What we Oromo’s can learn from the South Sudan People’s liberation struggle

What we Oromo’s can learn from the South Sudan People’s liberation struggle

By Bakalcho Barii | July 29, 2013

Over one point five millions South Sudanese died in the long and protracted civil war with their Northern Arab rulers and millions more were displaced and made refugee around the globe before they finally freed themselves as an independent nation in July of 2011, and stood tall among the one hundred and ninety six independent nations of the world.

One might argue that South Sudanese achieved their independence with all round supports rendered to them by Western countries, particularly the United States and Britain. Many would also argue that Britain provided them material, diplomatic and other needed logistics to compensate for their wrong doing by merging the Southern Sudanese, who have little or no connections with their Northern counter parts during their occupation of the Sudan.

On the other hand, many regional and international political observers of the region argue that  the United States, provided an all-round support to the Southern Sudanese liberation movements to get un-feted access to the huge oil wealth discovered in the south plus to weaken the Northern Arabs, who for a long time harboured Islamist extremisms (Osama Bin Laden used to have a base in Northern Sudan in the 90s), and to weaken the anti-Israel Palestinians Organizations such as Hamas and other pan-Arab movements, who were supported and trained by the Northern Arab Sudanese.

On the contrary, the three regional powers, namely Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea supported both South Sudan Liberation Organization and the central Sudanese state for their own strategic goals. For example, the Egyptians supported their then central Sudanese state for fear of dealing alone or with little support in any future deals with the sources of the Nile river countries of the region. The Ethiopians and the Eritreans, on the other hand, gave tacit support to the South Sudanese movements while maintaining some form of good relationship with the North to weaken and eliminate their opponents both in the South and Northern Sudan.

However, the discovery of oil and the geo-politics of the region alone did not bolstered the South Sudanese liberation movements, but their unity, determinations and sustained guerrilla war under the umbrella organization of the South Sudan Liberation Organization changed the power shift in their favour and gain sympathy and support from the International community.

Here, what is incredibly important for the people of the South of the Ethiopian empire, including the Oromo’s is, despite their many tribal differences (more than fifty six tribes exist in current South Sudan), the South Sudanese  put these differences aside and fought as one people against their common enemy, the Northern Sudanese Arabs, who viewed them as sub-human.

We could also mention the case of the Eritrean’s liberation struggle against Ethiopian colonialism, where the Central Tigre speaking Christians stood together with their northern Muslims, the Kunama, and the Afar speaking groups in the South, all of them together viewed Ethiopian colonialism as their strategic enemy that must be defeated and became an independent nation in 1993 by a popular referendum.

As Oromo’s, it is high time to learn from the experiences of the South Sudanese and many nations, and put their minor differences aside for the common good of their nation and  confront and defeat the common enemy, the Abyssinian colonialism, which is doing anything to undermine and destroy the Oromo people and its natural resources.

The Southern Sudanese armed struggle was headed by those who served in the then Central Sudanese army, who attempted to change their people’s livelihood and acceptance as a citizen within one Sudan but realized that such change or acceptance will never happen within the socio-political, economic and power  structure on which the former Sudan was established. The realization of this reality convinced the likes of John Garang and many high and low ranking military officers in the national army to defect and establish a guerrilla army to fight the injustices against their people. Though, at the out-set scattered and uncoordinated due to tribal fault-lines that exists among the many South Sudanese, it did not take them long to come to a conclusion that their common enemy can only be defeated in union than  alone.

There were tens of thousands of intelligent Oromo military officers and civil servants in the Ethiopian empire state, who attempted to tackle the state sanctioned injustices against their nation by successive Abyssinian regimes hoping the Ethiopian empire, will democratize and treats its subjects in the South and the Oromo’s as citizens. The peaceful demands of these Oromo intellectuals and military officers for the equal treatments of their people within the empire made them traitors and enemy of the state, and as a consequence were sent to the gallows.

The fate of many brave and innocent Oromo’s who served the empire with much distinction and dedications were to suffer in the hands of the Abyssinians, who felt threatened by these Oromo’s, their only crime being raising the mistreatment and exploitation of their people. Here, we can mention a few such as, the likes of Mamo Mezemer (who many claim the birth father of Oromo struggle), General Tadesse Biru, who until the Abysinians discovered his Oromo blood and imprisoned him and finally killed, Haile Fida and Senai Liki, who were the intellectual power house of their generations, and many more perished in the hands of Abyssinian rulers.

The Oromo struggle for liberation is at critical juncture. The empire is on its last leg and last breadth. As a result, there are many voices from within and external forces whispering to our ears to abandon our God given rights to be free but rather opt to remain within the Ethiopian empire state. These forces even go as far as trying to convince us that remaining within the union is more beneficial to Oromo’s than separation. When asked how? These forces can not substantiate how living within the Ethiopian empire state favours the Oromo’s. Ethiopian empire is and has been the living hell for Oromo’s over the last on hundred years. Abyssinians never cared or care for the rights of the Oromo’s and the southern peoples but rather they care how much they can exploit their resources.

My message to my Oromo compatriots and those who advocate union with an empire (internal and external), is this; there is no single empire in the history of nations that was democratized and lived in peace with its subjects. The opposite is true in human history, meaning when the subjects were free, the empire itself was also set free from its own shackles.

Oromo’s have to look to their neighbours, which includes the likes of South Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti as an example. Eritrea and Djibouti with different nationalities have had opted for independence rather than living with the Ethiopian empire.

For example, the population of Djibouti is closer to half a million and that of Eritrea is four million. The Oromo people, on the other hand, coupled with abundant natural resources and with the population size of over 40 million with common history, geography, language, culture, deserve to be free from their Abyssinian colonizers  and live in peace with all its neighbours and practice their democratic Gada system to govern themselves.

In conclusion, like the Southern Sudanese inside and in the diasporas who spoke the freedom of their nation with one voice to the International Community, and to their enemies, Oromo’s inside Oromia and in the diasporas must speak loudly with one voice more than ever and demand the total independence of Oromia and the freedom of their people. Always remember that famous quotes “Power Never Gives up by its own Will but need to be confronted with determination and defeated”.

Finally, Jawar Mohammed, a regional political analyst recently put it in the following way in his recent radio interview, quote “writing or having beautiful political programme will not liberate oneself or a nation but standing together in unity and deeds and speaking with one clear and loud voice to one’s enemy will strengthen and transform a nation’s struggle for peace, democracy and justices”” in that part of East Africa, where Oromia belongs.

May Waqa Bless those who died for the diginity, respect and freedom the Oromo Nation.

the Oromo struggle for liberation

         

The following is a summary of the author Gadaa Melbaa,"During the process of colonisation, between 1870 and 1900, the Oromo population was reduced from ten to five millions. This period coincides with the occupation of Oromo land by the Abyssinian emperors Yohannes and Menilek. After colonisation, these emperors and their successors continued to treat Oromo with utmost cruelty. Many were killed by the colonial army and settlers, others died of famine and epidemics of various diseases or were sold off as slaves. Those who remained on the land were reduced to the status of gabbar (a peasant from whom labour and produce is exacted and is a crude form of serfdom).

