Gelanesh Haddis

Gelanesh Haddis (18961986) was a teacher and scholar in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. She was known for her skill with the complex Ethiopian style of poetry called qene.

Biography Haddis was born in Silalo in the Ethiopian province of Gojjam in 1896. Her father, Haddis Kinan, was an expert in a type of Ethiopian poetry called qene. and her disability. Andimta involves memorising biblical interpretations from the past and repeating them to new audiences. However, it is for the qene form that Haddis is remembered, for the tone of her sung recitations and her compositions. She was particularly noted for her use of qene metre. She was even referred to as "the Ethiopian Homer."

Family Haddis married and had three children, but one child died very young. To remember her a museum was established in Bahir Dar, on the shores of Lake Tana, where visitors can consult her poetry.