Is Dr. Abiy’s Project of MEGA (Making Ethiopia Great Again) Similar to MAGA (Making Amapia Great Again) or MOGA (Making Oropia Great Again)?
By Fayyis Oromia*
Biltsigina activists are celebrating Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s vision of MEGA—Making Ethiopia Great Again. What they have not clarified, however, is which Ethiopia is being “made great.” Is it MAGA—Making Amapia (an Amharic-dominated Ethiopia) great again? Or is it MOGA—Making Oropia (an Oromic-led Ethiopia) great again? Dr. Abiy has yet to decide whether MEGA will take the form of MAGA or MOGA.
There is growing speculation that the Prime Minister is preparing to dismantle Ethiopia’s ethnic federalism in favor of a geo-federal system. Some unitarist, pro-Amharanet elites—long opposed to the rights and autonomy of nations and nationalities—are applauding this, mistakenly believing it signals a return to an Amharic-dominated Ethiopia. But this is a misreading of both history and present political dynamics.
Ethiopia will not revert to the Amapia of Mengistu Hailemariam’s era—a centralized federation dominated by Amharic culture. That chapter is closed. Instead, Ethiopia is evolving toward either:
- Lénco Lata’s Orompia—an Oromic-led ethnic federation, or
- Haile Fida’s Oropia—a geo-federation shaped by the values and political vision of Oromummà.
If Abiy’s government does shift toward geo-federalism, the move is more likely to empower Oropia than restore Amapia. Attempting to push MEGA in the direction of MAGA would therefore be swimming against the tide of current political realities. In practice, MEGA appears to be unfolding as MOGA.
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2023/01/0 ... oromummaa/
Re: Is Dr. Abiy’s Project of MEGA (Making Ethiopia Great Again) Similar to MAGA (Amapia Great) or MOGA (Oropia Great)?
This transformation unsettles those who have historically opposed Oromo self-expression. But the rise of Oromummà rests on undeniable facts: demographic strength, geographic centrality, and linguistic expansion. The designation of Oromic as a federal working language has accelerated a cultural shift long suppressed by past regimes. For generations, Amhara monarchs and military rulers marginalized Oromic—even at the local Qebelé level—to protect the supremacy of Amharic.