Haile Selassie consolidated Yohannes and Meniiek's gains and with the use of violence, obstructed the process of natural and historical development of the Oromo society - political, economic and social. In all spheres of life, discrimination, subjugation, repression and exploitation of all forms were applied. Everything possible was done to destroy Oromo identity - culture, language, custom, tradition, name and origin. In short Haile Selassie maintained the general policy of genocide against the Oromo.

The 1974 revolution was brought about by the relentless struggle over several years by, among others, the Oromo peasants. The military junta, headed by Mengistu Haile-Mariam, usurped power and took over the revolution. This regime has continued on the path of emperors Yohannes, Menilek and Haile Selassie in the oppression, subjugation and exploitation of Oromo, the settlement of Abyssinians on Oromo land and the policy of genocide.

Forced to fight against Eritreans, the Somalis and others, many Oromo have fallen in battle. Many others have died on the streets of cities and towns during the so-called "Red Terror" period and in a similar programme that has been expanded in the countryside since then. Massacres in towns and villages coupled with bombing and search and destroy programmes have caused the destruction of human lives, crops, animals and property, have driven Oromo from their land and forced them to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Not surprisingly, this ruthless oppression and persecution of peoples has resulted in the largest flight of refugees in Africa. A very large proportion of the refugees in the Horn of Africa are Oromo.

In its attempt to oppress and eliminate the essential elements of Oromo culture, the present regime has used cover-up words such as 'development, relief, settlement, villagization and literacy campaign' to mislead the world. In fact most of these programmes and projects have been aimed at displacing Oromo people and denying them freedom, justice, human dignity and peace, thereby hastening the process of Amharization or de-Oromization.

The struggle of the Oromo people, then, is nothing more than an attempt to affirm their own place in history. It seeks equality, human dignity, democracy, freedom and peace. It is not directed against the masses of a particular nation or nationality, nor against individuals, but rather against Ethiopian colonialism led by the Amhara ruling class and the naftanyas (Amhara colonial settlers) and against feudalism and imperialism. Thus it is the Ethiopian colonial system and not the Amhara masses or individuals which is under critical consideration.

Today when nearly all of the African peoples have won independence, the Oromo continue to suffer under the most backward and savage Ethiopian settler colonialism. All genuinely democratic and progressive individuals and groups, including members of the oppressor nation, Amhara, who believe in peace, human dignity and liberty should support the Oromo struggle for liberation.

Although the Oromo nation is one of the largest in Africa, it is forgotten by or still unknown to the majority of the world today. Unfortunately even the name Oromo is unknown to many, and this should not be allowed to continue."

HISTORY OF OROMO

HISTORY OF OROMO WRITING and the Contribution of Dr. Mohammed Reshad

Published on July 29, 2013.

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By Dr. Abdulsemed Mohammed

 

Language is a means of communication and a symbol of national identity. As a means of communication a language serves as a bridge to bring two sides together.  As such, it can be used in at least two different ways namely, verbal and written communications. Verbal communication involves using spoken words, while written communication requires symbols representing the words.  There is no doubt that every human language can serve its people in both these two ways.   Unfortunately, not all languages in the world are written languages; there are many languages that still remain being a spoken language. Among those that remained as spoken language for many years, one was the Oromo Language.  Despite rigorous efforts made to transform the Oromo language into a written language, evidences indicate that it was about 250 years ago when some among the Oromo started writing in Oromo language. The objective of this paper is to present a brief history of writing in Afaan Oromoo.
A written language uses symbols that are systematically put in order to produce a message that can be understood. The symbols used to write with in a language are called the ALPHABETH. The alphabet of any language must have symbols representing all the sounds of that language. The symbols that make up an alphabet are expected to perfectly fit for the sounds they represent and must be easy to use.
Before going to the core of the article it is fair to present the efforts of many scholars to transform Afaan Oromoo from spoken language to a written language. Evidences we have indicate that the first fruitful effort was done by Raayyaa Oromo during the time of the dominant clerics, Anniyyi and Daanniyyi. These clerics wrote the first books that go into the first line of Oromo literary works. The books contained poems, hymn and Islamic religious songs generally referred to as Menzumah. The authors used the Arabic alphabet with some symbols modified represent Oromo phonemes not present in Arabic language. They include sounds represented by the following symbols in the standard Oromo alphabet: (C, CH, DH, G, NY, PH). Copies were written by scribes (writers) by hand on animal skin and hide using locally made pen and ink. The pen is a sharp handy splinters made from a bamboo tree.  Ink was prepared from a mixture of water, soot, natural gum, and other ingredients.  Arabic Alphabet has another advantage for Afaan Oromoo. It has symbols and a writing system to represent short and long vowels as well as stressed and non-stressed consonants. For those already literate in Arabic learning to read and write in Afaan Oromoo became very easy.  Oromo phonemes represented today by these  two symbols  X” and “Q” are basically different from the Arabic  (ﻄ and ﻕ).  Most Oromos   pronounce those two Arabic phonemes:  / ﻄ /  as  “X” and  / ﻕ  / as “Q”. Therefore, both were accepted not as similar sounds but as quasi close to each other.
Until the use of the standard Oromo alphabet was declared by law all Oromo clerics wrote Afaan Oromoo using the Arabic alphabet.  All books were written by hand because there were no typewriters and printing press available for Afaan Oromoo. In reality, it was absolutely impossible for several reasons, as there were no skilled manpower, no finance, and government to support the cause. Until recently, writing in Afaan Oromoo was illegal in Ethiopia and all efforts of Oromo clerics did not produce results.

Onesimus Neseeb

Towards the end of the 19^th century, European protestant Christians got interested in Afaan Oromoo and they wanted to have the Bible translated into Afaan Oromoo.  Onesimus Neseeb (Abbaa Gammachiis), an Oromo scholar of the bible from Western part of Oromo Land and who got converted to protestant around that time started translating the bible from Amharic to Afaan Oromoo.  Haile Fida, in his book Hirmaata Dubbii Afaan Oromoo, says that Onesimus translated  from a European language into Afaan Oromo but did not specify the source language. The writer of this article disagrees. He says there are enough reasons to believe that Amharic was the source language. Onesimus had mastered the Amharic alphabet before he began the translation. The translated book itself is a sufficient witness to that effect.
He did that in Asmara (Eritrea) where he was living. Upon completion the bible was printed as the first Oromo version in 1899. The book was published under the title “Macaafa Qulqulluu” meaning “Holy Book” The name of the translator was included and written as “Onesimus Neseeb, Nama Biyya Oromoo” (Onesimus Neseeb, a man from Oromo Land). Onesimus used the Sabean Alphabet to write in Afaan Oromoo. The alphabet is used to write Amharic, and Tigrigna. There was no evidence that shows its use for Afaan Oromoo before Onesimus Neseeb. The Sabean Alphabet has major shortcomings to use for Afaan Oromoo.  First it does not have a system of differentiating long vowels from  the short ones. It has seven vowels whereas Afaan Oromoo has ten (five shorts, and five long) vowels. Moreover, two of the seven vowels do not represent  any of the ten vowels. One is referred to as the “Gi’iz” and the other one “Sadis” i.e. the 1^st and the 6^th vowel respectively.  The Sabean Alphabet in its Original form contained no vowel marks, and was only consonants in the Gi’iz form. The six vowels (i.e. kaa’ib, saalis, raabi’, haamis, saadis, and saabi’) and it means  “the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th”. All are latter additions or modificatios  intended to indicate the seven vowel sounds of the Amharic language. Before that, it was written without vowel marks like its sister alphabets, Arabic and Hebrew. The other problem of the Sabean Alphabet is it does not differentiate between stressed and non-stressed sounds.
The effort to make Afaan Oromoo a written language continued with new and fresh ideas. European travellers, Christian missionaries, and others used the Latin alphabet to write Afaan Oromoo and we can conveniently call it as the era of Latin alphabet for Afaan Oromoo. The era can be divided into two periods: one before the Second World War, and the other during and after the Second World War.
The period before the Second World War is basically the effort of European Christian missionaries from Germany, Italy, France, and others.  The objective of the missionaries was not to develop Afaan Oromoo but to propagate Christianity. Small size booklets with basic Christian teachings, only one Gospel according to Matthew or John, etc. were printed and distributed. There were also larger books written on vocabularies, proverbs, rhymes and favelas. The writers used the Latin Alphabet exactly as they were used to write their own language. Symbols were named as assumed by individual writers. No two writers used similar symbols and writing systems. Books, booklets, and writings written in that way cannot and did not produce the intended result. The authors did not study the language and therefore, did not pay attention to the differences in meaning resulting from vowel length (short and long vowels) as well as stressed and –non-stressed sounds in Afaan Oromoo.

