Editor
The real Birutukan, created by her family, is a married woman and a housewife. It has been confirmed with evidence that she lived happily in a good marriage with her husband, a bank employee.
However, the Birutukan created by EBS (Ethiopian Broadcasting Service) is the opposite of this. She is portrayed as someone who has gone through immense suffering, was raped by several men, and was forced to give birth as a result of the assault.
The Birutukan presented in the film is said to have lost one family member to exile and another to death, and was raised in someone else’s home while pursuing her education.
On the program, her mother states that she died in a hospital due to childbirth complications when she was three years and fifteen days old, and that her father was forced into exile. She also mentioned that Birutukan was their first child.
But what is the truth?
Her sister, Mastawal Temesgen, says that their parents, Sereke Birhan Kebele (specifically known as Tsige Gelila), are still alive and living in that area. Mastawal also claims that Birutukan is the sixth child in the family.
She (Mastawal) expresses confusion about why Birutukan did this. She says she watched the film with the rest of the public after being called and informed about it, and she was so shocked and confused that she struggled to finish watching it.
Her husband, Mr. Simachew Shumet, states that her father is named Mr. Temesgen Kebede and her mother is Mrs. Mintwab Tamene. He confirms that both his and her families are alive.
Simachew explains that both their families live in the Sereke Birhan Kebele area of East Gojjam. He adds that she studied from grade eight to twelve in Mota.
After the EBS program, Birutukan herself testified that her mother and father raised her properly and prepared her for life, and that they are still alive. She clarified that their deaths were fabricated for the sake of acting.
She states that all her family members are living peacefully, that she is married and a mother, and that the child she gave birth to was born within a legal marriage, not as a result of abduction or rape. She adds that the only truth from the program was that she has a heart condition.
Her husband, Simachew, further explains that although she completed grade twelve and reached Haramaya University with good results, she did not attend due to the distance. Instead, she studied with relatives in Hawassa. He adds that she studied accounting there.
Their relative, Fikrayehu Debas, and her sister Mastawal also testify that she studied accounting at Hawassa University on weekends, not at Dembidolo University.
In her post-program statement, she said she took her grade twelve exams in 2012 Ethiopian Calendar (2020 Gregorian), which is a year later than the timeline suggested in the program when she was said to have been at Dembidolo University.
Her husband, Simachew, notes that the time she was supposedly raped was said to be five or six years ago, while their child is two years old, making the timeline inconsistent even by its own logic.
Simachew says he is unsure when the film was made but confirms that while they lived together, he never saw any scars on her. He works at a bank and says there were no issues that could have led to such a situation.
Her sister Mastawal and their neighbors also say there was no hardship or anything that could have led to this narrative. Mastawal emphasizes that even if they faced difficulties beyond their capacity, they had uncles who would have helped them.
Simachew says they got married in Hidar 2014 Ethiopian Calendar (November 2022 Gregorian) in a traditional ceremony with their families, and they have all the evidence to prove it. Birutukan also confirms that Simachew is her first husband.
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