We are All Ethiopians (Decendants of Ham – Kush – Ethiop) Speaking Different Languages, None is Semetic!
By Fayyis Oromia*
I dare to buy the mythology, which tells us that we are all Ethiopians as decendants of Ham – Kush – Ethiop. It is told that Ethiop (Et’el) came from Kana’an to the region and his decendants are now all over the continent. Actually, the original name of the continent was Ethiopia, whereas Africa is given by the Roman Empire. There is no Semetic nation in Ethiopia, except certain genetic mix based on popular migrations in different directions. Unfortunately, the name Ethiopia was contaminated by the past oppressiv regimes, who tried to alienate the Oromo and kursed the people as “barbaric invaders of 16th century”. No wonder that we hated this name and fought against the oppressors. Now, we are free to some extent, except the fact that Dr. Abiy’s regime is not yet 100% loyal to the Oromo cause. Despite this mistrust, we can now clean the dirty name of Ethiopia and use it in a sense of colorful multi-lingual rainbow country to which we all can identify ourselves. Ethiopia can be our common home speaking Afaan Oromo primarily. Being Ethiopian can be our common identity and all languages in the country can belong to all of us. Even in the long run, we can re-name Africa as Ethiopia.
No question that slowly, but surely, rainbow Ethiopiawinet led by Oromumma is flourishing. Now it is going on at low pace because of the lack of dedication from the side of prosperitan Oromos in power. This will change in a near future, when Oromo republicans will take over the mission. To realize such Oromumma led rainbow Ethiopiawinet, Oromo elites should consolidate power in Finfinne palace and promote Afaan Oromo to primary language of the federation. The Oromo hate the hitherto Ethiopawinet (Ethiopianness) for it is equivalent to only Amaranet. As long as Amarigna is dominating in the country, Amaranet continues to be the same to Ethiopiawinet. That is why Amara elites always sing about Ethiopiawinet. Thanks to the OLF, this trend changed since 1960s. The influence of Oromiffa/Oromumma is growing slowly but surely, despite even the attempt of prosperitan Oromos led by Dr. Abiy trying to keep the domination of Amharanet at the cost of Oromumma.
It is an open secret that Ob. Leenco Lataa is behind all the political calculus practiced by Dr. Abiy Ahmed. It is also a public reality that Ob. Leenco Baati is the leading advisor of the PM. The only unsolved puzzle is why should they tolerate the ongoing domination of Amaranet at the cost of a legitimate leadership of Oromumma? One of the positive aspects of the war against TPLF is that it made the hegemonist Tegaru elites out of political competition in Finfinne palace forever. Then remained only the two major forces (Amara dictators with their supportive PAE/pro-Amharanet elites and Oromo properitans led by the POE/pro-Oromumma elites) to fight for power. The POE, i.e republican Oromo need to foster rainbow Ethiopiawinet with proportional content of 40% Oromumma, 20% Agawnet, 10% Amaranet, 6% Somalumma, 5% Tegarunet and 4% Sidamumma etc.
The question now is: whom will Dr. Abiy promote after the victory over TPLF? The Amaranet bloc or the Oromumma camp? Which language will be future primary working language of Ethiopia: Amarigna or Oromiffa? The rhetoric of using both languages equally is practically impossible. Dr. Abiy will be obliged to choose either keeping Amarigna domination or promoting Oromiffa to the leading position. If he chooses the first, that is equivalent to building Ethiopia as Amapia (Amaranet dominated Ethiopia), which means he will be seen as stupid Oromo leader. If he may choose the second option, that is tantamount to fostering Ethiopia as Oropia (Oromumma led Ethiopia), which will entitle him as smart Oromo leader. It doesn’t matter if the administrative structure will be geo-federalism or ethnic federation. Making Oromiffa primary language of the country or hindering it from growing to this status will be a litmus paper to decide whether Dr. Abiy will be considered as smart or stupid Oromo leader.