Martin Moreno

During the Second World War, powerful Italy with the grudge it had previously,  raided and occupied Ethiopia. (Here I am not discussing about the war and its immediate as well as its late consequences, It is not the objective of the paper.) When Italy occupied Ethiopia, it did not bring in armed forces and soldiers only. It also brought professionals that were well trained and experienced in every field of knowledge. One of those professionals brought into the country was a person named Martin Moreno. Moreno was a great scholar and a renowned linguist. Moreno was assigned to study the major languages of the newly conquered territories of the Italian Empire. He started his work by studying Afaan Oromoo and other related languages. He learned the language including the various dialects in a short period of time. His main informant spoke the Tulema dialect but he also had informants speaking the other dialects. He studied the phonology, morphology, and syntax of the language and compiled the result of his study into a book which was published in 1939.  Moreno clearly stated that both the Sabean and the Arabic alphabet are not suitable for Oromo language. He developed  Latin based Oromo Alphabet which is shown below.  During the period from 1935-1939 he presented a number of research papers on Oromo language at the conferences of Italian Linguists.
Moreno was the first person that understood the linguistic properties of Afaan Oromoo. In 1939 he published his monumental work “Gramatica della Lingua Galla” (Grammar of the Galla Language) in which he has explained the phonology, morphology and syntax of the language. Moreno used the word Galla not because it was his choice, but it was used to refer to the people by new rulers, the Italians. In that same book, Moreno mentioned, “The Galla call themselves OROMO. Regarding the Oromo language Moreno wrote the following beautiful words. “Mi auguro che questo lavoro sia di qualche beneficio la piu importante e piu dolce dell’empero” When translated into English it reads: “I feel proud that if this work is of any benefit for the most important and the sweetest of the languages of the empire”. Mo The Oromo people will always remember Martin Moreno as one of his own heroes  and would not hesitate to call him “ilma Keenya” (meaning our son).
Moreno’s Alphabet: for Afaan Oromoo
’           A          B          C          Č          D          Ḑ         E          F          G         H          I            J          K          L          M         N          Ñ          O         p          Q         R          S          Ṧ                        T          Ṭ          U          W         Y          Z
He is the first to understand and include the glottal stop (laagee or hudhaa). He developed symbols indicating long vowels and represented stressed sounds by doubling the consonants. I take the liberty to name Martin Moreno “the father of linguistics of Afaan Oromo, for his immense contributions towards the Oromo Alphabet writing and Oromo grammar.
When the war ended with the victory of the Allied Forces, Italy was kicked out from Ethiopia, the old status quo was reinstalled, and the exiled king returned to the country and his rule was reestablished. As a result all voices dealing with reading and writing Afaan Oromoo were silenced, possession of Oromo books became illegal. The relative light the Oromo saw during the war vanished, the hope to write and read in Afaan Oromoo disappeared, and Oromo Land was once again engulfed by darkness.

Haile Fida

After the war young people started to go abroad for further studies. Depending on the mode of travel two groups emerged. One group includes all that travelled abroad legally because of a scholarship grant from another country, international organization or a non-governmental agency. This included, all that travelled for BA/BSc, MA/MSc, or Ph.D. degrees. All of them knew where they go, which University they attend, what they learn, the duration of time their study lasts, the amount of pocket money or living expense they receive monthly, etc. , Their destination is usually Europe and North America.  Most belonged to the Amhara ethnic group and some were from other ethnic groups. Not all that travelled abroad in this way focused only on studying; some showed political interest as well. They embraced politics with a tendency towards the left and became leftists. They accepted Marxist – Leninist philosophy. They established Union of Ethiopian Students in Europe, and in North America. Among those in Europe there were Oromos like Haile Fida, and Abdullahi Yousuf. They were notable because they put significant effort to make Afaan Oromoo a written language. The work of Martin Moreno was easily accessible and they used it. They did slight modification to it and came up with their version of Oromo Alphabet. In 1973 two books were written in Afaan Oromoo and both were published. The titles of these books were “HIRMAATA DUBBII AFAAN OROMOO” and “BARA BIRRAAN BARIHE. The first book is “Parts of Speech in Afaan Oromoo” It is a basic grammar book The second one is a drama on life under the Feudal system The main characters were Grazmatch Tonkolu the Feudal Lord  and Iddosaa the son of a peasant farmer. It is believed that Dr. Haile Fida did the major parts of these books, and Abdullahi Yousuf was a contributor as the dialects of the book indicated.
The Alphabet Haile Fida and his collègues used.

A          B          C          č          D              E          F          G         H          I           J            K          L          M         N          Ñ          O         H          P          Q         R          S          ṧ            T          Ṭ          U          W         Y          Z
Both are the first books written and published by Oromo national, and were the first books showing short and long vowels as well as stressed and non-stressed sounds. Following the fall of the monarch,  this group returned to Ethiopia as a political party under  the name ‘MEISON’  (All Éthiopien Socialist Movement).  They gave critical support to the military and which later consumed them.
Hayle Fida’s Alphabet, although borrowed from Moreno it had two problems. One is a linguistic mistake. The glottal stop was not included in the alphabet. He probably forgot it or did not know that it is consonant.  The second  was related to the politics of the time, and  did not consider the lack of  typewriters with appropriate symbols for writing and printing in the Oromo language. Moreover, there was no goverment to fund and impliment his wishful plan.
By then, the Oromo Liberation struggle has began, and the army is required to study politics, and all other subjects in Afaan Oromoo. Haile Fida’s alphabet was adopted with some modifications. Instead of the accent marks like the inverted, chapeus were replaced by a short line segments over the letter. The rest was not changed. With new modification it seemed easy to use the typewriter that required moving the cu8rsor up down to type the added symbols.
The result was time consuming work. To type the added marks the cursor must be moved down or up to place the mark over or under the letters respectively. Letters could not be alligned on a straight line and the papers looked  untidy.
The Alphabet initialy used by the OLF :
A          B          CH       C          D          D          E          F          G         H          I           J            K          L          M         N          Ñ          O         P          Q         R          S          SH       T            Ṭ          U          W         Y          Z

NB: T with a dot underneath is X.

