One is more likely to ask who Makkoo Bilii is. Presumably, many citizens of Oromia know very well about the Ethiopian colonial rulers like Tewodros/Kassa or Minilik, as opposed to knowing who Makkoo Bilii really was for reasons beyond the scope of this short paper. According to one of the celebrated Oromo Nation’s historians, Nagaasoo Gidaadaa, PhD, Makkoo Bilii was one of the glorious Oromo leaders from Maccaa. Many people say lots of things about him. Some refer to him as the expert of the Gadaa law; some say that he was a Prophet, yet others refer to Makkoo Bilii as Abbaa Bokkuu (the President), or Abbaa Duula (a leader of the War).
More importantly Makkoo Bilii is uprightly recalled for the counseling and guidance he facilitated to the Maccaa’s: Leeqaa, Sayyoo, Tumme Oromos, during his lifetime. He is honored and remembered for his historically exhilarating farewell speech. Dr. Gidaadaa recorded Makkoo Bilii’s last speech as delivered on his way to be executed by his enemies. Makkoo Bilii was trapped and captured by his adversaries whose armies were not as strong as his and could not stop his advances. His enemies suffered many defeats at his hand. Therefore, they conspired and sent him a message which he took at a face value (as typical Oromo), and went by himself alone to meet with them. But, they captured him and sentenced him to death. Just before his death, Makkoo Bilii talked to them with the help of the sign language as they could not understand Afan Oromo. He asked them to take him to the hills near the valley. They took him to the hill, and Makkoo climbed up a tall tree and shouted down the valley to the Leeqaa, the Sayyoo and the Tumme in Oromo proverbs with his indirect speech. He said:
Yaa Leeqaa, yaa Sayyoo, yaa Tumme, annii borin callee dimmaa mormattin hidhadha. An bor sitti hinhimu. Atis bor no hindhageessu. Na dhaga’i, na dhaga’i, na dhaga’i. Yaadadhu, yaadadhu, yaadadhu.Accordingly the Leeqaa, the Sayyoo and the Tumme of Maccaa heard his messages and understood him perfectly. On the same night, the Leeqaa, the Sayyoo and the Tumme crossed the Gibee river and escaped the danger planned for them. (For complete narration, please read: “History of the Sayyoo Oromoo of Southwestern Wallaga, Ethiopia: From about 1730 to 1886” by Dr. Gidada 1984, Pages 30 to 40)
Yaa Leeqa, yaa Sayyoo, yaa Tumme! Farda dhalaa gamatti hidhi. Farda korma gamanatti hidhi. Baqadhu, baqadhu, baqadhu kara waaqni sibaase bayi.
All the courageous and majestic Oromos, such as Makkoo Bilii, Taaddasaa Birruu, Mammo Mazamir, Baaroo Tumsaa, Yiftalem Garba, Birruu Tasisaa, and thousands more of those unblinking gallant children of Oromia had rendered their historical obligations with their own precious lives, yet other truly principled Oromos became our role models by their long-term imprisonments as well as tortures and beyond – in the dungeons of the Ethiopian colonial dynasties.
Besides, today, we are witnessing the second wave of our Nation’s struggle appears, once again, to have been hijacked to pursue the wrong cause, i.e. for personal goal/agenda. We all understand that the so-called Ethiopiawinet has proved to itself as its own worst enemy. As a result of its self-imposed righteousness and narrow focal point, the narrow Ethiopians nationalists have failed to comprehend the values of human dignity, let alone searching for the innovative ways and means to work, and possibly live together with the other Nations and Nationalities – whom their forefathers succeeded to colonize with the help of European counsels and arms.
The colonial Ethiopian intellectuals – starting from their earlier debtera’s to today’s PhD’s/Professors – always choose to magnify their colonially polished, erroneous and degrading literature aimed at placing the Abyssinian history, culture and languages at superior positions at the cost of others. As a result, even a few so-called educated Oromos, knowingly or unknowingly, continue to endorse these dumped-upon theories in their writings and daily behaviors. But, when it comes to writing about the Oromo people’s and other colonized nations’ history and all social interactions, these colonial Abyssinian writers/historians ignore them as though they had never happened, or they fabricate the misleading information that purposely discredit and erodes the validity of the true historical materials of the colonized Nations within the colonial Ethiopia. The Abyssinian narrow nationalists have continued to spread their fallacious and exploitative pedagogical syllabus, with all their monotonous cycle of spread-heading baseless propaganda, for more than a century. Consequently, this has resulted in creating and multiplying the home-based oppositions within their own offspring’s young generation, as well as the fundamental animosity with non-Abyssinian Nations and Nationalities. Starting from the old hey days of Marxism and up to today’s colonial regime, the outdated Ethiopian colonialism is becoming desperate each day. It was/is a public secret to know that the legalization of the Ethiopian colonial rules and their accumulation of colonized people’s properties was illegitimate and should be treated as criminal as it is/was the breed of egotism, narcissism and thought disorders of superiority.
Therefore, their young generation could not reconcile with their static colonial-minded forefathers, at least at a surface value – conceptual level, as it is too old, and a self-destructive belief. No one with the right mind, even their offspring, could identify with it, let alone the truly concerned colonized nation’s children!
