Pioneering radio and TV journalist Ellene Mocria dies

Pioneering radio and TV journalist Ellene Mocria dies

Ellene Mocria, one of the first Ethiopian female radio and TV journalists, died of cancer Wednesday at age 79. She passed away this afternoon in Addis Ababa from complications related to cancer, her family said.

Ellene was the first female newscaster and producer when the Voice of Ethiopia began daily English broadcasts to Europe and West Africa in 1962 and added another broadcasting milestone to her career when she became the first woman television journalist in Ethiopia in 1964.

“She was a woman with a tremendous joie de vivre, enthusiasm, and full of humor. She became a staple of news broadcasting across radio and TV and she had the pioneering impact on the industry,” veteran journalist Leakemariam Demssie said.

Nita Bhalla, the East Africa Correspondent for the Thomson Reuters Foundation and a former colleague of Ellene at the BBC wrote on Facebook that she was “deeply saddened to hear of the passing away of the exceptional Ethiopian journalist.”

She added: “As a cub reporter on my first foreign posting in Addis Ababa, you were like an elder sister and mentor, helping me navigate the complexities of reporting from Ethiopia – your wisdom and advice keeping me safe on countless occasions. You are a beautiful soul and brought so much light into my life.”

Ellene paved the way for many female reporters when she made her TV debut in the 1960s, inspiring the growing cadre of women journalists.

Her profile could be found here- Ellene Mocria- Distinguished Lady of Ethiopian Radio and TV

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2 thoughts on “Pioneering radio and TV journalist Ellene Mocria dies

  1. RIP Ellene Mocria
    My deep sympathies to her friends and loved ones all over the world who listened to her program in Voice of Ethiopia. She was a warm and vibrant human being like the English educated the late Woizero Alemsegid Fekade Hiruey in that old tumbling down Italian-built where the old radio station was located.

  2. I am sad to hear of Elleni’s passing. She was a great help to me as the UN mission, UNMEE, assembled Ethiopian voices for our radio programmes. She became a friend and I was happy to see her again in Addis in 2012. My sincere sympathy to all her family and her friends. I’m far away in New York but my thoughts are in Addis. Hirut, I’m thinking of you. Judy

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