Sheik Mohammed Rashad 

News about the book  « FURA AFAAN OROMOO » started to arrive. It is the  book  on Qubee Afaan Oromoo prepared  by Shek Mohammed Reshad. The author was a very prominent scholar celebrity among the Oromo people.   The alphabet he prepared  developed from the Latin and is easier to use. One particular advantage his alphabet has, it can be typed using English typewriter.
The second group of students who travelled abroad for studying include all youth who by their own free will decided to travel. They were not sponsored by any government or non governmental organization. They had no scholarship grant. They did not know where to go, what to study, for how long, and what the expense was. The only thing they had  was the desire to learn.  They travelled on foot; crossed  borders and  reached  a neighbouring country. From there, only a few got the oppertunity to reach a destination in the Middle East. A number of those who travelled on foot did not even cross the border. Death was  their fate, because of hunger, disease, or attack from wild animals.  Most who traveled in this way were Muslims  and among them who successfully completed his studies and contributed a lot to his people was Dr. Shek Mohammed Rashaad.
Sheik Mohammed Reshad was born at Laga Arbaa, Carcar district, West Hararge zone in East Oromia. At school age he started learning Islamic education from his father who was his teacher. Rashad was a fast learner who completed basic and intermediate education in a short period of time. He was a nationalist who rejected the suffering of the Oromo under the repressive Neftenya regime. When he grew to be a teen ager, his father allowed him to travel to learn and seek knowledge. One day, he decided to travel with his friend. They started their journey on foot from Laga Arbaa.  Along their way they have travelled through many villages and towns, but he mentions only two i.e. Chiro and Harar. When asked why he mentioned only the two his answer was as follows. “When I reached the town of Chiro I saw Abyssinian soldiers performing their routine parade. I saw a similar thing in Harar too. At that time, I thought the enemy soldiers subjugating the Oromo were encamped only at those two places and one needs to get rid of those soldiers to free the Oromo people. Therefore, I decided that I and my friend should travel abroad, meet with Muslims, explain the situation of our people, ask for arms, get armed with fire arms and hand grenades, return back home, one of us to Harar and the other to Chiro, set an agreed upon date and time, launch a pre-emptive attack, finish the enemy army and liberate our people. That was what I thought to accomplish at that young age.  This makes his purpose of travel abroad a dual one: education and politics.  First he crossed the border and entered Djibouti on foot. From there he crossed the Red sea by boat and reached Yemen. From Yemen he travelled through the Arabian Desert and finally made it the city of Medinah in Saudi Arabia where he settled for some time. During this long travel, he faced many difficulties and obstacles some of which were undoubtedly fatal. Had it not been for the help of Allah he would have not reached his adult hood to tell the story. Following a brief period of stay in Saudi Arabia, he travelled to Syria where he started his studies. Upon completion of his studies he was congratulated but was seen off without a diploma or a certificate. Because of this and the counseling he received from his friends he travelled to Egypt where he got registered at Al Azaar University. He continued his studies and graduated with BA and then MA degrees. His major was religion but he has taken several courses in sociology, psychology and counseling, logic and linguistics.
Dr. Rashad was not only a scholar who proved himself with his knowledge, but a nationalist who showed himself with what he did for the nation. At the University of Al Azaar there was a department where foreign languages were taught. Among the courses one was the Amharic language. He could not believe his ears when he heard it first until he confirmed that it was true. At that time, he prepared an official request and presented it to the department to include Oromo language in their courses. His request was denied and he asked why it was denied. The answer given to him through an indirect body was “Because the Oromo language has no alphabet.” He got the answer from an indirect source. It won’t be difficult to guess what this has triggered in him. He felt very bad and decided that all his efforts so far were for himself the rest should be for his people. He believed that the Oromo language should have an alphabet and must be a written language. He took this responsibility upon himself and began his work towards the goal. First he studied the efforts of Aanniyyi and Danniyyi and the work of Bekri Saphalo. He analyzed both and tried to understand the pros and cons of both alphabets if used for Oromo language. Finally he set three fundamental criteria to fulfill before any alphabet can be chosen. The three criteria are:
1)      The alphabet should completely represent the Oromo phonemes
2)      The people who can teach it should be available easily and everywhere
3)      Typewriters and printing press must be readily available
Both alphabets were found not to fulfill the criteria. The Arabic alphabet could not fulfill all the three. Its symbols do not represent the entire phonemes because it is short by eight symbols. It means it does not have symbols representing eight sounds which are currently represented by: “ /C/, /CH/, /DH/, /G/, /NY/, /PH/, /X/ and /Q/. Because of the Oromo accent and the presence of sounds loosely close to them we can disregard the last two i.e. /X/ and /Q/ To explain the six sounds for which the Arabic alphabet has no symbols nothing is better than the example produced by Dr. Rashad himself. It goes,  ask any Arab to pronounce the following sentence: “Dhagaa caphsii cirracha nyaadhu” and see for yourself that he/she cannot. Similarly you cannot write that sentence using the Arabic alphabet. Symbols can be modified to represent those sounds but no typewriters or printing presses are readily available for use. Because of this reason the Arabic alphabet as it is cannot be chosen for Afaan Oromoo.

Shek Bekri Sephalo
Among the Oromo scholars who worked to create an alphabet for Oromo language the first and the biggest name that comes forth is Sheek Bakri Saphalo. Saphalo was a renowned scholar on Islam and Arabic. No doubt that he tried the Arabic alphabet first. And it was he who invented the sentence “Gaccaphii  nyadhachoo” to show the deficiency of the Arabic Alphabet. The Saphalo alphabet is not borrowed, but invented in Oromiyaa by an Oromo. It is a symbol of pride that made the Oromo a nation that owns home made alphabet. As such all of us should be proud of it. It strengthens the psychology of Oromummaa and must be kept, honored and developed for it is a national treasure. Finally, I would like to say loudly and confidently that it is the only alphabet born in Africa. The Sabean alphabet was invented in Asia and not in Africa. It was brought to Africa by the people who migrated from Yemen. More evidences can be presented to expose the lie about Sabean alphabet. For the moment I’ll stick to the aim of the article and will return to the issue when it is required.
The two alphabets (Arabic and Saphalo’s) are compared using the last two of the three criteria mentioned above the former was found in a better position than the later. Therefore, during his stay in Egypt Dr. Rashad chose to use the Arabic alphabet temporarily. He made some modifications to make it usable to write in Afaan Oromoo. Basically, he used similar methods used by Anniyyi and Daanniyyi with some additions. Even then one can use it to write with only by hand. Dr. Rashad was doing that for a purpose. He wanted to go back to the department of foreign languages by making a new claim. “The Oromo language has an alphabet; here is it.. Please allow that it can be taught in this University” His request was again denied. Lack of success in Egypt did not stop him from furthering his efforts to find an appropriate alphabet for Afaan Oromoo.

