Born: 1965 (circa), Eritrea
Died: NA
Country most active: Eritrea
Also known as: Ganat Seyum or Shigom
Eritrean writer, activist, and nurse Genet Sium was a member of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) during the country’s war for independence from Ethiopia. She later wrote the autobiographical Shigom, published in 1987, about her time as a freedom fighter.
As a child, Sium’s illiterate mother fought for Sium and her sisters to be educated, but when Sium was in the sixth grade, the family was forced to leave due to unrest in the region. The following year, 1976, she was married to her teacher, but demanded a divorce shortly afterward because she wanted to participate in the fight for independence and married women and girls were not allowed to join the EPLF. Becoming a member in 1977, she worked with the organization for over a decade, including at the central health station.
Following Eritrean independence in 1991, Sium attended nursing school and started working in gynecology, fighting for gender equality and educating the public on women’s health matters.
In addition to Shigom and recording stories that had been passed down though oral tradition, Sium produced several other books like the social commentary Aini-Titsum, short story collections Enda-Zib’e and Cheka-Adi and educational texts Kolilkum Habuna (about HIV/AIDS) and Tsegiat (about female anatomy), and at least one play.