Ethiopian News, Current Affairs and Opinion Forum
OPFist
Member+
Posts: 6554
Joined: 29 Sep 2013, 09:27

The Emerging Pragmatic and Smart Third Generation of Oromo Nationalists!

Post by OPFist » 02 Jun 2025, 12:26

The Emerging Pragmatic and Smart Third Generation of Oromo Nationalists!

By Fayyis Oromia*

We have already come a long way on our journey toward liberation. There was a time when we all competed to be better Amharas rather than being proud Oromos. That was the path taken by all ruling Oromos—from Atse Yekuno Amlak (an Oromo) to Emperor Haile Selassie (also an Oromo). They revered Amharaness/Amharic more than they respected Oromiffa/Oromummaa. Even today, some leaders in the ruling party, and even within our own families, strive to be Amhara rather than identifying themselves as Oromo. That’s why they continue to uphold the dominance of Amharic, instead of legitimately promoting Oromiffa as the primary working language of the federation.

Fortunately, most Oromo elites are now emerging as pragmatic and smart nationalists. They are claiming the broader Oropia (Oromummaa-led Ethiopia) as our gross salary, rather than being complacent with liberating the smaller Oromia, which is only our net salary. Thanks to the OLF, which reversed the trend from revering Amharaness to respecting Oromummaa, we are now on the right path. Let’s examine how Oromo nationalism has evolved to reach this current third-generation stage.

Was Obbo Lamma Magarsa’s “Ethiopian-Kenya” Movement the Birth of the Third-Generation Oromo Liberation Movement?

The Oromo liberation movement is part and parcel of the broader struggle of Cushitic nations in the Horn of Africa against foreign colonization, exploitation, and domination over the last 3,000 years. These Cushitic nations—referred to as Oromota in the Afan Oromo version of the Bible—describe the non-Semitic peoples who influenced ancient Egypt and Israel. The Oromota were known as the people of Cush, later renamed by the Greeks as the people of Ethiopia (land of burnt faces). As parts of Cushland came under Semitic influence, some Cushites adopted foreign cultures and became the Habesha of Abyssinia—a name given by the Portuguese, meaning “land of the mixed.”

However, the Cushitic nations are neither “mixed” nor “burnt”; they are the Cushitic Oromota.

Leaving aside the ancient history of the Cushites for interested historians, let us consider the more recent liberation struggles, beginning in the 14th century when Europeans arrived in Cushland and manipulated one Cushitic group against another. They portrayed the Habeshanized Cushites as superior “Semitic” Christians, while labeling the rest, including most Oromo, as “inferior pagans.” This laid the foundation for using the Habeshanized elites as tools to subjugate the free Cushitic nations.

The so-called 16th-century Oromo migration was in fact a successful Oromo liberation movement. It defended the sovereignty of the Oromo people against Europeans using northern Habeshanized groups and against Ottoman Turks who attempted to mobilize Arabized peoples in the east. Since then, the struggle between Oromians and Abyssinians (the Habeshanized Cushites who abandoned their cultural roots to identify with the Semitic Solomonic dynasty) has persisted.

The Abyssinians are, in reality, Cushitic ABASO (Afar, Beja, Agaw, Saho, and Oromo) who lost their languages and cultures to become speakers of Ge’ez, and later Tigre, Amharic, and Tigrinya. They are now known as Habesha.

The worst chapter in this conflict came during the 19th-century European-led scramble for Africa, formalized in the Berlin Conference. Emperor Menelik of Abyssinia, supported by Europeans, conquered and subjugated the fiercely independent Cushitic Oromo. After this defeat, the Oromo and other Cushites came under the authoritarian rule of Habeshanized elites.

Evolution of Oromo Liberation Movement

The Oromo liberation movement later consolidated into organized resistance, led by the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), founded in the 1960s alongside the Ethiopian Student Movement (ESM).

Initially known as the Ethiopian National Liberation Front (ENLF), the OLF aimed for inclusive liberation. It later changed its name to focus specifically on the liberation of the Oromo people, who were targeted for their identity. Since then, the OLF has evolved alongside Oromo society. Today, we see three generations within the movement:

- First Generation (1969–1991):
Initiated the struggle when the Oromo’s national existence was under threat. Their goal was kayyo ganama (the original objective): unconditional independence for Oromia.

- Second Generation (1991 onwards):
After securing Oromo existence and territory, this generation proposed kayyo guyyaa—freedom through possible union with other free peoples. They cooperated with Tigrinya-speaking elites, who initially accepted this idea but later betrayed it after consolidating power.

-Third Generation (Emerging now):
This generation confidently aims to liberate not just Oromos, but all oppressed Cushitic and non-Cushitic peoples. It proposes kayyo galgala—an integrative Oropia that could encompass all of Ethiopia and beyond, from southern Egypt to Tanzania and the Indian Ocean.
This generation is willing to work even with Amharic-speaking elites who once opposed Oromo rights—e.g., through cooperation between OPDO and ANDM.

Three Visions, One Goal: Freedom

Despite differing strategies and interpretations, the unifying goal of all three generations remains freedom for the Oromo. The debate centers not around whether freedom is needed, but how it should be achieved:
- Independent Oromia (external self-determination – 1st generation)
- Free Oromia within a federal union (internal self-determination – 2nd generation)
- Referendum on sovereignty: including an option for Oromia to become the whole of Ethiopia, without necessarily having a separate Oromo state (3rd generation)

Each generation emphasizes a different rhetoric but pursues the same end. The OLF adjusts its approach based on the conditions of the time (the Zeitgeist):
- Under oppressive regimes: it emphasizes independence.
- When dialogue is possible: it supports referendum and federal union.
- In open democratic spaces: it entertains even an inclusive Ethiopian identity led by Oromummaa.

Toward Unity and Pragmatism

The OLF may be structurally divided into three factions, but ideologically, all are rooted in the same mindset—self-determination. Whether in the ruling party, opposition, or armed movement, Oromo leaders are united in belief, even if not in words. They may use different rhetoric under pressure (e.g., from Biltsigina), but they all work toward the same goal.

I personally oppose any forced or dictatorial unity. I support a union of free peoples based on voluntary consent. Any unity that does not include the Oromo people’s voice will ultimately fail—whether in one year, ten, or a hundred. The Oromo’s right to self-determination can be delayed, but not denied.

The International Crisis Group once observed:
“Despite its organizational flaws and divisions, many ordinary Oromos retain an almost messianic belief in the OLF as a major nationalist organization.”

This belief spans all three generations. The key is to maximize cooperation and minimize conflict among them. Each generation has contributed its share:
- The first preserved Oromo existence.
- The second secured cultural autonomy.
- The third now builds bridges and redefines alliances.
Obbo Lamma Magarsa’s and his team’s efforts should be seen as part of this inclusive third-generation movement. The alliances with AG7, ANDM, and others reflect a pragmatic shift towards shared struggle and mutual liberation.

Conclusion
- Long live the Oromo national liberation movement!
- One goal—freedom.
- Three interpretations—independence, federal union, inclusive integration.
- Three paths—rebellion, opposition, ruling participation.
- Three generations—past, present, emerging.

Let us honor all, coordinate wisely, and march together toward justice, dignity, and self-determination.

Galatooma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2023/06/1 ... ionalists/