THE MOVE TO SOMALIA

News coming from home removes the entire desire to return back. Those who left the country in their own way and studied in foreign countries and returned back home were not received well. Some were prisoned; others were stopped and arrested and nobody knows their where about. Because these reasons returning back was understood as committing suicide. The only option remained was to move to neighboring countries and settle close to home. At that time Somalia was found to be better and moving to Somalia became mandatory.

NOW	MORINOO	HAILE FIDA	ABO	RESHAD
1991	1939	1973	1976	1969
C	Č	Č	C	C
CH	C	C	CH	CH
DH	Ḑ	Ɗ	D	DH
NY	Ñ	Ñ	N	NY
X	Ṭ	Ṭ	T	TH
SH	Ṧ	Ṧ	S	SH
PH	P	P	P	PH

NB: The alphabet the OLF used was borrowed from Hayle Fida,. But the letters (C, D, NY, SH, and PH) were modified to have a short line segment on top of them instead of the inverted accent chapeaux.
Dr. Mohammed Rashad too used the symbol “TH” for what is today known as “X” until he met with some leaders of the OLF in Somalia. They liked the simplicity of using Dr. Rashid’s symbols which accepted. Finally after discussion on the matter both parties agreed to name the symbol “X” to represent the sound it represents today.
The effort to find an appropriate alphabet for the Oromo language was as strong inside the country as it was outside the country. This was at full strength following the fall of the monarch. The military junta that seized power decided to use the Sabean alphabet for Afaan Oromoo. Bariisaa, the only independent Oromo newspaper was nationalized and made to continue to write using the Sabean alphabet. Bariisaa, since its inception was written in Sabean alphabet. But it used to publish pages written in Latin alphabet clearly showing the difference between the two to the general public. Writing Afaan Oromoo using the Latin alphabet was a crime under the Dergue.  Doing that knowing its consequences, I should say, was a heroic action. It could possibly be the triggering factor for the action the government took against the newspaper.
Similarly, the famous artist, activist and nationalist Dr. Ali Birra released his music on literacy in Afaan Oromoo. The relics were clearly calling for Latin based  Oromo alphabet. An extract from the relic of that song reads as follows:
 A, B……. jennee-k-kaana;                               We shall stand by enchating A,  B,..
Kanumaan jalqabna;                                        We shall begin just with this
Afaanuma keenyaan katabnee dubbifna.          We shall write and read in our language
The message of this song reached all corners of the Oromo nation and qubee began to be taught  clandestinely .
At that time the military government ruling the country launched a literacy campaign, known as “Development through cooperation”. High schools and colleges were closed and  the students were sent to rural Ethiopia to teach basic literacy. Basically in Amharic and nominally in other languages including Afaan Oromoo. The Dergue chose and forced the Sabean alphabet for all the languages. However, concerned Oromo nationalists and scholars continued to tell the truth regarding choice of alphabet for Afaan Oromoo.
Dr. Mohammed Rashad had the desire to share his knowledge with his people, and wanted to go back home, an action which was tantamount to committing suicide and could not be his choice. Instead, he decided to travel to a neighboring country Somalia, which at that time was relatively convenient to settle and help his people across the border. At that time Somalia just had a new government, led by an army general, by the name of Gen. Ziyad Barre, who seized power by overthrowing  President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke. Ziyad Barre was a left wing politician and  chose to led Somalia on the path of socialism. The new government decided to make the Somali language a written language and to be a medium in schools and a working language in government offices. The Latin alphabet was chosen and a committee guiding and implementing  the policy was established. Some say that Shek Mohammed Reshad was a member of that committee, but so far I did not come across any document proving the truth of that statement.
Upon reaching Somalia the first thing to do was to find a permanent place for settlement and to get used to the new country i.e. the people and the weather. Soon after that he got engaged to do things that he believed was good for his people. Dr. Rashad always wanted that his people should learn, know, understand and attain political consciousness. And he said that the path taking us there has to pass through a gate, and that gate is learning. To teach a people you need to reach that people. The Oromo people were living far away from where he was; but he always believed that it was possible to reach there by using the media. Therefore, it is absolutely important  to develop the Oromo language into a media language. This means using the printing  distributing newspapers, brochures, books,..etc. and reaching  the people by radio and  TV. Electronic media is especially suited to reach unlettered or illiterate audience such as the Oromo society that cannot read and write. We know we have to start with what we have, what we can, and with what we know. The first thing to do was to get air time for Oromo language. Shek Rashad said “I have some knowledge, no radio station and no money. I believe in my God I trust in Him; I have no doubt that, he helps me always. With that belief and trust in Allah, I went to meet the authorities of Radio Mogadishu. I requested them to give air time for Oromo language. They denied my request based on series of political and diplomatic reasons. They said it will create trouble with Ethiopia. It violates the rules and regulations of peaceful co-existence of neighboring countries. I did not accept their decision; giving up was not an option.  I continued to return to them again and  again engaged them by using different methods and reasons until finally I got what I wanted. I got air time for Oromo language in Radio Mogadishu. But, they did not allow that the word “Oromo” be used. Because of that we could not say “the following program is in Afaan Oromoo” Instead we were told to use the phrase  “Afaan Qottuu”. To remember, here is how we said “This is Radio Mogadishu the voice of the Republic of Somalia; It is now time for Programs in Afaan Qottu”. We were broadcasting for one hour every day. In our program, we had “News, Health education, Religion, short dramas, music, comments, questions of listeners”. After some years it was changed from “afaan Qottu” to Afaan Galla” and when the regime started war against Ethiopia it was changed to “Afaan Somaali Abbo”. That radio program entertained and educated the Oromo people; it awakened them, made them conscious and to stand for their right. In general, it created a force ready for the subsequent struggles. The scholar who struggled and succeeded in making Afaan Oromoo a broadcasted language was Dr. Mahammed Rashad Abdullee.
The efforts he did while he was in Somalia were a continuation of the effort he started in Egypt. The first step was to choose the right alphabet, that became the alphabet of the Oromo language. Before 1974, writing Afaan Oromoo using any alphabet was illegal. During the Dengue’s regime writing afaan Oromo in any alphabet except the Sabean continued to be illegal.  Following the fall of the military junta in 1991, things started becoming favorable.  Newspapers, magazines, and books were written, published and distributed. Soon, a meeting of Oromo scholars, elders and community representatives was called to discuss and decide on Oromo alphabet. Accordingly, Latin based alphabet was accepted unanimously, and the first congress of Caffee Oromiyaa put it into a law. Since then Afaan Oromoo has been a written language, a school language, and a working language.
The effort carried out in diaspora too was not free from obstacles. Forces that opposed the decision of Somali government for choosing Latin alphabet for the Somali language started  opposing  the Oromo effort for choosing the Latin alphabet.  They want the Arabic alphabet be used for Oromo language. The reason they provide is based on a wrong understanding of the Arabic alphabet which they believe to be an Islamic alphabet. No doubt that the Qur’an and all the other original Islamic  teachings were written in Arabic using the Arabic alphabet. Arabic alphabet, however, existed and was in use prior to the advent of the religion. Similarly not everything written in Arabic alphabet was Islamic even today. Some of them used the corrupted meaning of the word “LATIN” in Arabic as “LA DEEN” which means “NO RELIGION”. Because of the love they have for Islam they believed that the Arabic alphabet serves as a vehicle for the dissemination of the religion. They failed to remember that Islam reached all corners of the world without using Arabic alphabet as a vehicle for its dissemination.
The work of Dr. Shek Mohammed Reshad that helped to overcome the resistance against the use of Latin alphabet in diaspora is history we will never forget. He attended meetings and presented papers with sufficient explanations and reasons in favor of Latin alphabet. One scholar who attended those meetings was Mr. Taha Abdi, one of the founding member of the OLF, and a member of the leadership. When asked to comment on the contribution of Dr. Rashad, Mr. Abdi said the following: The pressure against Latin alphabet was mounting and reached its peak and everyone was frustrated. At that time Dr. Rashad came to me and said, “No one else has better experience in trying to write afaan Oromo using the Arabic alphabet. I know all the pros and cons of Arabic alphabet if used for Oromo language. At this time by comparing all parameters there is no alphabet which is better suited than the Latin Alphabet for Afaan Oromo. In this regard I will confront, debate and win all against Latin alphabet.  Don’t worry !!!”  “On hearing those words” Mr. Taha Abdi concludes “all of my frustrations  and anger  were totally removed. And he said, he won the debate and had the opposition openly accept Latin alphabet for Afaan Oromoo.
The first book authored by Shek Rashad was “FURA AFAAN OROMOO”. It is a textbook on Oromoo Alphabet. It teaches how to read and write in Afaan Oromoo. It was written by hand in 1969, and printed two years later in Mogadishu. The book, however, was considered as an act of crime against the territorial policy of the government of Ziyad Barre, the policy of annexing the land of Ogaden, Eastern and Southern Oromia, and the NFD of Kenya to create Great Somalia. Because of  that the book FURA AFAAN OROMOO which carries the name Oromo they decided that the book be removed from market and the author be arrested. Dr. Rashad chose to stay hiding for some time and avoided the arrest. Finally, some elders intervened and a negotiated settlement was reached. The Somali government wanted the title of the book be changed to Fura Afaan Abboo and was printed  and distributed under the new title.
Dr. MOHAMMED Reshad, authored many books. He was the first author to write children’s book in Afaan Oromoo. He was the first to translate the meaning of the Noble Qur’an into Afaan  Oromoo available in both audio and text forms.  Here is the list of some of his books: Hadiisa Afurtamman Nawawii, Seeraafi Naamusa Hajjii, Gadaa Islaamaa (Hundeelee Amantii Islaamaa), Tajwiida Qur’aanaa (Akkaataa Qur’aanni itti qara’amu), Manxiq (Logic), kkf.  He also wrote many books on oral tradition, poems, and others. Because of all these it won’t be an exaggeration to call this man “the father of Oromo writings”.
Shek Mohammed Rashad sacrificed all of his life for Oromo and Oromummaa. He suffered  a stroke while he was in Saudi Arabia and was under treatment for  many years.  Finally, he went back home and lived in the cities of Adama and Dirre Dhawaa. Finally the divine call came and he passed away on April 25, 2013.  May he attain the mercy of Allah and reside in the garden of bliss.
Dr. Shek Mahammad Rashad is not a scholar who left his people empty handed. He put all his works on the Internet at his website he called “Bakka Rashad”. This too makes him the first scholar to build a web-site www.Reshad.org and left all his works for generations to come.
You can find the Afaan Oromo version of this article here

