Woldeab Woldemariam

Woldeab Woldemariam was born on April 27, 1905, in Adi Zarna, Seraye. Educated at Swedish Evangelical Mission schools, he became editor of Seminawi Gazetta ('Northern Gazette') during the British military administration, using modern Tigrinya journalism to foster a distinct Eritrean national identity.

In 1947, Woldemariam co-founded the Independence Party and established the first Eritrean trade union syndicate. Surviving seven assassination attempts organized by unionist terrorists—including car bombs and gunfire—he went into exile in Cairo in 1953, broadcasting nightly anti-colonial radio programs that educated a generation of freedom fighters. Returning to Asmara following independence in 1991, he was greeted as the living patriarch of the nation.