Debebe Eshetu

Biography

Debebe Eshetu was an Ethiopian actor, director, journalist and human rights advocate whose work shaped modern theatre and cinema in his country. Born in Addis Ababa, he trained at the Budapest School of Dramatic Arts and introduced pantomime to Ethiopia in the early 1960s. Over a career spanning more than six decades he starred in dozens of stage productions at the National Theatre and Hager Fikir Theatre and appeared in international films including Shaft in Africa (1973), Afrika and Red Leaves (2014). Eshetu was also a leader in cultural institutions: he served as president of the Union of African Performing Artists, chaired the African Actors Association and directed actor training programmes across the continent. Outside the arts he was active in politics, serving in public relations for an opposition party and enduring imprisonment for his convictions. Ethiopia’s leadership and cultural community mourned him as one of the nation’s most beloved artistic figures when he died at age 83.