Baalu Girma (Also transliterated as Ba’elu Girma; in Ge’ez characters, በዓሉ ግርማ) was one of the most important 20th-century writers in Amharic. His meteoric career, which produced such significant works as Oromay, was violently cut short by his disappearance, presumably caused by the communist Derg regime, in 1984.

Born on September 22, 1939, in Suppe Boro, then part of the Illulabor province, his native language was Oromo. However, he learned to read Ge’ez while attending catechism classes in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. At the age of ten, he moved with his family to Addis Ababa, the capital, where he quickly mastered Amharic. It was during his high school years that he began to develop his passion for literature. In 1958, he placed second in a poetry contest held at his school.

Cover of the book «The author»

At university, he enrolled in the Faculty of Arts at the University College of Addis Ababa, where he studied political science and journalism. During this time, he edited the university magazine News and Views and published some poems in English, a language he spoke fluently. Some of his articles, which were highly critical of Emperor Haile Selassie, forced him to go into hiding on several occasions. After graduating, he received a fully funded scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in journalism and political theory at Michigan State University.

Upon returning to Ethiopia in 1963, he began working as a journalist for the Ministry of Information. Two years later, he joined the staff of Addis Reporter, Ethiopian Herald, and later, Menen. Between 1970 and 1974, he served as editor-in-chief of Addis Zemen, one of the most prestigious newspapers of its time, known for its impartiality. It was during this period that he launched his career as a writer, as he himself wrote:

«I exist through my writing. Beyond that, I have no other desire. My soul must strive until it achieves complete self-expression. Someday, probably someday, I will succeed.»

Baalu Girma, Derasiw (The Author).

His literary career and political involvement

His first novel, ካድማስ፡ባሻገር (Kadmas Bashager, Beyond the Horizon), was published in 1970 and focused on two characters trying to understand themselves. His second novel, የሕሊና፡የወል (Yehillina Dewel, The Bell of Conscience), was published in 1974. It tells the story of a young student who begins teaching at a school in Suppe and struggles to improve its dire conditions, facing opposition from local elders but ultimately succeeding with the help of a feudal lord. This novel was rewritten and expanded in 1984 under the title ሐዲስ (Haddis), named after the protagonist.

The early 1970s were a period of great social unrest in Ethiopia. A critic of Haile Selassie’s imperial government, Baalu Girma welcomed the 1974 coup, hoping it would modernize the country. Many intellectuals shared his stance, though many would later regret it. In 1977, he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, reflecting his alignment with Ethiopia’s new Marxist order.

In የቀይ፡ኮከብ፡ጥሪ (Yekey Kokeb Tirri, The Call of the Red Star) and ደራሲው (Derasiw, The Author), both published in 1980, Baalu Girma expressed his support for the regime. However, his enthusiasm soon gave way to disillusionment as he became aware of Mengistu’s atrocities. An intellectually honest figure who had already stood out during the imperial era, his critiques of the lack of freedom of expression and abuses of power earned him powerful enemies.

Oromay: A turning point

His final work, ኦሮማይ (Oromay, 1983), marked a complete shift in his view of the regime. The title, a Tigrinya expression meaning «meaningless,» derives from the Italian Oramai, which can be translated as «now, at this moment.» In the novel, he caricatures people he knew well, using them as vehicles for critique. Though their names are never mentioned, the level of detail he provides makes their identities unmistakable.

The publication of Oromay outraged the Derg leadership, which felt humiliated. Seven months after its release, on February 14, 1984, Baalu Girma disappeared without a trace. His family found his car near Debre Zeyt, but no sign of the writer. Although the Ethiopian government has never made an official statement about the case, there is little doubt that the Derg ordered his execution and disappearance.

His wife, Almaz Aberra, and daughter, Meskerem, later emigrated to the United States, where they established the Baalu Girma Foundation. Despite his significance for 20th-century Amharic literature, none of his books have yet been translated into Spanish. The first translation of his book Oromay into English was issued in 2025.

This article serves as a heartfelt tribute to a man whose integrity compelled him to speak out when the state violated its citizens’ rights, regardless of the ruler’s ideology. Baalu Girma protested against both Haile Selassie and the Derg with a commitment to dignity that ultimately cost him his life.

Further reading


Fekade Azeze (2003). Ba’alu Girma. In Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 1, pp. 425–426.
Website of the Baalu Girma Foundation: http://baalugirmafoundation.org/index.html
Carpe Diem Ethiopia: Article honoring the Ethiopian writer.