OLF’s Mission: Deconstruct Amapia and Reconstruct Oropia!
By Fayyis Oromia*
It seems the Oromo struggle has undergone an effective paradigm shift—from the goal of an independent Oromia to the vision of an integrative Oropia (an Oromummaa-led Ethiopia). This journey, transforming Amapia (Amharanet-dominated Ethiopia) into Oropia, began nearly 50 years ago with the formation of the OLF. This vanguard organization successfully redirected the developmental trajectory of Oromo elites.
Since the era of Yekuno Amlak, Oromo elites were competing to become the “best Amhara,” causing many Oromos to lose their identity and assimilate into Habesha culture. Through this process, Oromos in Abyssinia became speakers of Amharic and Tigrigna. The OLF cultivated the mindset of bilisummaa (freedom), inspiring Oromo elites to take pride in their Oromummaa rather than striving to adopt Habeshanet—particularly Amharanet.
Today, most Oromo elites have shed the slave mentality of wanting to be “more Amhara than the native Amhara.” Only the ruling hybrid Prosperitans, led by Dr. Abiy, continue to revere Amharanet and Amarigna, rather than respecting Oromiffa and Oromummaa. This is why they still resist the rightful promotion of Afaan Oromo as the primary working language of federal institutions—including the palace, parliament, cabinet, judiciary, military, and security forces. They understand that such a promotion would effectively mark the transformation from Amapia to Oropia.
We hope genuine Oromo nationalists, armed with the OLF’s bilisummaa mindset, will prevail and complete the ongoing task of deconstructing Amapia and reconstructing Oropia.
The ongoing Irreechaa celebrations and the replacement of the Amhara GYR (green-yellow-red) flag with the Oromo BRW (black-red-white) flag on the streets of Finfinne reflect the reality on the ground: Ethiopia as Amapia is dying, while Ethiopia as Oropia is steadily growing. This transformation is irreversible. The Fano movement is merely a temporary disruption that will likely disadvantage the Amhara region in the long term.
Anyone who agitates Fano (“the cat”) against Qeerroo (“the lion”) is effectively an enemy of the former. The Qeerroo movement is slowly defeating even the hybrid incumbent government, which continues to uphold Amharanet dominance at the expense of Oromummaa’s rightful leadership. The next major step in the Qeerroo movement’s journey will be the expected elevation of Afaan Oromo to the status of primary federal language, replacing Amarigna.
For Ethiopia to survive as a country, it has only two options: either continue under the domination of Amharanet and Amarigna, or transition to leadership by Oromiffa and Oromummaa. Until now, Ethiopia has followed the first path, and therefore it has essentially been Amapia. The Oromo national struggle, led by the OLF over the past 50 years, has achieved a great deal—but Oromia, and Ethiopia at large, have not yet been fully liberated from Amharanet domination.
Oromo Prosperitans under Dr. Abiy are not suited for this phase of the movement. They seem to revere Amarigna rather than respecting Oromiffa, which is why they are unwilling to promote Afaan Oromo to its rightful position as the primary working language of the federation. Amhara elites within the ruling party are strategically doing everything possible to maintain Amharanet dominance in Finfinne and across the country.
It is now up to genuine Oromo nationalists—whether in OFC, OLF, or even OPP—to change this status quo and establish the legitimate leadership of Oromummaa. Promoting Afaan Oromo to the status of federal working language is a crucial step toward this goal. Only then can Ethiopia truly transition from Amapia to Oropia. Until that happens, Amapia will remain, and neither Oromia nor Oropia will be free from the current system of domination.
The ongoing trend in Oromo politics is crystal clear: a major paradigm shift is occurring—from focusing solely on Oromia’s liberation to pursuing the transformation of the entire Ethiopian state into Oropia. The current Ethiopia, including Abiy Ahmed’s government, remains dictatorially dominated by Amharanet and Amarigna. This is illegitimate given the Oromo people, who speak Afaan Oromo, make up at least 40% of the population, followed by the Agaw people at around 20%.
If there are Amhara at all, they constitute only about 10% of the population. Many Amarigna-speaking individuals recognize that their roots are either Agaw or Oromo. For this reason, it is now the right time for genuine Oromo nationalists to embrace and build Oropia.
Old Ethiopiawinet, dominated by Amharanet, is dying. Oromo republicans should work from within the ruling Prosperity Party to influence and persuade Abiy Ahmed to abandon Amharanet hegemony and promote Oromummaa leadership. They must push for Afaan Oromo to become the primary language of the state—used in all institutions, including the palace, parliament, government, courts, security, and military.
Once this happens, Ethiopia will become a de facto Oropia. This goal is increasingly shared by Oromo politicians, many of whom now prioritize transforming Ethiopia over seeking the independence of Oromia alone.
We all know that true Ethiopia = Cush = Oropia. For the past 3,000 years, systematic anti-Cushitism has sought to build a pseudo-Ethiopia that erases Cushitic identities. The so-called “glorious history” of 3,000 years is largely anti-Cushitic in nature. Some key features of this agenda include:
– Denying the existence of Cushitic civilizations and attributing their achievements to Semites (e.g., ancient Egypt and Axum).
– Giving Cushitic leaders false ancestry, linking them to either the Prophet Muhammad or King Solomon.
– Undermining Cushitic languages and cultures in Cushitic homelands like Ethiopia.
– Weakening indigenous Cushitic religions like Waaqa/Haayyu/Hige-Libona (Waaqeffannaa).
– Denying Afaan Oromo federal status to marginalize Cushitic heritage.
– Misclassifying Cushitic peoples into other categories (e.g., labeling Omotic and Ethio-Semitic peoples as non-Cushitic).
– Habesha elites weaponizing Ethiopiawinet against Cushitic liberation, using it as a mask for an Ethiophobic ideology.
– True Ethiopiawinet (or Kushawinet) honors Oromummaa and other Cushitic values, but what is promoted today is a distorted, Oromophobic narrative.
Due to this confusion between pseudo-Ethiopiawinet and true Ethiopiawinet, the Oromo prefer to call the country Oropia, just as we’ve renamed Addis Ababa to Finfinne. We do not accept a de-Cushiticized pseudo-Ethiopia. We struggle for the rebirth of a genuine Ethiopiawinet, rich in Cushitic heritage, built on the grave of the Habeshawinet-centered, Ethiophobic version currently dominating discourse.
Reviving Cushitic identity also includes the Agaw culture and language—not only in small, remaining enclaves, but across all of Agaw-Midir. See the map of Agaw-Midir here.
Galatooma!
Read more:https://orompia.wordpress.com/2017/04/0 ... cushitism/