Dagmawi WoubshetAssociate Professor, Department of EnglishEthiopia, 1989: the Communist regime was beginning to crumble; schools were shut down. That proved the last straw for the parents of Dagmawi Woubshet, who deeply valued education.
The glaring tones of pink and violet on the cover, accompanied by bold letters that spell out the book’s title, frame a quaint image, a reproduction of an old photograph marred by a tear that runs from top to bottom. In the photograph, two children look toward the camera. Both are garbed in ruffled pinafore dresses. But whereas the slightly taller of the two looks like a girl, the other’s hairstyle and features would probably make the beholder identify him/her (?) as a boy.