SAPHALO’S OROMO ORTHOGRAPHY

Ethiopia — Rape, Torture, Jail

Sunday, 28 July 2013

Ethiopia — Rape, Torture, Jail

Africa: A Continent for Sale

Ethiopia — Rape, Torture, Jail



Saudi Star’s 60-year, 10,000-ha lease came free of land rent. This cost incentive fueled the company’s planned acquisition of 500,000 ha of land in Gambella and other states to grow a projected one million tons of rice, as well as maize, teff, sugarcane and oilseed. Marred in conflict and human rights abuses after documented cases of arbitrary arrests, beatings, rape and torture, Saudi Star remains one of the most watched land deals. As locals tell of no prior consent about the land deal as well as of being forced off their land by the government, conflict has escalated and a shooting took place on the Saudi Star compound which left five Saudi Star employees dead in June 2012. In retaliation, the Ethiopian government has been indulging in arbitrary arrests, beatings, rape and torture. 






Who is investing?

Indian firms, including Karuturi Globa and Ruchi Soya, among others, claim to have acquired over 600,000 ha of fertile land to grow edible oils, crops and cotton for export in Ethiopia, the fifth ‘hungriest’ nation in the world.

News coverage to date has emphasized the role of countries like China and Gulf States in the acceleration of land acquisitions in Africa. Our research showed that Indian firms are extremely active in countries like Ethiopia; it highlighted the major role of western firms, wealthy US and European individuals, and investment funds with ties to major banks such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan.



Your land is my land

Those promoting land investments as the new development paradigm claim that their initiatives target unused and unproductive land while providing employment and growth opportunities to local populations. In Ethiopia, the current ‘villagization’ process, impacting nearly 1.5 million indigenous people, is taking place in the very same areas targeted for land investment by large-scale investors.

Major African rivers — the Nile, Zambezi and Niger — are tapped by these land grabs. As an investor said, ‘Internally, we call our land fund — water fund’

Water and food — unlimited buffet

Foreign corporations are treating Africa’s water like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Many of the deals give developers free rein to take as much water as they want, dams and irrigation schemes are built, and groundwater is used with no analysis of the devastating impacts this will cause. As a result, local residents, especially women, have to travel much farther than before to find water, try to get into plantations to access their old water sources, or purchase it at inflated prices.

African rivers are lifelines for the people who depend on them for water and irrigation, but, now, major rivers are being drained so fast that they could be facing extinction. For example, the Niger river is decreasing by 10 per cent every decade and the problem is getting worse as more and more water-intensive agrofuel plantations emerge. In Ethiopia, the construction of a large dam on the Omo River and the irrigation of adjacent sugar plantations will result in Kenya’s Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake, to drop by two metres in the first year, increasing salinity levels, adversely impacting fish stocksand invaluable grazing areas on the banks and condemning the lake to a not-so-slow death.



