Agitu Ideo Gudeta
Agitu Ideo Gudeta (Oromo: Aggituu Ida'o Guddataa; Amharic: አጊቱ ጉደታ; 1 January 1978 – 29 December 2020) was an Ethiopian Oromo[1] farmer,[2] entrepreneur, and environmentalist who immigrated to Italy after experiencing conflict due to her political activism against land grabbing by the military for international corporations. She established a goat farming operation using the indigenous breed Pezzata Mòchena to produce dairy and beauty products. Gudeta became a national symbol of environmentalism and successful refugee integration into Italian society by the press and politicians. She died violently in December 2020; one of her seasonal workers was charged with raping and murdering her.
Agitu Ideo Gudeta | |
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Aggituu Guddataa | |
Gudeta in 2016 | |
Born | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 1 January 1978
Died | December 29, 2020 42) Plankerhoff, Frassilongo, Italy | (aged
Alma mater | University of Trento |
Occupation | Farmer, Entrepreneur, Environmentalist |
Title | Referred to as the Queen of Happy Goats |
Early life and education
Agitu Ideo Gudeta was born on January 1, 1978, in Addis Ababa.[3][4] She learned farming techniques from her grandparents who lived in the countryside.[5] Gudeta graduated from the University of Trento with a degree in sociology.[6]
Career
Gudeta returned to Ethiopia to work on sustainable agriculture initiatives.[7] She led projects to organize farmers and decrease workloads through training, education, and machinery. Her aim was to ensure adequate incomes.[8] Gudeta became a political activist involved in protests in Addis Ababa against unregulated industrialization and land grabbing by the government of Ethiopia on behalf of international corporations.[9][10]
Fleeing the conflict in 2010, Gudeta immigrated as a refugee to Trentino. After researching local agriculture resources, she established, first in Val di Gresta and then in Valle dei Mocheni, "La Capra Felice", a goat farm on common land that was previously abandoned.[10] She studied how to make goat cheese in France.[7] Her farm produced dairy and beauty products made from the indigenous breed, Pezzata Mòchena.[6][9] Gudeta started with 15 goats before expanding the agricultural operation to 180 animals by 2018. Her life and farm is the subject of a Deutsche Welle documentary.[9] In June 2020, she opened her first store, "Bottega della Capra Felice", in Piazza Venezia (Trento).[11]
Awards and honors
Gudeta became a national symbol of environmentalism and successful refugee integration in Italy after being lauded by politician Emma Bonino.[3] In 2019, she was a nominee for the Luisa Minazzi-Environmentalist of the Year prize by Legambiente.[3] She was sometimes referred by the media as "La Regina delle Capre Felici" ("the Queen of Happy Goats").[12][13]
Personal life and death
As of 2020, she lived in an apartment next to the church in Plankerhoff, a German-speaking hamlet near Frassilongo.[3] She was friendly with writer and performer Gabriella Ghermandi.[5]
On December 29, 2020, Gudeta died, aged 42, in her apartment from blows to her head with a hammer,[3] after suffering sexual violence.[14] Her body was discovered by neighbours after she missed a business appointment.[4][6] Adams Suleiman, a Ghanaian seasonal worker she had hired, was arrested and charged with murder.[15]
After her death, the Ethiopian ambassador to Italy, Zenebu Tadesse, traveled to Trentino to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[7] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expressed remorse and stated that Gudeta "demonstrated how refugees can contribute to the societies that host them...Despite her tragic end, the UNHCR hopes that Agitu Ideo Gudeta will be remembered and celebrated as a model of success and integration and inspire refugees that struggle to rebuild their lives".[5]
References
- "La storia di Agitu Ideo Gudeta ha insegnato agli altri rifugiati a credere nei sogni". Il Riformista (in Italian). 31 December 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- "La ragazza etiope che alleva capre felici in Trentino". Internazionale (in Italian). 7 March 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- "Ethiopian farmer and celebrated conservation figure murdered in Italy". The Daily Telegraph. 30 December 2020. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "Agitu, il collaboratore ghanese confessa: "L'ho uccisa io"". La voce del Trentino (in Italian). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "Tributes paid to Ethiopian refugee farmer who championed integration in Italy". the Guardian. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- "Woman hailed as model for refugee integration slain in Italy". AP NEWS. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "የስደተኞች ተቆርቋሪና የስኬት ተምሳሌቷ አጊቱ ጉደታ ማን ነበረች?". BBC News አማርኛ (in Amharic). 31 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- "'La mia vita da pastora: dura ma piena di soddisfazioni' – Cronaca". Trentino (in Italian). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "Integration with Goat's Cheese". Deutsche Welle. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "Ethiopian migrant who became symbol of integration in Italy killed on her goat farm". Reuters. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "La crisi non spaventa Agitu che a Trento apre la prima bottega della Capra Felice: "Non dobbiamo fermarci, con i sogni costruiamo il nostro futuro". il Dolomiti (in Italian). 1 June 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "La 'regina delle capre felici' è stata uccisa". Agi (in Italian). 29 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "Agitu, la Regina delle capre felici minacciata di morte: Brutta negra, io ti uccido. Tornatevene nel vostro Paese". il Dolomiti (in Italian). 26 August 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- "L'agghiacciante omicidio di Agitu: dai carabinieri la ricostruzione". L'Adige (in Italian). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- "Ha confessato l'assassino di Agitu Ideo Gudeta: è un suo dipendente. L'ha anche violentata". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
External links
- Media related to Agitu Gudeta at Wikimedia Commons