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Oromia: It is up to you

By Yaadasaa Dafaa | November 11, 2012

It is natural to ask if an Oromo individual, or a political group to answer the question “Do you honestly or modestly feel that you participated consciously or unconsciously in holding the struggle of the Nation Oromia as a “hostage”? Some times it could be very hard to look at ourselves in the mirror and see what others observe about us. Because, as human beings, we think that we are right most of the time. In pure reality, we could be wrong!!!! But it takes courage and unflinching self-confidence to admit that. Coming back to our struggle, there was a time when all the children of Abbaa Gadaa were united and all of did sing the beauty of the unity and solidarity of the Oromo people. But starting the late 1990s the seeds of mistrust, and outsmarting each other, including demoralizing poisonous agenda began to be spread. The result was/is strange behaviours contrary to the Oromo Nation’s cultural heritage started to erode Orommummaa and manifest it’s shamelessly. It was at that time when the conspiracies of the Oromo Nation’s core enemies and their collaborators within the Oromia’s struggle for independence commenced to take it’s abortive shape within the Oromo community all over the globe. No matter where ever the Oromo communities are, most of the Oromom citizens began to be at odd towards each other in all aspects of life, let alone man made artificial politics. This unfortunate phenomenon within the Oromo communities all over the World have reached the highest level of creating animosity among the people vividly and openly. As a result the genuine struggle for the Independence of Oromia had descended to it’s lowest inspirational power. Once dear comrades are now a days openly despising each than their common enemies. I am not going to insult your intelligence by asking you “who jubilantly is watching this when the Oromo citizens are blackmailing one another, disfranchising the potentials of their collective power and taking each others to foreign Courts of the Law”?

Starting from early days of occupation by the Abyssinian invading armies, the Nation of Oromia embarked on resisting the invaders who were equipped superiorly with modern weapons supplied to them by the European colonialists. History testifies that at the end of Minilik’s conquest of the Oromo vicinities, the Oromo population was reduced by half. It is one thing to fire the base presumably for a motivational support, but it is totally astonishing when the ugliest truth are accounted for. The era of the occupation of the lands of Oromo people by the Abyssinian army was the same period in the African History when the colonial Europeans invaded most of the neighbouring Independent African states. Just like any colonized African, or even worst, depopulation, subjugation and extreme human exploitations were the price the Nation of Oromia paid for the so-called Ethiopian unity in the hands of Abyssinian Emperors such as Yohannes, Menilik, Haile Silas, Mengistu, the late Zenaw, and still continue to live under all the above horrendous miseries, and more.

Since the establishment of Oromo Liberation front (OLF) in 1970s, it was/is made clear that OLF struggles for the total emancipation of the Nation of Oromia and its people. In a simple language, this means, breaking all the inhumane yoke placed on the shoulders of the people of Oromia, and evicting the entire foreign forces including all their machineries, and security apparatus that are present in Oromia for the purpose of safe guarding the colonialists and their interests. The genuine of struggle of the Oromo Nation is/was; neither the bargaining chip, nor for Democratization of the Ethiopian empire. Therefore, the eviction of the Ethiopian colonial machineries/apparatus will not occur by asking them to self deport, but by compelling them to take the choice of leaving the Oromian vicinities as opposed to staying and facing their predicament with all their colonial machineries, including their collaborators from within, or out.

As remembered, the undermining of the Nation of Oromia’s struggle took it’s present shape in 1998,when few Leaders within OLF chose to look for short cuts to power, as opposed to leading their Nation’s struggle on a very demanding, far and bumpy road to the independence of Oromia. It is not the goal of this article at this time to explore why those OLF Leaders chose this abortive venue, but it suffice to mention that, it demoralized the vibrant voices of Oromo people, it gave golden opportunities for the Oomo Nation’s colonizers to continue denying Oromo people’s basic human Rights, to continue scavenging, and selling the vicinities of the Nation of Oromia to foreign bidders, and, but not limited to harassing, jailing, and eliminating all Oromo citizens through their kangaroo court after associating them with OLF.

