Background
Ethnicity:
Alexander Boghossian's mother was Ethiopian while his father was of Armenian descent.
Boghossian was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 22, 1937. He was the son of Weizero Tsedale Wolde Tekle and Kosrof Gorgorios Boghossian. His father was a colonel in the Kebur Zabagna (Imperial Bodyguard). His grandfather, Gregorios Boghassian, was an Armenian trader, who had established a friendship with Emperor Menelik II and served as a traveling ambassador in Europe on behalf of the Emperor.
Alexander Boghossian's father resisted against the Italian occupation and was imprisoned for several years for his activity when Boghossian was a child. Boghossian's mother left her children and although both he and his sister Aster (Esther) visited her frequently, they were raised by their father's brother Kathig Boghassian. Kathig Boghassian together with other uncles and aunts brought them up during their father's imprisonment.