Dr Amanuel Abrham Was a feminist FATHER

Few months back, I went to visit a woman who lost her father. The woman is an elderly woman and I was told her dad was 103 years old. I used to envy this lady. My two nieces lost their fathers early. Hermella lost her dad( My late brother) when she was young. Tizu my lovely niece has never meet her father. He was shot before she was born. I’ve a reason to envy this lady.

Aunty Ruth , a lady with the 103 years old father is a retired woman from UN office in NY. She is a well educated woman, married with two sons.

I went with a group of women one week after her dad’s funeral. She had a father to be celebrated.

When she was a teenager, her father called Ruth and her sister and they had serious discussion.

“My daughters, now you are girls. Men will start asking me for your hands. I don’t want you to be married and stay in door as a house wives. I want both of you to proceed in your educations and to be someone in some important office. I’m going to take you to England and both of you are travelling with me. “ Said Dr Amanuel to his daughter.

Then, he left both of them in the boarding school. Ruth begged her father not to leave her there, but her question was ignored.

He went to visit them often. One day Ruth and her father was attending a meeting in Vienna. Somebody was announcing some vacancy. Dr Amanuel told Ruth, “ You go and apply for it, you can do that work.”

Ruth never thought of getting employed in that big office. Her father encouraged her to apply and she got that job. Ruth and her sisters worked for many big business firms. All those things happened for Ruth and her sister because of their father.

All the people who attend his funeral got tired to stand at the cemetery, because someone was narrating his stories. He was the former minister of almost all the minister offices. He was a self literate man. He was a reader and a writer. He contributed to almost every sector in Ethiopia. Wherever Ruth goes and if her ID gets checked by securities, they will tell her she has one wonderful father.

“Are you the daughter of Amanuel Abrham?” everybody asks.

There are many fathers who wants to see their daughters succeed like him.

I remember one evening; “What kind of a woman you want to be when you grow up?” my father asked me. I was just brewing coffee for him. I had no goal or vision by then. I think I was 10 or somewhere there. I go to school, I did some house chores and play…by then. I really didn’t care for my future, I remember well that I hate poverty.

“I want to be a typist.” I said. I said it, only to answer his question. He brought me to his office once at the Ministry of Revenue. I saw his secretary dressed well and sat on a swivel chair. I thought he could be happy if I choose that.

“ What kind of useless choice is that? I never expected to hear this from you.” Complained my father reading hi news paper. All my sister and brothers laughed at me. I joined them . if we don’t answer, he’s very angry with us.

I complained to my siblings later, “ I never thought of what to be in the future, I just said that not to be quite. Looool! Anyways , he’s angry.”

I can guess from that; my dad wanted me to be somebody. In fact I was not born to be nobody. We all are created to be somebody. He sent us to school, after Mom taught us the preschool lessons.

Nobody sat and ate lunch or dinner with him, before he earned his University degree. He fought for all his children to succeed. He was a father of three boys and seven girls, grand father of four smart girls and five boys and a great grandfather of one amazing little girl and her brother. His great grand daughter is an outstanding student since from nursery class and she will graduate this school year from her KG. Her name is Amen, she is just a miracle. I was with her this morning. I can feel her energy, a fearless six years old girl. She will make a great impact leader. She is a daughter of my niece Tizu who never seen her dad.

In all our lives, our fathers are our heroes. They support us, strengthened us, paid for us, loved us, protected us…etc.

I’ll try to get Dr. Amanuel Abrham’s picture and post it soon.