The Oakland Institute research found little assurance that large-scale agricultural investments can improve food security, despite claims made by governments and investors. In many cases, local food farms are sold off in order to make room for export commodities, including biofuels and export crops.

read more.... http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2013/04/5880?page=show

እኛም በመጀመሪያ ደረጃ ኦሮሞ ነን

“እኛም በመጀመሪያ ደረጃ ኦሮሞ ነን።” – በዲያስፖራ ያለውን የወቅቱን የኢትዮጵያ ፖለቲካ በማስመልከት በአውሮፓ የኦሮሞ ወጣቶችና የሴቶች ማህበራት የጋራ መግለጫ

July 24, 2013

በአሁኑ ወቅት የኦሮሞ ፖለቲካዊና ዲፕሎማሲያዊ እድገት እርር ድብን ያደረጋቸው የአጼዎቹ ቡችሎች በአጼዎቹ ልጆች በተፈጠሩ ሚዲያዎች ላይ አንድን ግለሰብ በማስታከክ በኦሮሞ ህዝብ ላይ የቃጡትን ሀሰታዊ የፖለቲካ ዘመቻ ለህመማቸው ፈውስ ሳይሆን ማባባሻ እንደሆነ ልናስጠነቅቃቸው እንወዳለን።

ነጻነት ዲሞክራሲና እኩልነት ስራ ላይ በሚውልበት ሀገር ውስጥ እየኖሩ ስለነጻነት ዲሞክራሲና እኩልነት የማይረዱ ግለሰቦች በምን አይነት መልኩ ሊማሩ እንደሚችሉ መገመት አዳጋች ነው። ለማመን በጣም አስቸጋሪ የሚሆነው ደግሞ እነዚህ ግለሰቦች በትምህርት ደረጃ ማእረጋቸውና በአስተሳሰባቸው መሀከል ያለው ርቀት የሰማይና የመሬት ያህል መሆኑ ነው።
ለመሆኑ ማነው እነሱን የኢትዮጵያ ባለቤትና የኢትዮጵያዊነት ትርጉም ፈቺ ያደረጋቸው? የፈለጉትን ንፁሕ ኢትዮጵያዊ: የፈለጉትን ጠንካራ ኢትዮጵያዊ: እንዲሁም ባንዳ ወይም ከሃዲ እያሉ የሚጠሩበትን መስፈርት ማነው የሰጣቸው? የአጼዎቹ አሊያም የአምባገነኑ የደርግ ስርአት መስፈርት መሆኑ ነው?
አክራሪ ወይም ሽብርተኛ የሚለውስ ከመለስ ዜናዊ ተኮርጆ ነው?
ከሁሉ አስቀድመን እነሱ በሚረዱት የሳባ ፊደል ሀ ብለን ልናስተምራቸው የምንወዳቸው ነጥቦች:
1ኛ፡ አሁን ኢትዮጵያ ተብላ የምትጠራው ኢምፓየር የአጼዎቹ ንብረት ሳትሆን አጼዎቹ በጉልበት የፈጠሯት እንደሆነች፡ ያም ማለት የኢትዮጵያ ወራሾች የአጼዎቹ አመልኪዎች ብቻ ሳይሆኑ የአጼዎቹ ሰለባዎችም መሆናቸውን፡
2ኛ፡ ኢትዮጵያዊነት ነህ፡ነሽ ተብሎ የሚሰጥ ዜግነት ሳይሆን ህዝቦች በፈቃዳቸው ወደው የሚቀበሉት የማንነት መገለጫ መሆን እንዳለበት፡ ያንን ለማምጣት ደግሞ ለምን ቅድሚያ ኦሮሞ ነኝ አልክ እያሉ የጥላቻና የሀሰት ዘመቻ በጀዋር ወይም በሌሎች ኦሮሞዎች ላይ በመክፈት ሳይሆን ውይይቶችን በማካሄድና ነጻ የሃሳብ መድረኮችን በመፍጠር እንደሆነ::
እኛ በአውሮፓ የኦሮሞ ወጣቶችና የሴቶች ማህበራት በአሁኑ ወቅት በአልጀዚራ ላይ ቅድሚያ ኦሮሞ ነኝ በማለቱ ብቻ በፖለቲካ ምሁሩ ጀዋር ላይ የተከፈተውን የሀሰት ዘመቻ ማውገዝ ብቻ ሳይሆን ለመከላከልም በመገደዳችን ይህ አይነቱ አጼያዊ ዘመቻ እስኪያቆም ድረስ ከቅርብ ጊዜ በፊት ከሰላም ወዳድ የአንድነት ሀይሎች ጋር የጀመርነውን የቅርርብ ዲያሎጎችና የሀሳብ ልውውጦች በይበልጥ ልንገመግምው ወስነናል። ምክኒያቱም አንዳንድ ጉዳዩን ሊረዱ የማይችሉ ወይም ሊረዱ የማይፈልጉ ግለሰቦች የኛን የቅን አካሄድ እጅ እንደመስጠት አድርገው ሲሰብኩና የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግልንም ውጤት አልባና ውድቅ አድርገውም ሊጽፉ ሲሞክሩ ይታያሉ።
በአጼዎቹና በአምባገነኑ ዘመን የነበረውን የኦሮሞ ህዝብ ፖለቲካዊና ማህበራዊ መልክና ይዘት ከአሁኑ ጋር ሲነጻጸር ያለውን ለውጥ በፊልም ካላሳየናቸው በቀር እንደማይገባቸው አሁን አሁን ተረድተናል።
ከ 15 እስከ 25 ሚሊዮን የሚጠጋው በቋንቋው እየተማረ ያለው የኦሮሞ ልጅ በማን የትግል ውጤት እንደሆነ ምናልባት በእግዚአብሄር መልዕክተኛ ካልተነገራቸው በቀር ሰው የሚነግራቸውንም ሆነ በአይናቸው የሚያዩትን ማመን ተስኗቸዋል።
ያም ሆነ ይህ እነዚህን ትምክህተኞች በወንድማችን ጀዋር ላይ እያደረጉ ያሉትን አጼያዊ ዘመቻ ለራሳቸው ህልውና ሲሉ እንዲያቆሙ እያስጠነቀቅናቸው፡
1ኛ፡ ሌሎች በዲያስፖራና በሀገር ቤት የሚገኙ የነጻነት: የዲሞክራሲና የእኩልነት መብት ታጋዮች ሁሉ ይህንን አጼያዊ ዘመቻ እንዲያወግዙ እንጠይቃለን።
2ኛ፡ በዲያስፖራና በሀገር ቤት የሚገኙ ሁሉም የኦሮሞ ኮሚዩኒቲዎች፡ የባህልና የጥናት አካዳሚዎች፡ የወጣቶችና የሴቶች ማህበራት እንዲሁም የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች ይህ ዘመቻ የተከፈተው በጀዋር ላይ ብቻ ሳይሆን በኦሮሞ ህዝብ ላይም እንደሆነ አጢነው ተገቢዉን እርምጃ እንዲወስዱ እናሳስባለን።

እኛም በመጀመሪያ ደረጃ ኦሮሞ ነን።

July 24, 2013
Oromo Youth Association in Europe: London/England
Oromo Women’s Association in Europe: Munich/Germany
Contact us: abasuraa@yahoo.com

The SECRET of Orthodox church!!!

Geda Ganamo  July 21, 2013

Whenever we speak about Islam in Ethiopia, we can’t exclude Muslim Oromos, the Somalis, the Afars, the Argobas, the Siltie, the Harari etc. These communities see Islam as one part of their national identity values. Whenever we speak of the present aspects of Islam in Ethiopia, we are speaking about one component of the identity marks of these people. On the other …hand, these nations and nationalities were being oppressed not only for their being non-Abyssinians (the nation of ruling class) but also for their being Muslims. Accordingly, whenever they were fighting for their national rights, they were also struggling to vanquish the bad embargo put on their Islamic identity as well. What proof can I provide for this argument? I have one good example which can easily demonstrate the case.

The Ethipian Orthodox Church, which represented the official religion of the country until the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie, was serving the state as a weapon to deep-root identity crisis and inferiority complex in the minds of the subjects of the empire. And during the imperial era, the church had underlined that the two dangerous enemies of the empire were the “Galla” (a very bad word in which it used to call the Oromo people), and “Eslam” (meaning “Ethiopian Muslims”). And in one of its sacred books titled “ራዕየ ማሪያም”, the church was openly preaching a very bad thing about the two enemies it called “Galla” and “Eslam”.