It became unavoidable scenario for the Oromo Nation’s freedom lovers to observe that the struggle for the freedom of Oromia has reached a deciding crossroad by the year 2001. It was that time when the Oromo struggle turned more inward among Oromo nationals, and laid a clear round for each and every Oromo compatriots to render a compelling choice. It descended to a juncture of a crossroad. From there, to cross this juncture means to go ahead with the original Kayyoo of the people on the venue to liberate and declare the independence of Oromia. But not to cross means to remain integral part of the empire of Ethiopia and democratize it. The human history dictates that no one can democratize the Empire system of governance, but the People defeats, and it dies a Natural death. The “Agenda for Peace”, “Bergen Conference”, and “political program of 2004″….etc, are all call for not to cross this crossroads. These were the works and manifestations of the late few OLF leaders. The consequence led to the internal confrontation that weakened the Oromo national struggle up to the very day. It flamed-up and brought internal fragmentation similar to the fragmentation and decline of the 19th century that encouraged Gobana Daaccee to collaborate with Menelik and became his instrument of Ethiopian conquest, occupation and colonization of Oromia. Today, the Oromo nationalists are fragmented, divided, and weakened and consequently, the Oromo liberation struggle is weakened and the liberation movement has entered into a state of stagnation. This internal fragmentations opened up a door of opportunity for the agents of Abyssinians to infiltrate and divide the gallant forces of Oromia more than ever before. Because of this non-stop division, the Oromo compatriots are consistently falling victims to the Abyssinian occupying forces. In this Information age of the 21st century, the division among the Oromo nationalists gave ample chances to the Oromo opportunist generals such as B/G Kemal Gelchu and B/G Hailu Gonfa and their associates to become the second wave of collaborators with the Colonialists. But at this time, the Oromo opportunists are venturing to form collaborations with Ginbot 7 in order to undermine the struggle for independence of Oromia and to stabilize and maintain the old dying Ethiopian empire, the empire Menelik had built a century ago.

We all understand that the world never stopped changing. So do the colonialists. They never stopped changing their deceptive vernaculars, just to hang on perpetuating their evil agendas on the innocent people of Oromia. On the other hand, the Nation of Oromia continues to dwell under; the old barbaric system of denial of their basic human rights, of due processes when thrown to the colonial jails, illegal persecutions, harassments, …and the list goes on. Evidently, these harsh colonial measures, repeatedly failed to halt the Nation of Oromia from seeking and struggling towards the establishment of free, democratic, and independent Oromia. As far as all these criminal actions continue to be premeditated and committed harshly and inhumanly on the Nation of Oromia by the Ethiopian colonialist regimes, the Oromo people’s resistances will continue. The cruel and sinister deeds of the occupying forces are the fuel energizing all walking souls of the Nation of Oromia to continue their Nation’s quest for freedom, and nothing less than a total freedom will stop them!!!!!

It is true that many people who have no enough knowledge and good understanding of the Oromo Nations fundamental colonial issues may doubt about the freedom of the Nation of Oromia when watching/witnessing the enemy’s present forces,and the levels of the brutalities they commit on the peace loving Oromo people. But no colonizer remained scavenging the colonized Nation for ever. Yes, for the the time being they may enjoy their momentum, till the colonized Nation will solidify their potentials and dictate their own future by determining and actualizing the collapse of the colonial system. This is the distinguished face of all the colonial systems, whether it is from colonizer. Colonialism is/was neither about skin colour nor about the geographic location where the colonizer is/was from. Colonialism is an ugly and demoralizing action. The colonizing army occupies the territories of the occupied Nation, terrorizing, claiming ownership of all the lands, all the belongings. The suppression of the colonized people Language, History, Culture, Beliefs, and robbing them off the psychological well beings and the dignities of the colonized Nations, …and beyond, are all classic crimes committed by he colonizers at all the times. Thee is nothing less severe consequences for Oromo community at their own god given vicinities. These criminal undertakings of the Abyssinian occupying armies were/are always accomplished not by mere accidents, but by a well designed and executed colonial plans.

It would be highly bewildering for the younger Oromo generations including non-Oromo citizens to question, what all the above historical events and tales of the societal melodies have to do the present Nation of Oromia? This is an excellent question!!! The burning reason is, it is not that hard to proof the excessively oppressive conditions the Nation of Oromia are enduring each and every day, leading up to the present day, at the age of information technology at the hands of the present Abyssinian regime’s agents, Police force, and all the security and secret agents. It is a public secret to know that an Oromo Citizens can easily and vividly be accused for harbouring or being the supporter of OLF and thrown to the Abyssinian dungeons just for mentioning about his basic human rights, speaking his god given Oromiffaa language, and adhering to his gadaa historical cultural heritage!!!! Yes, even the Oromoo farmers areevicted today by the so-called Ethiopian Federal Police from their ancestors’ land after their lands are being sold to the foreigner investors without any notifications to the Oromo farmer; the legal owner of the land of such action, leave alone the normal legal procedures legally required to hold possession of citizen’s properties. This colonial practice testifies to the burden of the Ethiopian citizenship of the Oromo farmers. It is often justified by the settlers under the secret code of not respecting the Oromo citizens to be the legal owners of their god given properties in their own communities!!!!!. These facts of life, even today at this technologically advanced era, continues to be the modes of every day life for millions of Oromo citizens in their own invironments. Can you ethically accept that there is a change for better as far as these unfortunate citizens of the Oromo people are concerned? You be the Judge!!!