Otherwise, when I see Abesha elites celebrating and Oromo nationals morning the consequence of the steps taken by Dr. Abiy Ahmed up to now, especially regarding the crackdown on the genuine Oromo nationalists, I dare to ask: who is he? A smart foe or a stupid friend of the Oromo? He must be only one of the two categories so that he turned victory of Oromo struggle to futility. I was one of the decieved Oromo, who believed that we are already liberated as Abiy became PM of Ethiopia in 2018. He and his family entered the palace wearing Oromo attire, but now the palace is dominated by Amharigna and Amharanet of his wife. How come that he betrayed the Oromo as such, if he was struggling for Oromo as he tried to convince us? Was he a smart foe, who effectively infiltrated Oromo camp to sabotage our struggle from the very beginning? Or, is he a stupid Oromo influenced by “religion of love” and naively manipulated to be instrumentalized by the [ deleted ] Abesha elites, so that they fooled him and usurped our victory? Anyways, whether he is a smart foe or stupid friend, aluta continua, the Oromo shall prevail and he will be registered in the dark page of our history.
Yet, another important question is “how can we fix the gridlock?” between the Prosperitan Oromo elites led by Dr. Abiy and the Republican Oromo elites with the OLF Mindset of Bilisumma? I once appealed to Oromo websites to try to help fixing such gridlocks in our liberation movement. Thanks to Waaqa, we were practicing increasingly “ilaa fi ilaamee” (reasoning with each other according to Oromo tradition) to solve our problems. The longing and pushing for unity of Oromo activists from the Oromo public in every walk of life have been expressed in many different ways: articles, music, poems, theaters, etc. We have done this for we knew that unity is the alpha and omega for success of our liberation struggle. So, we loudly spoke, put politicians under pressure, and tried to persuade them to get unity of purpose for freedom.
As a response to this demand of Oromo grassroots, our polity reacted in different ways; for instance, the merger to OFC and the OLF being on a process to re-unification. These were very encouraging news for Oromo friends and, of course, it was a blow to our foes. Such move of Oromo liberation forces towards unity caused also different reactions from individuals, websites and institutions. We heard, read and saw those who applauded the move, and we also could register some activists criticizing such a move. An interesting opposition to such call for unity came from a renowned Oromo friend, Professor Megalommatis, in his article posted on the Oromo exiled Parliamentarians’ website. The main point of his criticism was directed to one of my articles with the title: “If United, We Can Make a Difference Even in the Horn”. The main critical response of the Professor was as follows:
“… This “unity” or “union” is truly the Oromos’ last need and concern. Diffusing the idea that today’s Oromos need to unite in order to achieve liberation is an effort to avert this development. National liberation and revolution do not need “union” in order to be materialized; what is needed is dynamics of all its parts …”
Prof. Megalommatis argued that dynamics must be given priority over unity. Regarding what dynamics is, he explains it as follows:
“… Identity preservation is the supreme right of every person and nation. At the practical level, if a nation has not achieved self-determination, this means rightful revolution and secession. These two words are based on one reality: Dynamics.
The creation of Oromo Liberation Dynamics
Only the dynamics of a concept (of a plan, of an act) can generate a revolution and impose irrevocable defeat on the cruel forces of the barbaric Abyssinian oppressors. Certainly, the nature of the dynamics differs according to place and time.
Dynamics is based on:
a) well calculated force,
b) determined performers, and
c) premeditated, well planned actions.
Dynamics may at times involve mass (large populations), but this is secondary and posterior; force, well-calculated force, is all that matters. This means that a small group of five (5) Oromos, who are all publicly unknown, but have developed a liberation plan involving well calculated force, their own determination, and premeditated, well planned actions, can achieve much more than thousands of Oromos participating in the already proven as ineffective, liberation fronts and movements.
Dynamics does not need the agreement of numerous participants who are mostly a liability, instead of being an asset. There is no need for analyses, considerations, discussions and deliberations. Dynamics is produced by few people, one thought, absolute determination, and the correct plan.
But the rightful decision to launch this dynamics is a totally free process that belongs to everyone. There is nothing in the world to prevent any Oromo from launching a dynamics of destruction of the criminal state “Ethiopia”. Every law in the colonial tyranny is rubbish; every ruler and administrator is a gangster; they have no value … And this is the Right of every Revolution; this is the way America was liberated, Mexico achieved independence, and Brazil came to exist …..”
