Conflict in Orthodox Church: Amharic-Domination vs. Oromic-Leadership!
By Fayyis Oromia*
I believe the ongoing conflict within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church represents an effort by Oromummà to strike back against more than 750 years of domination by Amaranet. This domination began when Yekuno Amlak declared Amharic the language of his palace. Since then, Amharic (Amaranet) gradually expanded across the lands of the Agaw (including parts of Gojjam, Tigray, and Gondar) and into Oromia, eventually reaching as far as the Indian Ocean during the reign of Emperor Amda Tsion.
In the 16th century, the Oromo Gadà movement began to reverse this expansion and pushed northward as far as Tigray. Unfortunately, the Amhara regained control about 150 years ago under leaders such as Emperor Tewodros and later Emperor Menelik II. Following the formation of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) 50 years ago, the Oromo people began to challenge this long-standing dominance. We’ve had some success, and the current movement by Oromo Orthodox believers to liberate Oromummà from Amaranet’s religious dominance marks one of our most significant victories to date.
The next logical step is the promotion of Oromic as the primary working language of all federal institutions, replacing Amharic. As far as I am concerned, this step—along with consolidating Oromo power in the Finfinné palace—is the strongest guarantee for the complete liberation of Oromummà from Amaranet’s cultural and linguistic dominance.
Read more:https://orompia.wordpress.com/2023/02/0 ... -oromumma/