Afewerk Tekle (Amharic: አፈወርቅ ተክሌ; 22 October 1932 – 10 April 2012) was an Ethiopian artist, particularly known for his paintings on African and Christian themes as well as his stained glass.

[1] Born in Ankober, in Shewa Province, to ethnic Amhara[2] parents Feleketch Yamatawork and Tekle Mamo, Afework grew up under the Italian occupation during the Second World War.

Afewerk recalls being told "you must work hard, and when you come back do not tell us what tall buildings you saw in Europe, or what wide streets they have, but make sure you return equipped with the skills and the mindset to rebuild Ethiopia".

In 1954, he held his first one-man show in Addis Ababa, at Municipality Hall,[3] that gave him the funds to travel around Europe for two years where he learnt how to design and construct stained glass windows.

His growing recognition lead to government commissions for murals and mosaics in St George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa/Ethiopia and several of his designs were used on the national stamps.

In 1961, Afewerk held a major retrospective in Addis Ababa, which led to his painting Maskal Flower being shown at international exhibitions in Russia, the United States and Senegal.

As his reputation spread abroad, Afewerk was invited to put on an exhibition in Moscow following which he toured the Soviet Union giving lectures.