It was a story set in the feudal Ethiopia, a unique time with aura of liberalism, before it was changed by the 1974 revolution. Hanna Yilma, who passed away a week ago, and Sibhat Gebre-egziabher (1936–February 20, 2012) belonged to that generation of Ethiopian elites that came of age during the 1960s, flourished in political and cultural upheavals of the time. She was a socialite and with aristocratic back ground, educated in the United States, he a bookish, rebellious young man, rural peasant background, a modest, at times aspiring bohemian writer, given to nocturnal drinking at the red light district, Wube Bereha.
The story became familiar as the famous author Baalu Girma narrated it in his fictionalized account, Derasiw (The Author), published in 1980. Their acquaintanceship, their marriage, their publications ventures (Ethiopia Mirror and Menen magazines), their intoxication with Mengistu Hailemariam and his revolution that brought about their union to the end, she deciding to flee the country, he remaining in the country.
The next chapter of Sibaht story was more or less known, he would pursue his journalism and writing career, surviving the terror and confusion by the revolution and trying to stand firm against all odds. He would become one of the most recognized authors of the country, albeit with tendency of scandalizing the conventional-minded and defying moral codes not only through his writings but through his rude, self-destructive behavior.
What is less known was actually what happened to Hanna after exile.
As her sister Sophia Yilma, famous in her own right, who is one year older than her, describes it, after the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie and the imprisonment of their father who was a key official in the Emperor’s government, Hanna went to Sudan, where she started involving herself in opposition movement against the military regime. She became member of the Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU) that she formed with her cousin, Dereje Deressa. The two would also start running opposition radio station, “Voice of United Ethiopia” hostile to the military regime. So much so that, they were targeted on multiple times in assassination attempts by assassins sent by the regime to Sudan. On one occasion Hana had managed to corner the assassin sent to kill her, managing to convince him to escape Ethiopia and start a new life, it was said.
Later based in London for several years, Hana succeeded in getting countless Ethiopian refugees into the UK who had fled the regime. She worked tirelessly in a scheme helping Ethiopians who have fled war and persecution.
In 1991, when the collapse of the military regime became imminent, Hanna joined the United Nations as an Information Officer in the Department of Public Information. Dereje would settle in the US. According to the bio published on the UN website, from 1992-1994, Hanna served as the UN Observer Mission to South Africa (UNOMSA) and from 1994-1995, as the UN Protective Force in the former Yugoslavia. From 1995-1998, she worked as a Political Affairs officer in the Situation Centre in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Subsequently, she held the post of Associate Spokesman in the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General (at that time, Kofi Annan). She retired as the Director of the UN Information Centre Pretoria in 2005 and chose to stay there. “Hannah Yilma left a lasting and meaningful legacy and the United Nations in South Africa salutes her remarkable life,” the UN said in statement.
Gebremedhin Hagos, a former colleague who is now based in Atlanta has paid a tribute to her, whom he called a mentor. “Even though Hanna was born to a well-to-do family, she always had sympathy for the less privileged. A free spirit by nature who enjoyed the intellectual discourse, Hanna had an engaging personality that has won her many friends around the world. She was a refined and culturally sophisticated person, yet she was never intimidating or arrogant. Whether it was in South Africa or New York breaking bread with her was a form of a cultural uplift and upgrade.” he told Ethiopia Observer.
New Jersey resident, Professor Ephraim Isaac, 81, a retired Harvard scholar and board chairman of the Peace and Development Centre, recalls Hanna as good old friend and one who contributed a lot in the National Literacy Campaign Organization that he co-founded in early 70’s.”She was exceptionally gifted and she had a profound sense of moral purpose. I marvelled at the good work she was doing: important work, which changed people’s lives for the better,” he said.
She is survived by her son Iyassu Sibhat, who is working as Head of Chemistry and Senior Director at Kallyope, New Jersey.
Image: Hanna Yilma photo UN.
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RIP Hana Yilma
Hana was the President of Alem Advertising on the old Nefasilk road before the Military Coup in 1974. A woman of great business acumen. Her marriage to the honorable Sibhat Geber-egaziber was a marriage of minds equally with different temperament. Tadeleche Kidane Mariam (ex-wife of the late Zeru Kischen of EPRP) who was the only survivor during the failed Ethiopian Airlines hijack at the end of 1972 with Walalligne Makonnen, Marta Meberatu, among others, used to work for Hana. My deepest sympathies to your son, family and friends.
I am writing to thank you for your effort in writing up an obituary of Hannah Yilma Deressa, who has passed earlier this month in South Africa. Arefaynie, in spite of his commendable effort, I regret to say that I have discovered some factual errors and gaps in that obituary.
The political organisation that Hannah and other notable Ethiopians had formed was not the Ethiopian Democratic Unity (EDU). It was rather called Ethiopian People Democratic Alliance (EPDA). Of course, Dereje Deressa (an Oromo) along with Commodore Tasew Desta (an Amhara), the late General Nega Tegegne (an Amhara), Captain Hassan Said Abdullah (an Ethiopian Somali) and some other prominent Ethiopians in exile, were instrumental in the formation of the EPDA. By the way, EPDA was among the very few political organisations that firmly believed and advocated for united and democratic Ethiopia, where all of its people live equally and freely, irrespective of their ethnic background, religion and beliefs as well as social status.
Arefaynie was correct to point out that EPDA used to make frequent broadcastings to Ethiopia from the Sudan for number of years, beginning in the early 1980s, in Amharic, Affan Oromo and Tigrigna languages, to inform Ethiopians about the evil missions of several separatist groups and mobilise fellow Ethiopians to reject these evil groups and to stand up against the fascist Dergue regime. Not only that EPDA used to have a human right/humanitarian branch known as the Ethiopian Refugees Relief Society (ERRSO), established to provide human rights/humanitarian, educational, health and self-help support to all Ethiopian refugees in the Sudan.
I would also like to point out that the obituary by Arefaynie, to be sketchy and full of gaps. The writer could have spent more time and space focusing on her than her late uncle Dereje and her former husband, Sebehat. In my humble opinion, it would have been informative and helpful if the writer had put down a few paragraphs, among other things, about her parents and her survivors as well as the traumatic time that she had spent at the Haileselassie I University, the time when her father, Honourable Yilma Deressa, a consummate economist and diplomat, who was summarily executed by the fascist Dergue regime.
In spite of the above stated oversights, I would like to thank both the author and the Ethiopian Observer, for shedding some light on the life of our late patriotic sister.
With highest regards,
T. Englizu
Dear Tade Englizu,
There are several ways to write an obit. Arefayenie has done one. Could you do one to honor Woizero Hanna Yilma? Thanks.
Ps: Please use your legal name as a sign of respect for the deceased.