“ራዕየ ማሪያም”” talks about Saint Mary’s visit of the heaven. It narrated what it claimed Mary had seen in the heavenly world on the invitation of her only Son, Jesus Christ. It said that Mary visited this and that, and Jesus Christ gave her an explanation for everything she saw. And in one scene, it said, Mary saw people who were being burned in deep valley of fire. The people there, it continued, shout in a very loud voice out of the pain and suffering. They wouldn’t die but burnt by the fire forever. So Mary asked “Who are these people? Why they are being punished in this way?” She got the following response.
“These are those who had sex with Galla and Eslam (Ethiopian Muslims)?”
The current “ራዕየ ማሪያም”” was edited during Derg and has no the aforementioned idea but if need arise we can upload the original video on YouTube. (Ubah Abdusalam)

Are these peoples preaching Politics or religion?

World Bank: Ducking Human Rights Issues

Edmonton protest sparks huge police presence

Edmonton protest sparks huge police presence

July 22, 2013 | Edmonton Journal

By Otiena Ellwand

Meeting interrupted, participants whisked away to avoid conflict between opposing Ethiopian groups

EDMONTON - A standoff between two Ethiopian groups attracted more than 45 police officers, some in riot gear, to a west end community league Saturday afternoon.

At around 3 p.m., police responded to a protest in the parking lot of the Belmead Community Centre at 182nd Street and 90th Avenue where more than 100 demonstrators had gathered. Officers called for backup after they were surrounded by a large group, Edmonton Police Service said in a news release.
The protest started escalating when demonstrators were denied access to a meeting of about 40 people that was taking place inside the community centre, said EPS spokeswoman Patrycia Thenu.

Several police officers blocked off the entrance to the building and made protesters stand on the sidewalk on the other side of the parking lot. There were more than a dozen police vehicles in the parking lot and blocking off the entrance to the community centre. There were several more police vehicles parked around the corner behind a strip mall on 89th Avenue.

Just before 5:30 p.m., an Edmonton Transit System bus drove up behind the building and the meeting attendees were escorted onto it. The protesters on the sidewalk started cheering, waving Ethiopian flags, one Canadian flag, and placards. When they got to the entrance of the community centre’s parking lot, some started chanting and dancing in a circle.

Protesters claimed the individuals at the meeting were representatives of the Ethiopian government. Sayf Abdi said the group is trying to collect money from Ethiopian-Canadians to fund development projects in their homeland, such as a massive hydroelectric damn in the Blue Nile River.

“That’s not true, this is a dictator government, they (are) killing people over there, it’s a military government,” he said. “There’s only one party for 22 years. There’s no democracy, no elections, no anything. We need (them) to know we are not supportive for them. We need to tell to them our voice. We need peace and democracy. That’s why we’re not supporting you.”

After talking to the media, most of the protesters disbanded.

At 6 p.m., the ETS bus returned and dropped off the meeting attendees so they could collect their vehicles and go home. Many wore white hats and had booklets with the Ethiopian flag on it.

Co-ordinator Desalegn Abara said about 120 members of the Ethiopian-Canadian Development Discussion Forum had gathered at the community centre for a meeting. He said the group is not affiliated with the Ethiopian government.

“Our goal is to provide information where people can participate either by investing, or through their skills, or by supporting the (development) projects,” he said.

Abara said the group is not asking for money, “there is no forcing or coercing in any way.”

He said protesters did not get into the building. However, Abara said he is disappointed that the meeting was interrupted.

“Unfortunately, the police collaborated with them and they stopped our meeting, we cut it short, as criminals we’ve been put in a bus and (taken) out of the premises,” he said.

He said the meeting will resume at a later date.

Thenu confirmed there were no injuries among the protesters or the individuals at the meeting. She said the demonstrators did have a permit for a peaceful protest.

No arrests were made or charges laid at the scene, but charges are pending against one male protester upon further investigation, the EPS news release said.

We are Oromos First!

A statement from Oromo Youth Self-Help Association (Washington, DC) condemning the attack on journalist Abdi Fite

July 20, 2013 

Oromummaa or Oromo nationalism has achieved successive victories and reached a higher level to mobilize the untapped Oromo human resources for a just cause – Oromo national movement that had been continuously and viciously attacked by successive Ethiopian regimes.
Even though Oromummaa has proved its maturity, firm stand, commitment and readiness to pay the necessary sacrifices back in Oromia, the recent minor retreat in the Oromo struggle has given the old empire builders in the Diaspora the courage not to accept the truth, just cause and strong Oromo nationalism. Instead they have wrongly convinced themselves that this would be a right time to rehabilitate and wage counter attack on Oromumma – which is altogether a futile attempt to begin with.
The recent multi-faceted audio-visual, oral and written media attack on Oromians and Oromummaa, although nothing of significance to deter us, is exceeding its limit and developing into physical attack on one of our members, who a few days ago produced and released a video clip declaring “I am Oromo First!” The attack happened on Tuesday July 16, 2013 in Silver Spring, Maryland in disguise. Firstly, such cowardly acts are indicators that some extremist Ethiopian immigrants, by infringing the law, have resorted to physical attack in a democratic country where they took refuge. Secondly, such unprecedented media and personal attacks on Oromumma are clear signs that Oromo nationalism has prevailed and unquestionably secured the upper hand in the political discourse in that old Empire.
The majority of Oromo youth in the Diaspora in general and members of OYSA/WWDO in particular have passed through, one way or the other, various atrocities, repression, imprisonment, torture, expulsion from different higher educational institutions in Ethiopia and forced to exile from our father land, Oromia. As such, many of the Oromo Qubee generation in the US are political asylees, who could not live on our own land due to life threatening situations in Oromia. We were the ones who bare handedly dared the highly armed Woyane Federal Police and special security forces in different universities, colleges and offices – a determination we learnt from those that came before us and one that our younger brothers and sisters are following to this day.
This being the case, if any one or any group has thought that they can perhaps bring us to submission, we ask them to rethink again. Let it be clear, for anyone who may still doubt us, that no amount of chauvinist media propaganda, abuse or physical attack will shake our will and determination to defend the rights of our people.
This is, therefore, to express our commitment to the respect of rule of law in the country that has given us political protection that we couldn’t get in our own homes due to century long occupation of our land and at the same time express our determination and readiness to pursue the Oromo cause until its final destination. By doing so, we will take all necessary legal actions to bring to justice the unruly and arrogant individuals that were involved in the attack of our member Abdi Fite on July 16, 2013. In the mean time, we urge Oromo youth in Diaspora to legally and lawfully organize to defend our rights at all times.
In the words of our youth that are being attacked verbally and physically we too declare “We are Oromos First!” Our cause is just and our struggle for freedom shall continue! In the meantime, we would like to assure our people that Oromo youth is more than ready to take the freedom torch forward to its final destination in victory!
Oromo Youth Self-Help Association, Washington, DC

- See more at: http://washington.gaaddisaoromo.com/we-are-oromos-first/#sthash.3umwbGT5.dpuf