My question to the Professor was, why did he try to equate unity with lack of dynamics or with inaction or with apathy? Can’t we have unity with dynamics? Why is unity seen as a vice rather than as a virtue, which can help to achieve Oromo people’s right to self-determination? I personally advocated not for inactive unity, but for a very dynamic and very efficient one. Did this make me delusional as the Professor or his apparently Oromo assistant tried to describe me?
Despite such notions against Oromo unity, we heard and read a lot of voices rejoicing because of the move of our politicians in both the OLF towards unity for freedom. Leaving the responses from different individuals and institutions for Oromo readers to judge themselves, I concentrated on the response from and the approach taken by two Oromo websites (Gadaa.com and Bilisummaa.com), which could be an example for the two ways of our dealing with the issue. Here, I wanted to concentrate on only their take regarding one Oromo nationalists’ conference.
Gadaa.com’s approach was summarized under the title it gave for the whole discussion: “ilaa fi ilaame”, and it was characterized by emphasis the website gave for promoting unity, which was mainly expressed in the subtitle “coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Its whole publications were solution oriented, which really was a nice help to promote our effort in fixing the gridlock.
On the contrary, Bilisummaa.com’s approach was emphasizing the perceived or the real conflict between the two “contradictory” camps in Oromo liberation movement: “conflict” between “pro Ehiopian democratization” and “pro Oromian decolonization” nationalists. Its whole approach was summarized in the cynical comment written in Afaan Oromo as follows:
“Yaanni yeroo dheeraaf mooraa qabsoo jeequu fi shakkiin qabsaawoota adda facaasuu dhaan, dhaabni dhaaba dhaluu fi walirratti duuluu malee, diina/nyaapha ajjeesee Oromoo garaa qabbaneessuu dadhabe, kunoo yeroo ammaa ifatti fi ummatatti as bahee mata duree miidiyaa/sabaahimaa Oromoo tahee jira jedhu…”
Not only this cynical comment, but there were also pictures of Oromo politicians posted being divided into two: in Oromia’s map and in Ethiopia’s (Oropia’s map to “show” or to suggest that those in Oromia’s map were “true Oromo nationalists” and those in Oropia’s map were “false Oromo nationalists who were Ethiopianists.”As far as I am concerned, those put in the Oropian map were not Ethiopianists per se. Oromo Ethiopianists were only those who do not accept and believe in the right of Oromia to exist, be it in a form of autonomy in Ethiopian context or independence with or without union of free peoples in the region. Oromo about only autonomy, “disregarding” complete independence, were true Oromianists just like those who were in a position to say “spade is spade”, and demanded independence by any means. The only difference between the two camps of Oromo nationalists (Oromianists) depicted by Bilisummaa.com was the difference of view on the possible outcome of Oromo’s right to self-determination (outcome in a form of autonomy in Ethiopian context Vs. independence without union vs independence within union of free peoples).
The approaches of the two websites were classical examples for approaches of different Oromo individuals and institutions we observed in our community. Gadaa.com was an example for those who have already registered where our problems were, but concentrate in walking, talking and writing mainly solution-oriented. Such individuals and institutions were more productive in helping fix the gridlock. Bilisummaa.com was, on the contrary, an example for those who just rotated around talking and writing about problems and who were too cynical to suggest a solution. Such individuals and institutions were more parts of the problem rather than parts of the solution. They created more disunity than leading to unity. The question to be answered was: were they doing it unintentionally as “stupid friend” or intentionally being part of our “smart foe”? Anyways, thanks to Qarre fi Qeerro, the examplary dynamics in Oromo politics, we are now on verg of liberation from Abyssinian domination in order to exercise our sovereignty regarding the futur of Oromia (Oromia vs Oropia)! But, firstly we have to get rid of Abiy”s Neo-Naftagna regime, which is surely either a smart foe or stupid friend of the Oromo. I hope Prosperitan Oromos in OPP will come to their sense and promote Oromummaa further to its legitimate leading position in the new rain bow Ethiopianness of about 80 colors (nations) in the grace of Amharanet domination. May Waaqa help us!
Galatôma!
Read more:https://orompia.wordpress.com/2020/08/31/xxxx-2/