Tegla Laroo

Ethiopian feminist leader who pioneered women's political participation in post-colonial Africa

Tegla Laroo (1925–2005) was a groundbreaking political activist and educator who transformed Ethiopia's political landscape. As the first woman elected to Ethiopia's House of People's Representatives in 1955, she introduced legislation mandating women's quotas in local governance and co-founded the Ethiopian Women's Liberation League. Her 1960 memoir 《Breaking Silence》 became a foundational text for African feminist movements. Laroo's most significant achievement was the 1967 National Education Reform Act, which required schools to teach women's rights as part of civic education. She later established the Tegla Foundation, which至今 still funds girls' leadership programs. Her advocacy led to Ethiopia having the highest percentage of female parliamentarians in Africa by the 1970s. Key collaborators included Wangari Maathai and Nelson Mandela, who praised her work in his 1994 autobiography.