MEET AFRICA’S FIRST FEMALE PILOT
Africa’s first female pilot was Muluemebet Emiru from Ethiopia. Muluemebet started training in 1934 or 1926 (Ethiopian calendar) – completing the course in 1936. She was also Ethiopia’s first licensed female driver in 1934.
The 1936 Italian invasion and the subsequent occupation over five years discontinued Muluemebet’s dream of flying across borders and becoming a pioneer in African aviation history. However, it never took away the honour of being Africa’s first woman pilot, who flew across Addis Ababa over 70 years ago.
Muluemebet Emiru would have been in her 90s had she lived to this day; and would have happily talked, as is the custom for most Ethiopian elders, about her youthful passion for flying, during a time when even the advanced West still maintained limiting stereotypes about women.
“I was overwhelmed. It was a tremendous thrill though I did not realize at the time… that I was Africa’s first woman pilot. But with the war, I gave up flying. Indeed I got married,” she was quoted as saying.
Muluemebet trained alongside six other Ethiopian students who trained on a French model and an English Tiger Moth planes. It is believed that its these students who led to the birth of current Ethiopian Airlines.
Courtesy kipsigis heritage
Post Author
