Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes is a researcher and lecturer at the Centre for Human Rights Education, Curtin University, Australia. Dr. Woldeyes research focuses on the critical study of development, education and law, and the importance of lived experience and epistemic diversity for decolonial and sustainable futures. He researches African experiences and Ethiopian traditions, and writes creatively on belonging and diasporic lives. He studies the impact of English being used as the medium of instruction in the Ethiopian education system, despite the fact that English is rarely spoken outside the classroom. His work seeks to challenge education policy that privileges western knowledge and language at the expense of indigenous knowledge and local experiences. His book Native Colonialism: Education and the Economy of Violence Against Traditions in Ethiopia was published in 2017. He taught law and worked with grassroots organizations in Ethiopia before completing his Doctorate in Australia.