| Gezahegn Gebre Yohannes
I came to Addis Ababa when I was eleven years old. I had finished the sixth grade. Soon after I arrived, I started working in the shop of Haile Abraham. I stayed with him for nine years. He was good to me and we had a special relationship. He is dead now but I am still very good friends with his family. The main reason I stopped working for him was because he required that I stay and work until 8:00. I wanted to continue my schooling and night classes started at 6:00 p.m. In 1972, I began my own business; the money I made I applied towards my education. I went to a comprehensive high school taking night classes, and after several years I completed the twelfth grade. I also went to English school to improve my language skills. Most recently, I finished a two-year accounting program. Education is very important; it is a must if one wants to be self-sufficient. The designs I use come from all over. Many are traditional from different parts of Ethiopia, some are European, and others I have created myself. Every goldsmith specializes in certain designs. Designs change every day. If I come up with one, the next day another goldsmith will pick it up, and copy it or modify it. Soon it is copied by other goldsmiths and is found everywhere. Business is good. I have many regular customers who come from all over the world. They are not only Ethiopians but also diplomats and employees from different embassies, particularly from Africa, Europe, and America. Europeans and Americans prefer to buy the more traditional jewelry, like the traditional neck crosses of Lalibela, Aksum, and Gondar. Africans, including Ethiopians, buy both Ethiopian and European designs. |
I was born in Aksum in northern Ethiopia in 1953. It is an ancient city, famous for its gold and silver working. My father's name is Gebre Yohannes Tossie. Tossie is not an Ethiopian name, that is because his father was Italian. I have traveled to Italy but I did not meet any of my Italian relatives. In fact, I have no idea who they are-my father never met any of them either.