Ethiopia’s first female comic book superhero ‘Hawi’ has arrived

Beserat Debebe is the founder of Ethiopia’s first ever superhero comic, Jember. He’s back with his newest comic book Hawi which centers on a female superhero, a young Ethiopian woman named Ement Legesse, who is tasked with having to rescue her mother after she’s abducted. 

“The fact that Hawi is Ethiopian means a lot to me. I wish I had seen an Ethiopian superhero growing up, I would have embraced my ability to make a difference earlier and acted on it.” –  Debebe tells OkayAfrica.

Plot Of Hawi

Hawi follows the story of Ement Legesse, a young Ethiopian woman living in America with her mother. In the opening scenes of the comic book, it becomes apparent that Ement desperately wants to visit Ethiopia on a guided tour but her mother is against the idea. According to her, Ement can barely speak their native Ahmaric language and fears for her safety given that numerous young girls have been abducted in Ethiopia. It’s quite clear that Ement is frustrated by her mother’s refusal to allow her to visit her home country. As the story progresses, the two eventually visit Ethiopia together (yay!) only for Ement’s mother, however, to be abducted (oh no!). This is where the story really begins. Now we won’t tell you how Ement obtains her dope superhero abilities but what we can tell you is what inspires them.

Hawi is almost complete, Debebe has set up a Kickstarter to ensure that the remaining costs of production are covered. The comic book will be available in both Ahmaric and English translations.