Let’s Build a Multilingual, Beautiful Common Home – Ethiopia!
By Fayyis Oromia*
Ethiopia in particular, and Africa in general, resemble a beautiful garden of flowers with diverse colors and forms. What a beautiful multilingual country and continent we have! Oromo elites must preserve this beautiful garden, especially by respecting both the competitive two Afàn Oromôs (Amharic and Oromic). At one celebration of Ethiopian athletes in Finfinnè, three Oromo leaders in power—Adanech, Derartu, and Qajela—gave speeches in Amharic but not in Oromic. They should have used both. Since the time of Yekuno Amlak in 1270, Oromo elites have always been in power, yet they mistakenly preferred Amharic over Oromic. I hope that the genuine Oromo nationalists will soon control Finfinné palace and change this status quo, establishing the legitimate leadership of Oromic within the federation. Then, Ethiopia will surely be transformed into an Oromic-led, colorful, rainbow state.
If the people called Amhara exist at all, it is because of the Amharic language, created around 1270 by Oromo elites of northern Sheger, and the associated identity known as Amharic-speaker. The conversion of the Oromo ruling class from Oromic-speaker to Amharic-speaker continues to this day. The OLF tried to reverse this trend and was, to some extent, successful. Still, Oromo ruling elites—currently led by Dr. Abiy Ahmed—prefer Amharic to Oromic. As always, Oromo elites with this mindset are ruling Ethiopia. That is why I dare to say: no Amhara ruled, but Amharic always dominated Ethiopia. Oromo nationalists, led by the OLF, reject such an Ethiopia, which they view as an Abyssinian empire now maintained by the Biltsiginna regime. Only genuine democratization and the promotion of Oromic to its rightful position can change this situation. The OLF, OFC, and genuine Oromo nationalists in OPP should work toward this goal. With such steps, Oromic can assume its rightful leadership role in Ethiopia.
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2016/12/0 ... -ethiopia/