The ideological loss of the support from their young generation, coupled with the loss of Eritrea, did break the backbone of Ethiopiawinet. On the other hand, just a handful Oromo opportunists are nowadays trying to resuscitate and bring into life this dying exploitative dynasty in the name of Oromo people’s struggle. The struggle for Oromia is not synonymous with the struggle for Ethiopia. But, for ODF and its foot soldiers, they believe that they can keep the territorial integrity of the decaying colonial Ethiopia by democratizing it. What a shame! Furthermore, the planned world tour by a group of Oromos compels us to observe a rec flag for a number of reasons, including why now and who is financing them? and so on …
As we do not want to jump into conclusion, but had seen numerous self-proclaimed Oromo advocates conundrums, the Nation of Oromia needs to be cautious and make sure this group understands that the people of Oromia will accept nothing short of the original kaayyoo. Any intentional or unintentional agenda to force the Ethiopiawinet concepts down the throats of the Oromo Nation will be recorded in Oromo history as a treason. It is at this critical moment that the Concerned Oromo Group will invite all the citizens of Oromo, wherever they are, to join us in our journey to revitalize the genuine Oromo struggle once again. Makkoo Bilii will no longer climb upon the tree to warn us of the risks approaching. It is only me and you; yes, you and me, who have the moral and ethical responsibility to inform each other using all legal media to move our struggle back on its appropriate venue for the freedom of our Nation.
We, the Concerned Oromo Group, also bravely accept the fact that the above respected brave Oromos are no longer among us to lead, guide, and to invigorate us towards our people’s emancipation.
Who are “The Concerned Oromo Group”? This is neither another political organization nor an alternatively another divisive mechanism for the genuine struggle of the Oromo people. Clearly, “The Concerned Oromo Group” is a non-profit unit of dedicated Oromo compatriots whose interests are to promote the stagnated Oromo struggle to regain its vivacity towards its overdue Gadaa system of democratic governance, with the vitality and fundamental objectives of Freedom, Liberty, and becoming the determinants of their own destiny. The vision: “The Concerned Oromo Group” will take all accessible efforts striving for the unity of all Oromo organizations and individuals who believe in the freedom of the Oromo Nation. Therefore, our unflinching sight is on enabling the genuine struggle of the Oromo Nation to advance towards freedom and emancipation of all Oromo citizens and lands from the yoke of Abyssinian colonization. Mission statement: “The Concerned Oromo Group” is the dedicated and committed Oromo citizens who work with all the proponents of the Oromo national freedom so as to energize, motivate, and rally in unison behind the just causes of the Nation of Oromia. The details of the mission will be prioritized through discussion among the members relentlessly till the Nation of Oromia achieves the final victory.
To do so, the Concerned Oromo Group, will unreservedly engage with all the potential forces, advocates, supporters, and friends of the Oromo struggle. We, the Concerned Oromo Group, do evaluate the past courses our struggle took and often convey our disappointment and frustration of the outcomes so far. Realizing the frustration and disappointment alone by itself do not bear any measurable result, we decided to take the corresponding earnest action(s) by consulting each other to alter and redirect the possible predicament of the Oromo Nation’s national journey for freedom. Therefore, we do believe that it is time to be bold, innovative, refreshing, and stimulating, but not passive recipients. This is not a one-day dream; it is ongoing exploratory venture for all of us till we reach the optimum solution for our Nation’s genuine struggle. We may offend some, but that has to be the risk to be taken within the horizon and guidance of our cherished Gadaa cultural heritage. As the Oromo saying goes, “Harka lamaa qabataniif muka lama hinyaaban” (Translation: Having two hands should not enable you to climb two trees at the same time!). Therefore, prioritization of events will take precedence. Thus, we, the Concerned Oromo Group, agree to start such a highly worth venture with the establishment of a radio station which could serve to promote and dispense messages of unity of all the devotees of the Oromo Nation’s journey for freedom.
Just like Makkoo in his time, we believe that the genuine struggle of the Oromo Nation at the present time has reached such a compelling stage. Please honor and remember that, even if Makkoo Bilii was about to be hanged by the enemies, he never hesitated or tried to save his own life by submitting to them, but demanded to speak to his people, knowing the devastating peril awaiting them if he failed to convey his message. What about you and us today? Do we really have much luxury not to so? Can the Nation of Oromia afford further division, and iced silence? Why do we desperately need the voices of the Oromo patriots to be heard by our Nation, and the friends, as well as our core enemies? As we all know, there are many different absolutely compelling reasons that one can enlist. But, we will start by comparing to pros and cons: had we have established conveying the fundamental freedom of Oromia oriented radio message:
- Division among all our able revolutionary organizations could have been slowed down and halted, bearing the comprehension the shared predicaments for all Oromo Citizens,
- The unleashed negative propaganda against our genuine struggle could have been encountered with more appropriately and aggressively – revealing truth of the hidden faces and heinous deeds of the enemies of the people of Oromia to the Nations of the World, as well as to our own constituencies.
- The often hunting down, torturing and killings of the innocent citizens of Oromia by the Ethiopian colonial regime’s agents and forces – utilizing trademarks, such as the “Islamist group,” “terrorists,” as well as “Anti Ethiopian unity,” etc, could have been exposed with all its ugly intentions and evil agendas of the inhumane Ethiopian regime.
- The fragmented and weakened struggle of Oromia for its overdue freedom could have consolidated, fused and legally ignited to serve the just cause of the people of Oromia.
- The original Gadaa cultural heritage of Oromo Nation’s democracy could have been maintained at its superior level as opposed to the present colonial counterpart’s popularity at its expense.
- The most promising Oromo freedom generation will continue appreciating and learning the profound similarity of their people’s common cause and the values of its sustainability.
From: The Concerned Oromo Group, Public Relations Office
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