“I was just a girl who was happy and excited to school,” says Yalemetsehay Mekonnen, if you ask them after the beginning of their career. Childlike curiosity is always the beginning of science. But a girl can follow her unwaveringly, and make a career, is not in Africa, of course. “I was lucky that my family was able to support my education in the beginning financially – Ethiopia was in the 1960s, an extremely poor country,” says Mekonnen.
cell – and human physiologist, the Ethiopian, did research, among other things, about the human respiration, or the medicinal effect of plants. Over 100 scientific articles, she has published and thanks to its internationally recognised research achievements, she received in 2009 as the first woman of Ethiopia, the title of a Professor – a turning point in Ethiopian history. Ten years later, they were at least third at the Addis Ababa University, says Mekonnen with a Laugh. Of the teachers with a Master’s degree, about 15 percent were female, and one out of ten doctorates standing in front of the name of a woman.
The new government is promoting her women’s network
“It depends on the personal commitment of the Prime Minister, whether the advancement of women is progressing at the universities, or commitment remains in lip products,” says Mekonnen. Since the change of government in April 2018, the science of political characters were good, though. Of the approximately 30 percent of female students in Ethiopian universities will in the future arrive more women at the top. Mekonnens commitment as Chairman of the Society for Ethiopian Women in Science and Technology (Sewist) is at least promoted, in the meantime, the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation, as well as by the German society for International cooperation (GIZ).
The Sewist networked African Academics, keeps you informed about international research projects and funding, organizes an annual international conference and African researchers offers practical training courses: How do I describe my project? How do I apply for funding? How do I successfully present myself?
women are not only underrepresented at the University in Addis Ababa, but also in the African science as a whole. There are variations depending on the country and the data is difficult. But extrapolated to the continent, the proportion of women in universities is in all ages the Unesco Institute for statistics (UIS) estimated that, on average, around 30 per cent. A study of 2018 to the Situation of young scientists in Africa (published by Africa minds. org.za) also comes for the next Generation to this result.
“High pressure to get marry early and have lots of children”
Professor Mekonnen not, it is not surprising that 50 per cent are still well out of reach. “On modern Africans culturally-charged to a high pressure, because family, friends and society expect from them an early marriage and many children.” Family was a high value, and unlike in Germany, an African woman could not say to so easy, you can’t do for the career of children. “Such a decision shall apply in Africa, still as crazy and it was unimaginable for me.” An African woman must create, if possible, both and need a lot of encouragement.
their courage Yalemetsehay Mekonnen got about scholarships. You know that she met an extraordinary decision, as they had in 1988, her nine-year-old daughter and five-year-old son with husband, mother and her brothers and sisters, and with a grant from the German Academic exchange service (DAAD) for several years at the University of Heidelberg went on to obtain a PhD. Later, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enabled her a research stay in Halle an der Saale. A career at a European University, would have been easily possible, but that was not your goal.
Gender Office, anti-harassment, and a Mentoring-platform
“My family environment is also important to me and I want to high strengths of talented women in their own country.” At this potential, no society can dispense with in the world. And easy it is not for scientists elsewhere, says the 63-Year-old. Over your network to Germany and research relationship with the University of Hohenheim she learns on a regular basis that are also highly-trained Academics have to fight in this country to joint relationships, jobs, money, or the compatibility with family plans.
positive experiences with the promotion of women in the world, in turn, Mekonnens commitment feeds: you established the first Gender Office at the science faculty of her University – the first office of this kind in one of Ethiopian University, the student is supported, inter alia, against sexual harassment and discrimination. A Mentoring platform for young Academics as well goes back to the Initiative of the Humboldtian such as the African German Network of Excellence in Science (Agnes) – 2011 was launched to strengthen African Expertise and scientific exchange with Germany.
Explorer – they were old men with white beards
their militant passion, of the life scientist as a role model for African colleagues. But she is not alone. At the beginning of March, she was speaking in Nairobi at an Alumni conference of the DAAD. The occurring in women were among the 150 academics from over 20 African countries. Since the Kenyan Rose Mutiso, in the USA, and a PhD material scientist, co-founded with private donations in Nairobi, the non-profit Mawazo Institute and directs a conveyor means only for scientists. Another role model, the linguist Fridah Kanana from the Kenyatta University in Nairobi, a member of the Global Young Academy. She grew up in a village, plucked tea leaves at the plantation, cutting Grass for the cows, and gathering wood for the Fire. But how Yalemetsehay Mekonnen you went to school. “It has encouraged me to make more of me as an early mother.”
What you should make on the way, not sure I understand, but for a long time, says Kanana. Researchers and teachers she encountered only as old men with white beards. There’s a girl who did not fit into the picture. Only a self-confident lecturer at the University of arousing your ambition.
Tangible role models in one’s own country
Mekonnen Kananas history sees as a further incentive. “We need to motivate more women to apply for promotion programs and convince them to be in the country a tangible role models for the next Generation.” There is Internet in every African village, she says. The new role models then come on with all the girls.
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archaeology In search of the history of Africa
Rolf Brockschmidt
The author took at the invitation of the DAAD from 1. to 3. March 2019 at the alumni conference, “Young Scholars in Africa – Challenges and Opportunities” in Nairobi part.