Oromic-Despising Rulers: Menelik Càla, Teferi Guddisà, Mengistu Ayàna, Meles Gobena, and Abiy Ahmed
Posted: 01 Nov 2025, 04:09
Oromic-Despising Rulers: Menelik Càla, Teferi Guddisà, Mengistu Ayàna, Meles Gobena, and Abiy Ahmed
By Fayyis Oromia*
Gradually, it is becoming clear that Oromo elites—from Yekuno Amlak in 1270 to Abiy Ahmed since 2018—have ruled Ethiopia while despising Oromic and revering Amharic. These Oromo elites, who have occupied the Finfinné Palace for centuries, have consistently served the pro-Amharic-domination bloc—often at the expense of the pro-Oromic-leadership movement. Dr. Abiy is no exception. Like Mengistu Ayàna and Meles Gobena before him, he has served the same bloc. Rather than promoting Oromic and advancing the cause of Oromummà, he has preserved the existing dominance of Amharic.
Despite his loyalty to the Amhara elites, they have never truly trusted him—simply because of his Oromo blood. They have now betrayed him and are actively working to dismantle his regime. Surely, after Dr. Abiy, there will be no more Oromo leaders in the Finfinné Palace willing to serve the cause of Amharic domination. The next Oromo leader who rises to power must be a devoted servant of the pro-Oromic movement. With that, we will finally witness the end of Amharic domination in Ethiopia.
The political divide that began with Yekuno Amlak’s rise to power in 1270 (himself a culturally Amharanized, biologically Oromo figure) has always been rooted in language and class. The royal family spoke Lisane Negus (Amharic), while the common people used Agawigna and Oromic. Over time, the language of the royals was glorified, while 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 Amharanized.
Why did—and do—Oromo elites tend to despise Oromic and revere Amharic? There is a psychological explanation. From the very beginning, Amharic was associated with modernity, political power, religious authority, and privilege. Oromic, by contrast, was linked with the non-privileged, rural, and traditional population. It is a human bias to admire and adopt the language of the powerful while neglecting that of the poor and marginalized. This same mechanism still operates in the minds of many Oromo elites—even today—including Dr. Abiy, who appears subconsciously ready for Amharization.
This process of Amharanization continues, especially in urban areas beginning from Finfinné. How many of us have children or grandchildren who have lost their parents’ language and now speak only Amharic? Dr. Abiy and his Prosperity Party belong to those who revere Amharic while neglecting Agawigna and Oromic. Even some former OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) members—once dedicated to advancing Oromic—have joined Abiy and now strive to speak fluent Amharic, forgetting their duty to promote Oromic as the primary working language of the federation.
Today, it is increasingly evident that there are no distinct ethnic groups called “Amhara” or “Tigrayans.” Rather, there exist Amharic- and Tigrinya-speaking Cushites—primarily of Agaw and Oromo origin. From Menelik Càla’s rise to power in the late 19th century until 1991, Amharic-speaking Oromos from Dirre-Sawwa (Shoa), supported by their Oromic-speaking kin, ruled the empire. Menelik symbolized the Amharic-speaking Shoa Oromo, while Gobana represented the Oromic-speaking faction. During this period, Amharic-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 desire to retain control led them to claim 100% electoral victories and to massacre Oromo communities for 27 years. During this time, Tigrinya-speaking Oromos from Raya and Azebo played only a secondary role. Meanwhile, Amharic-speaking Agaw from Gondar, Lasta, and Gojjam, along with Amharic-speaking Oromos from Gojjam, Gondar, Shoa, and Wollo, as well as Oromic-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 being a union of free peoples, whether we call it Ethiopia or Oropia.
Now, the responsibility of changing this trend falls to genuine Oromo nationalists. We must convince Dr. Abiy and his Prosperity Party to stop revering Amharic and to begin respecting Oromic. Oromic deserves its rightful place as the primary language of the federation, replacing Amharic. I often wonder why Dr. Dima Nagewo (a former OLF leader) lacked the courage to speak Oromic in Parliament—something Obbo Bulcha Demeksa proudly did years ago. Who would have thought that OLF members supporting Dr. Abiy would be so eager to master Amharic instead of promoting Oromic? They seem to revere Lisane Negus at the expense of the people’s languages.
Like it or not, today’s political conflict in Ethiopia is not primarily about class, ethnicity, region, ideology, or religion. At its core, it is a struggle over language—a conflict between two linguistic camps within the same ethnic stock. Simply put, it is a battle between Amharic-revering Oromos and Oromic-respecting Oromos. Let us hope the latter will soon prevail.
