Ethiopians Are Multilingual Cushites, But Not Necessarily Multi-national!
By Fayyis Oromia*
It is gradually becoming clear that Ethiopians in particular, and the peoples of the Horn of Africa in general, are Cushites—contrary to the classifications imposed by Eurocentric “scholars” who divided them into Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, and Nilotic groups. In reality, the peoples of Ethiopia and the Horn are Cushitic by origin, and their ancestral nation is the Oromo. Simply put, they are all Oromo who, over time, began to speak different languages. They are multilingual Oromo (Cushites).
This is why Oromo nationalists are increasingly interested in a united Ethiopia and an integrated Horn of Africa. It is essentially another way of reuniting and integrating the Oromo people who speak different languages across the region. Nearly all the peoples of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya are Cushites—Oromo by origin—who now speak various languages. That is why I dare say that Ethiopians in particular, and Horn Africans in general, belong to one nation speaking different languages.
We can refer to this common national identity as Ethiopian, Cushite, or Oromo. All languages spoken in this region stem from the Oromo. We must nurture and develop all of them within their respective linguistic areas. For this purpose, it would be beneficial to establish a language-based federation in the Horn of Africa, under the leadership of Afàn Oromô. The question is: Is Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s Medemer philosophy serving this purpose? Time will tell.
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2023/06/0 ... -national/