May 7, 2021
Fqadu Luqas
“Though I am not a biological mother to any I am a mother to many”
Interview conducted by: Ruth Abraham
One of the profound values of a society like ours is marriage and children. After birth, a person grows, becomes an adult and replicates before getting old and die. Many societies weigh a person’s worth based on whether they have kids or not. Fqadu Luqas, mostly known as Gual Luqas, is a former freedom fighter that has something to say about this through her experiences as a fighter and a woman. Gual Luqas fought battles, alongside her comrades, for independence and later in the 1998 war and worked at the children care center for the 23rd brigade from 1981 to1983.
Gual Luqas, how did your story of struggle begin?
The time I was born was not suitable for a stable life because of the Ethiopian colonization. Like many young Eritreans, I was at risk of being hunted by the Derg. Is that why you joined the armed struggle? Yes, mostly. I joined the struggle in 1975. But before that, as I mentioned earlier, people my age were being detained or killed.
