Oromummà Despising Oromo Elites, Including Abiy Ahmed, Ruled Ethiopia Since 1270!
By Fayyis Oromia*
Slowly, it is becoming clear that Oromo elites, from Yekuno Amlak of 1270 to Abiy Ahmed since 2018, have ruled Ethiopia while despising Oromummà but revering Amaranet. All these Oromo elites, who have held power in the Finfinne Palace until now, have effectively served the Amaranet bloc—often at the expense of the Oromummà camp. Dr. Abiy is no exception. He has served the bloc just as Mengistu Hailemariam did. Rather than promoting Oromiffà and advancing the cause of Oromummà, he has preserved the existing dominance of Amarigna and Amaranet.
Despite his loyalty to the Amhara elites, they have never truly trusted him—simply because of the Oromo blood he carries. They have betrayed him and are now actively working to dismantle his regime. Surely, after Dr. Abiy, there will be no more Oromo leaders in the Finfinne Palace willing to serve the Amaranet cause. The next Oromo leader who rises to power must be a devoted servant of the Oromummà camp. With that, we will witness the end of Amaranet domination in Ethiopia.
The political divide that began with Yekuno Amlak’s rise to power in 1270 (himself a culturally Amaranized, biologically Oromo figure) has always been rooted in language and class. The royal family spoke Lisane Negus (Amarigna), while the common people of the region used Agawigna and Oromiffa. Over time, the language of the royals was glorified, and the languages of the people were marginalized. Naturally, many citizens sought fluency in Lisane Negus to gain status and opportunity. As a result, most of the Agaw people in Gojjam, Gondar, and Lalibela, along with many Oromos in Raya, Shoa, and Wollo, became Amaranized.
This process of Amaranization continues today—especially in urban areas, starting from Finfinne. How many of us have children or grandchildren who have lost their parents’ language and now speak only Amarigna? Dr. Abiy and his Prosperity Party belong to those who revere Amarigna, neglecting Agawigna and Oromiffa. Even some former OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) members, once dedicated to advancing Oromiffà, have joined Abiy and now strive to speak fluent Amarigna—forgetting their duty to promote Oromiffà as the primary working language of the federation.
Today, it is becoming clearer that there are no distinct ethnic groups called “Amhara” or “Tigrayans”—rather, there are Amarigna- and Tigrinya-speaking Cushites, primarily of Agaw and Oromo origin. From Menelik’s rise to power in the late 19th century until 1991, Amarigna-speaking Oromos from Dirre-Sawwa (Shoa), supported by their Oromiffa-speaking kin, formed and ruled the empire. Menelik symbolized the Amarigna-speaking Shoa Oromo, while Gobana represented the Oromiffa-speaking faction. During this reign, Amarigna-speaking Agaw from Gondar, Lasta, and Gojjam benefited secondarily.
In 1991, Tigrinya-speaking Agaw from Tigray, supported by Agawigna-speaking kin, seized power and ruled the empire with brute force. Their relentless desire to retain control led them to claim 100% electoral victories and massacre Oromo communities for 27 years. During this time, Tigrinya-speaking Oromo from Raya and Azebo were allowed a secondary role. At the same time, Amarigna-speaking Agaw from Gondar, Lasta, and Gojjam, along with Amarigna-speaking Oromos from Gojjam, Gondar, Shoa, Wollo, and Oromiffa-speaking Oromos, were all marginalized.
To change this long-standing pattern, the Oromo and other groups formed a shared vision and alliance against their oppressors. The goal was a union of free peoples—whether we call it Ethiopia or Oropia.
Now, the task of changing this trend falls to genuine Oromo nationalists. We must convince Dr. Abiy and his Prosperity Party to stop revering Amarigna and begin respecting Oromiffa. Oromiffà deserves its rightful place as the primary language of the federation, replacing Amarigna. I wonder how Dr. Dima Nagewo (a former OLF leader) lacked the courage to speak Oromiffà in Parliament—something Obbo Bulcha Demeksa proudly did years ago. Who would have thought that OLF members supporting Dr. Abiy would be so quick to master Amarigna instead of working to promote and develop Oromiffà? They seem to revere Lisane Negus at the expense of the people’s languages.
Like it or not, today’s political conflict isn’t primarily about class, ethnicity, region, ideology, or religion. It is, at its core, a struggle over language. It is a conflict between two language groups within the same biological ethnicity. To put it simply: the battle is between Amarigna-revering Oromo and Oromiffa-respecting Oromo. I hope the latter will prevail soon.
May Wàqa help us!
Galatôma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2018/12/0 ... ng-agaw-2/
Re: Oromummà Despising Oromo Elites, Including Abiy Ahmed, Ruled Ethiopia Since 1270!
Slowly, it is becoming clear that Oromo elites, from Yekuno Amlak of 1270 to Abiy Ahmed since 2018, have ruled Ethiopia while despising Oromummà but revering Amaranet. All these Oromo elites, who have held power in the Finfinne Palace until now, have effectively served the Amaranet bloc—often at the expense of the Oromummà camp. Dr. Abiy is no exception. He has served the bloc just as Mengistu Hailemariam did. Rather than promoting Oromiffà and advancing the cause of Oromummà, he has preserved the existing dominance of Amarigna and Amaranet.