Asnaketch Worku

Asnaketch Worku was born around 1935 in the Sidist Kilo district of Addis Ababa. Raised as an orphan, she taught herself to play the krar (traditional five-stringed Ethiopian lyre), astonishing listeners with her husky, evocative voice and dramatic improvisations.

In 1952, Worku became the first woman to act on the stage of the Ethiopian National Theatre, playing Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello. For four decades, her legendary krar recordings, including the classic album Éthiopiques 16: The Lady with the Krar, enchanted the nation. A charismatic woman who wore men's trousers, smoked in public, and challenged feudal gender norms, she remains a beloved national hero.