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Kebede Michael was one of the giants in the field f education
and literature in Ethiopia. He wrote a total of 26 books
including a wide range of translations from various languages.
From 1940 to1970, he wrote Amharic school textbooks in
which he provided generations of Ethiopian students with
enlightening ideas about a wide range of issues and disciplines.
 His
writings were in both prose and poetry and his poems follow
rhyming and writing styles of his own. He also translated
- among many - Romeo and Juliet, as well as Macbeth of
William Shakespeare. Kebede Michael’s literary works
reflect many shades of character and behavior of the Ethiopian
society. The contents of many of his books are on history,
education, development, philosophy, religion, science
and so on.
He
worked as an inspector in the Ministry of Education, as
Deputy Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1942),
as Director of the National Library (1944), as Director
General of the Ministry of Education, and as a Cabinet
Minster in the Imperial Palace. He was also delegated
to many international conferences including at the United
Nations in New York.
He
received the first Prize for Literature from Emperor Haileselassie.
He also received awards from governments of France, Germany,
Italy, USSR and Mexico. And in 1990, he received an Honorary
Doctorate Degree from Addis Ababa University for his unparalleled
excellence in literature as well as for inspiring generations
of Ethiopian authors and writers.
Dr.
Kebede Michael died on 12 November 1998 at the age of
82. No other Ethiopian in the country’s history so
far has been able to write as extensively on a wide variety
of disciplines as did Kebede Michael.
His
contributions are enormous to the development of education
and literature. And he may be deceased, yet his legacy
will live on forever; and Ethiopians are greatly thankful
to him.
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