PEN Eritrea Advisory Council and Executive Committee
Executive Committee
Awet Fissehaye: Executive Director
Poet, writer and lyricist; studied English and Literature at University of Asmara
Awet Mengisteab : Treasurer
A graduate of Economics, University of Asmara, short story writer
Akberet Mehari: Secretary
Akberet Mehari is a writer, poet, and a former radio presenter at Radio Erena, a program dedicated to the youth, and was elected secretary in 2023.
Advisory Committee
Dr. Yonatan Tsighe Tewelde (President)
Dr. Yonatan Tewelde is a media and communication scholar, educator as well as a media producer and photographer. He currently teaches and conducts research at Penn State University in the United States and serves as a producer for ERI PM (Eritrean Public Media) Television, which broadcasts to Eritrea via satellite.
Yirgealem Fisseha
Yirgalem Fisseha is an Eritrean writer and poet based in Munich and a former PEN Germany Writer-in-Exile fellow. A co-founder of the Literary Club of Adi-Keyh and former Radio Bana producer, she spent six years in prison for her work. Her writing explores justice, human rights, and hope, earning her major awards, including the Georg Elser Prize and the Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis für Literatur in 2023.
Kibrom Demoz
Kibrom Demoz is a poet, author, actor, and director. Currently based in Germany, he serves as a creative writer and programme director at Ubuntu Haus Frankfurt.
