PAULOS GNOGNO                                                                                             Nominated by Netsanet Zerihun
Paulos Gnogno was an extraordinary Ethiopian journalist, historian and author who was passionate about informing and enlightening Ethiopians about a wide range of issues. In a country where sound education is the only way out for many, not only did he manage to have a thriving life for himself, but also changed the lives of countless Ethiopians for the better only as a 4th grade dropout. It is not known why he left school at a very young age. But what is known is that he was very curious about a lot of things with unique analytical skills and his intuition was spot-on. Before he died in 1993, he wrote 11 substantial books on Ethiopian history, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, the different emperors of the country and about many more social and cultural issues. He was very curious about the outside-world, and he taught himself the English language so as to enable him to grasp the western world through reading books and journals written in English. As a result, he wrote translation books and journals in the official language of Ethiopia, thereby making many curious Ethiopians understand what the world outside of Ethiopia was like.

He was working on 6 more books to publish when he passed-away including a compilation of Ethiopian encyclopedia. Through the medium of books and newspapers, he made a lot of Ethiopians aware of diverse issues not only in Ethiopia but also in many different parts of the world. He was not held-up by the fact that he was a 4th grade dropout. Rather he followed his passion through reading, understanding, writing, analyzing and explaining situations and events without formal education. He taught himself and he taught others to the day he departed. His contribution to Ethiopia is enormous and many are grateful to him for what he did for Ethiopia.

BEALU GIRMA                                                                                                            Nominated by Kassahun Seboqa
Bealu Girma was a journalist and author who sacrificed his life for his ethics and integrity.  He is widely known in Ethiopia for his brave and skillful criticism of prominent members of Ethiopia’s former government in a famous book known as Oromai.  The book which was circulated underground after the socialist government put a ban on it, skillfully details the widespread corruption among top-government officials and Generals of the Army.  He gained exclusive access to the government after he was appointed as the second-in-charge of the Ministry of Information with the portfolio to personally record the ‘achievements’ of a vigorous government campaign to weed-out separatist movements in the country.  During the process, he stumbled across corruption of unforgivable magnitude and started writing the book - Oromai.  The book is a novel and doesn’t mention any government officials by name.  Yet it exposes the wrongdoings of the government quite skillfully.  It illustrates was done in the name of ‘working for the country’.   Shortly after a ban was put on his book, Bealu Girma was abducted from his car in a street in Addis Ababa and has never been seen since.  It is assumed that he was killed shortly after his abduction.  Even though he was the Vice-Mister of the Ministry of Information, therefore part of the government, he made the decision to expose the corruption on the grounds that he felt more loyal to the people he was serving and loyal to his profession of journalism than the government.     

Before his appointment as the Vice-Mister of the Ministry of Information, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the country’s most popular mainstream newspaper – Addis Zemen.  Although Oromai is his masterpiece, he also wrote half-a-dozen more books on different subject matters which can be found in libraries not only in Ethiopia but also around the world.  Bealu was educated in the west and firmly believed in Education.  He was passionate, talented, and very professional as a writer and journalist.  The vision he had for Ethiopia may not be realized just yet, but the legacy of his professionalism has been inspiring generations of Ethiopians.

DEMESSIE DAMTE                                                                                                                  Nominated by Hailu Desta
Demessie Damte is an accomplished sports journalist and a commentator with demonstrated passion for sport and his country.  Over the last two decades - at least - Demessie reported on thousands of Ethiopian sports news stories with a style that has come to be his unique hallmark.  He is a talented professional and a fanatic sports commentator who has been presenting most of the country’s sports matches against other countries inside and outside Ethiopia on the National Radio.  Many say they prefer to listen to his passionately delivered comments on radio than watch the same match on television.  He traveled to many parts of the world along with some of the most talented Ethiopian spots people to report on their competitions, and he always exceeded expectations by delivering sports news stories with incredible enthusiasm and engaging reportage.  The way he gave live comments on matches involving Ethiopian teams, and the way he presented sports news stories inspired thousands of Ethiopians to get into sport and also to be patriotic Ethiopians too.  He is a unique and wonderful journalist many Ethiopians find to be of great inspiration.