Aleka gebrehana biography of barack

Ethiopian poet, scholar and religious preacher (–)

AleqaGebre Hanna (Ge'ez: አለቃ ገብረ ሀና; November – )^[1] was an Ethiopian poet, scholar and religious preacher in 19th-century renowned in Amharic oral tradition for (to quote Donald Levine) his "quick and biting wit."^[2] He was a master of the genre of Amharic poetry known as qene, as well as introducing a new style of ceremonial dancing to the Ethiopian Church.

Life

Of Amhara descent, Gebre Hanna was born in November in Fogera, a district on the eastern shore of Lake Tana, and his interest in religious learning brought him to the city of Gondar towards the end of the Zemene Mesafint, where he became a teacher at the Church of Ba'eta Maryam in the city and eventually its aleqa.^[2][3]

While at Baeta Maryam, Aleqa Gebre Hanna invented a new style of religious dancing, known as Ya-Takla after his son.^[4] The Ethiopian Church is unique amongst Christian traditi