As the wise men saying goes “You can not teach an old dog a new trick”. This is true for the Abyssinian old guards up to the present regimes are all glamorizing and living up to their centuries old dynasties’ expectations. That can explain why all the Abyssinian Emperors allied themselves alternatively over the years with the the opposing World power holders of the time, mainly the Western Democracies, and the Eastern Socialist/Communist block simultaneously. These past or present Ethiopian governments’ changes of alliances did not measure up to changes of principles. It is/was a sing-along strategy of the Empire Ethiopian policy just to remain having a well supplied army so that they will be able to continue subjugating the Nation of Oromia with no end insight. When the Communists were powerful, the Ethiopian regime claimed to be a Socialist country with a complete plan to advance towards being the first African Nation to declare the goverment of the “Woking Class Dictatorship” in Ethiopia. Their close allies were USSR, China, Cuba, Eastern Europe and the rest of the nations in the Communist block.They made non-erasable history with their empty slogan such as “Mother Ethiopia or death”, “Ethiopia first”, ……………and so on. All their conundrum about the “Working Class” were made in the names of Marxism, Leninist, and Communism as a trade mark. But as soon as the Western Democracies were heading to take the upper-hand and the Eastern communist block started to crumble, the Ethiopian regime suddenly no longer believe in the theories of the “International Working class”. They dumped the “Scientific Socialism” and turned to be “Democrats” overnight. What a revelation!!!! There was no belief, principle, theory/system of governance that the Ethiopian regimes will segregate, or stop from supporting as far as they can get arms and aids from those International powers so as they can remain exploiting, massacring, jailing, persecuting the innocent Oromo citizens without a meaningful challenge. This remains to be an inherited system of governance for Ethiopian dynasty of governments.

On the other hand, the Elders and Leaders of the Oromo Nation never accepted their Nation’s predicaments as perpetuated on the Oromo Nation by the colonialists and foreign settlers. But to the contrary, they utilized the contemporary methodologies and Pedagogical researches in erecting back what the foreign Abyssinian administrations tried to abolish by attempting to brain wash the generations of Oromo who were born after the occupation of Oromia. Therefore, What do the late Dr. Haile Fida, Obboo Ibsaa Guutamaa, Dr. Tilahun Gamta, Obboo Ahimad Muddee and Obboo Abiyyuu Galataa have in common? The above respected Oromo citizens had honourably contributed in transforming for the first time the Oromo language from a spoken language to be well documented and written means communication. Unquestionably, since then, Qubee has transformed the minds of the Oromo people from being the victims to the Abyssinian brain washing schemes. This was a turning point for all the Oromo citizens from accepting the enemies’ degradations of our culture, and ridiculing our language, the Oromiffaa, to the renaissances of our adored Gadaa cultural heritage, the Orommummaa and reclaiming our pride for being from the Nation of Oromia, with the celebration for the birth of the Oromo freedom torch carriers: “the Qubee generation”; young Oromoos without the colonial Ethiopian cultural intoxication. These are (and more) fundamental historical facts/achievements for the Nation of Oromia, are what the above respected and beloved Oromo citizens have in common. The OLA and all Oromo fallen heroes and heroines’ unselfish sacrificial commitments, in addition to the above Oromo leaders and intellectuals’ heroic undertaking are what is keeping the Oromo struggle alive and a greatly gripping the National cause that deserves the prices all that principled, committed, and dedicated Oromo citizen to live up to. Therefore, make no mistake that the road for resistance, and journey towards Oromo freedom will continue no matter what the momentarily situation appears to display.

What about you, yes you, which side are you?

The quest for Independence of Oromia does not have to remain in it’s current status. All the genuine Oromo citizens, no matter where they are at the present time, must stop being part of the problems, but preferably, to be part of the solutions for reclaiming and advancing the struggle for the Independence of the Nation of Oromia once again. We can do it!!!! The people of Oromia as a Nation, have endured more disabling injuries, devastating and crippling enemy conspiracies, including wars waged for eradications of the gallant people of Oromia from becoming a distinctive Nation of it’s own kind . But, the people of Oromia have proved to be survival, resilient, and will definitely be the victorious. Therefore it is the duties, and ethical/moral responsibilities of all the Oromo compatriots to achieve the honourably solidifying and energizing goal for Unity of the Oromo forces so as to be able to march forward shoulder to shoulder. Thus, the Oromo compatriots need the alter their learned negative and destructive value system of disenfranchising the potentials of the Oromo Nation. It is not sufficient to keep blaming the colonial entity for teaching, spreading and encouraging negative alien values among the Oromia people contrary to teaching of Gadaa. This is the prime time for each and every Oromo citizens to think big (as one of the Oromo wise man Obboo Ibsaa Gutamaa says). It is time to be practical and know where the Oromo struggle come from, the lessons learned from the steps taken so far, and where is it is heading. Finally, it is up to you to decide what kind of record you would like to leave behind for the Oromo Freedom generations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

My humble appreciations and thanks goes to all my Oromo role models, and dedicated teachers who continue to illuminate the truth about the Oromo Nation’s struggle.

Ulfina wojjin,
Seenaan gootota Oromoo nikabajamaa,
Bilisoomni Oromoo nimilka’a.

Yaadasaa Dafaa can be reached at yaadasaa@gmail.com
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