Tulu was recognised as the school champion, she was selected to run in the wärädä championships. She told the officials that she was sick at heart as her mother was not willing for her to enter any sporting activities. Indeed, her mother may have been influenced by an old pejorative Amharic saying “ሴት ከማጀት ወንድ ከአደባባይ” “The place for a woman is the kitchen whereas the place for the man is a public square.”

18But her friends and coach did not listen to her; rather they convinced her to race at the wäräda championship. Then, Derartu won the 800 metres and 1,500 metres races.

19She was then selected by the Arsi region to compete in the Ethiopian National championships in Addis Ababa. There, she finished the race in third position in the 800 m and 1,500 m races and then she became a noticeable athlete who attracted the interest of a number of top Ethiopian clubs.

2.3 From Marämiya Sport Club to the Ethiopian national athletics team

20When she was asked to join the Marämiya Sport Club, her mother did not support her, while conversely her father and sisters encouraged her to go for a second time to Addis Ababa.

21Moreover, her father sold a few sacks of barley to send Derartu to Addis Ababa. However, her beginnings as a member of the Marämiya Sport Club were not successful due to her feelings of loneliness caused by the separation from her family and birthplace. As a result, the officials of the club ordered her to leave, but with the help of her coach she succeeded in remaining in the club.

22After one year, Derartu was recruited to the Ethiopian National Athletics Team. She went to Norway in 1981 to participate in the six-kilometre race but finished the contest in 23rd position. However, she continued her efforts and became the first black African woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, she won the 10,000 m race. Subsequently, she became a medalist in many international championships.

23Generally, Derartu said: “I reached this stage not easily but rather by overcoming many challenges, I grew up in a rural area of Ethiopia, so I faced a lot of challenges from society and from my family especially from my mother. (…) (but) I became successful with the help of God, my great effort and my commitment to being a good athlete. This helped me to achieve good results and also helped me to convince my mother.”

3.1 Growing up in Arsi in a supportive family and context

25Merima Denboba was born on 21 August 1974 in Arsi, to Ato Denboba Ogèto and wäyzäro* Fatuma Gulebè. She is one of the leading Ethiopian Muslim athletes and may be considered a groundbreaking athlete for her fellow Ethiopian female Muslim athletes.

26Besides cultural and religious factors, the prevalence of ineffective physical education teachers was a factor in the low level of female student participation. They neither encouraged nor forced female students to engage or take part in physical exercise and training.

27However, when Merima began athletics, she did not meet opposition from her family. Rather, they encouraged her to move forward in athletics. Regarding the challenges she faced due to her religion when she began athletics, she said: “At that time Ethiopian Muslims were not too strict on wearing hijab (“head cover”) or khimar (to cover their cleavage or bosoms) and a woman did not have to cover from head to toe. It is a recent phenomenon so I did not face any opposition due to my religion.”

3.2 A model for Ethiopian Muslim women athletes

28By overcoming discrimination, Merima, became a new role model for young Ethiopian women athletes in general, and female Muslim athletes, in particular. In both domestic and international competitions, Merima Denboba won many medals and cups. In domestic competitions, from 1988 to 2005, she got thirty-five gold, eighteen silver and seventeen bronze medals. In international competitions, from 1991 to 2008, Merima won fifty gold, thirty silver and twenty bronze medals. Furthermore, from 1991 to 2008 she obtained sixty-three gold, thirty-five silver and twenty-two bronze cups. Currently, Merima works as athletics team leader for the Ethiopian Bank Sports Club, her former athletics club.