Woleteyes Habtu

Woleteyes Habtu

The birth and death dates of "Woleteyes Habtu" are not registered; nevertheless, we know from elders in the family and from her photo above, that she lived long enough:

To be photographed by her son Tessema Eshete
To see her poor son prosper from the sell of his Music Disks,
To see him become a prominent Minister.
To see his sufferings from numerous political arrests and exiles
To see all of her Grand children from her two children; (him and his younger sister); as well as a few of her many Great Grand children

More importantly from the following Sem & Work kene or poem, her son Tessema wrote to mourn her death, we also know that she died at age 90.

አከርማ ስንደዶ ሳይጠፋ ከቤቷ

እናቴ ተቀጨች በዘጠና ዓመቷ

In this poem Tessema confirms that his mother was ninety when she died, but knowingly uses the Amharic word "ተቀጨች" to describe her death.

The literal meaning and the standard usage of this specific word tells the untimely death of a child not a ninety years old!!

However, Tessema had purposefully used it to express his shock and grief at her death, saying: "though she was ninety; my mother's death was still premature"!!