May Wàqa help us!
Galatôma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2018/12/0 ... ng-agaw-2/
By Fayyis Oromia*
Gradually, it is becoming clear that Oromo elites—from Yekuno Amlak in 1270 to Abiy Ahmed since 2018—have ruled Ethiopia while despising Oromic and revering Amharic. These Oromo elites, who have occupied the Finfinné Palace for centuries, have consistently served the pro-Amharic-domination bloc—often at the expense of the pro-Oromic-leadership movement. Dr. Abiy is no exception. Like Mengistu Ayàna and Meles Gobena before him, he has served the same bloc. Rather than promoting Oromic and advancing the cause of Oromummà, he has preserved the existing dominance of Amharic.
Despite his loyalty to the Amhara elites, they have never truly trusted him—simply because of his Oromo blood. They have now betrayed him and are actively working to dismantle his regime. Surely, after Dr. Abiy, there will be no more Oromo leaders in the Finfinné Palace willing to serve the cause of Amharic domination. The next Oromo leader who rises to power must be a devoted servant of the pro-Oromic movement. With that, we will finally witness the end of Amharic domination in Ethiopia.
The political divide that began with Yekuno Amlak’s rise to power in 1270 (himself a culturally Amharanized, biologically Oromo figure) has always been rooted in language and class. The royal family spoke Lisane Negus (Amharic), while the common people used Agawigna and Oromic. Over time, the language of the royals was glorified, while 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 Amharanized.
Why did—and do—Oromo elites tend to despise Oromic and revere Amharic? There is a psychological explanation. From the very beginning, Amharic was associated with modernity, political power, religious authority, and privilege. Oromic, by contrast, was linked with the non-privileged, rural, and traditional population. It is a human bias to admire and adopt the language of the powerful while neglecting that of the poor and marginalized. This same mechanism still operates in the minds of many Oromo elites—even today—including Dr. Abiy, who appears subconsciously ready for Amharization.
This process of Amharanization continues, especially in urban areas beginning from Finfinné. How many of us have children or grandchildren who have lost their parents’ language and now speak only Amharic? Dr. Abiy and his Prosperity Party belong to those who revere Amharic while neglecting Agawigna and Oromic. Even some former OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) members—once dedicated to advancing Oromic—have joined Abiy and now strive to speak fluent Amharic, forgetting their duty to promote Oromic as the primary working language of the federation.
Today, it is increasingly evident that there are no distinct ethnic groups called “Amhara” or “Tigrayans.” Rather, there exist Amharic- and Tigrinya-speaking Cushites—primarily of Agaw and Oromo origin. From Menelik Càla’s rise to power in the late 19th century until 1991, Amharic-speaking Oromos from Dirre-Sawwa (Shoa), supported by their Oromic-speaking kin, ruled the empire. Menelik symbolized the Amharic-speaking Shoa Oromo, while Gobana represented the Oromic-speaking faction. During this period, Amharic-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 desire to retain control led them to claim 100% electoral victories and to massacre Oromo communities for 27 years. During this time, Tigrinya-speaking Oromos from Raya and Azebo played only a secondary role. Meanwhile, Amharic-speaking Agaw from Gondar, Lasta, and Gojjam, along with Amharic-speaking Oromos from Gojjam, Gondar, Shoa, and Wollo, as well as Oromic-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 being a union of free peoples, whether we call it Ethiopia or Oropia.
Now, the responsibility of changing this trend falls to genuine Oromo nationalists. We must convince Dr. Abiy and his Prosperity Party to stop revering Amharic and to begin respecting Oromic. Oromic deserves its rightful place as the primary language of the federation, replacing Amharic. I often wonder why Dr. Dima Nagewo (a former OLF leader) lacked the courage to speak Oromic in Parliament—something Obbo Bulcha Demeksa proudly did years ago. Who would have thought that OLF members supporting Dr. Abiy would be so eager to master Amharic instead of promoting Oromic? They seem to revere Lisane Negus at the expense of the people’s languages.
Like it or not, today’s political conflict in Ethiopia is not primarily about class, ethnicity, region, ideology, or religion. At its core, it is a struggle over language—a conflict between two linguistic camps within the same ethnic stock. Simply put, it is a battle between Amharic-revering Oromos and Oromic-respecting Oromos. Let us hope the latter will soon prevail.
May Wàqa help us!
Galatôma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2018/12/0 ... ng-agaw-2/