The Gazira Press

A businessman would do barcha (barcaa) at a friends place regularly. When he was finished chewing he would always have some extra jimaa (khat) left over which he would take with him and throw in the garbage. This surprised some the guests, so one day one of them asked him "why do you throw away perfectly good jimaa? Why don't you just give it to somebody else?" The businessman replied "..and why would I willingly create enemies for myself? If I give them my jimaa today..tomorrow they will come to me and say "where is my jimaa?". As if I had taken something away from them. Therefore I prefer to throw away the left over and keep the evil away from me."

Jiilchaa Haamidiin Qabsaawoota seena qabeeysa hoggaa lakkooynu, maqaa isaa kheeysaa hambisuun hin tahu. Dhaloonni isaa ganda Qeeyransaa, Aanaa Haromaaya, Godina Harargee Bahaati. Maqaan dhaloota isaa Umari,  ammoo maqaan inni ummata isaa biratti ittiin beekkame 'Araarsoo Wadaay'. Araarso Wadaay jechuun nama umrii dargaggummaatiin qabsoo bilisummaa Oromoo itti ida'amee, jiruu fi jireenyaa isaa guutuu itti wareege jechuu dha. Qabsoo kheeysatti hujii adda addaa osuma hojjachaa jiruu, waraana Dargii dhaan qabamee bara 7 hidhame. Manni hidhaa saniis kaayyoo isaatirraa if booda hin deebifne. Akkuma hidhaarraa bahetti ammaas lammadaa qabsootti ida'ame. Jijjiiramni bara 1991 khufiinsa Dargii booda hoggaa dhufe, Harargee bahaatti Araarso Wadaay ajajaa Waraana Bilisummaa Oromoo ture. Yeroo san kheeysatti waraanni Oromoo humna guddaa horatee bakkoota adda addaatti waraana Ihadigiin wal dura dhaabbachaa turan. Kharoorri Ihadig waraana Oromoo dachiilee strategy qabachuu dhoorkuu wa...

Jiilchaa Haamidiin Akka manguddoon keenya himanitti, ummanni keenya dur bahara Aftal ja’amtu itti fayyadamuu turan. Boodarratti maqaan bahara kanaa Aftal irraa Zeeylaatti jijjiiramuun isii ni himama. Amata 5 dura osoon faranjicha seenaa G aanfaa Afriikaa qoratu tokko wajji haasaawu jiru, jecha Aftal ifii seenaa isii kaniin Abbaa kiyarraa dhagaheen itti hime. Faranjichi ajaa’ibee ti akka jechi Aftal ja’amtu kitaaba seenaa keeysatti argamtu naaf hime. Kitaaba “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea” ja’amtu kan bara 2000 duratti (ykn bar dhibbee 1ffaa) barreeyfamte keeysatti maqaan Aftal akka jirtu na garsiise. Kitaabni kun afaan Griikiin barreeeyfame. Barreeysaan kitaaba kanaa dooniin biyya Griik irraa ka’ee bahara Diimaa fi bahara Hindiidhaan (Red Sea & Indian Ocean) Gaanfaa Afriikaa fi Eeshiyaa keeysa deemee biyyoota adda addaa daawwatee ture. Kitaaba isaa keeysatti baharri naannaawa Zeeylaatti dhihaatu, biyya “Aval” (ykn Avalites) je'ee barreeyse ture. Ummanni biyya kanaa biyya M...

Kids these days... always singing about jaalala, jaalala, jaalala when they don't even know what jaalala means. They think jaalala is when they see a pretty lady on the street and get a little excited. That's not jaalala, that's just hormones. It seems like the old school cats understand the game much more than kids today. Obbo Shantam Shubbisa says that it's not just about loving somebody but bei ng loved back which creates that special feeling. In the classic peom 'naaf si uume' he says: "Mufadheellee golgolaawaa yoon dhufe alarraa, na afaan ceeta koflaadhaa odoon seenne kharra Na' maramteeti sesseeqaa na ol neeyxa warra" "Naaf yaadda, naaf yaadda waan toluu cufarraa. (x2) Naaf hadoodda naaf ilkooyta heddu akkaan wahirraa." That's jaalala. Not like the kids these days, talking about jaalala, when the girl doesn't even notice them. Therefore, on behalf of the traditional and old school guys like myself. Youngsters, please stop a...

"Yaa odaa, yaa odaa Odaan kan bultumii. Yaa dambii, yaa dambii Atii hoo gos-tamii? Bari hamo khufee Dambiin guyyaa heelte, Ifii bakka'n qabdu Odaarraan biqilte." Dubbii Miila Bakhar

Jilcha Hamid Seenaa ummata Oromoo keeysatti ummanni keenya yeroo heddu fincilanii turan. Wareegama heddu kafalaa turan, ammallee kafalaa jiran. Haa tahu ammoo miidiyaan waa'ee isaanii dubbatu hin jiru . Ummanni tokko, dantaa ifii eeggachuudhaaf sagaleen isaanii dhagayamuu qaba. Oduu biyya isaanii, haala ummanni isaanii keeysa jiru hordofuu dandayuun ifi qaama bilisaatiin odeeyfannoo waliif dabarsuun barbaachisaa dha. Fakkeenyaaf fincila bara sadeen dabran biyyoota Arabaa keeysatti gaggeeyfamaa ture yoo laalle, miidiyaan qooda ol aanaa qaba. Kan finciltoota Tuunis hamilee jabeeysee fincila isaanii Liibyaa fi Masrii geeyse humna miidiyaati. Kan fincila Liibyaa fi Masrii, Yemen ifi Suuriyaa geeyse humna miidiyaati. Kan finciltoota Arabaa hamilee fi abdii kanneef, addunyaa guutuun oduu isaanii akka miidiyaan hordofaa jiran waan beekaniifi. Mootummaa abbaa irree kan ummata isaanii dhiiga dhangalaasuu irraa hin qusanne, wanni qaanyeeyse, sablisee, hoongeeysee, sadarkaa addunyaa irra...

By Jilcha Hamid In the late 1970's in rural Hararge a band of Oromo rebels led by the late Jarra Abba Gada were hiking through a village when they encountered a group of villagers who were uncertain about their intentions and were uncomfortable with their presence. One of the villagers rebuked the rebels saying "We are not Oromo! We are Sharifa!" referring  to a minority group who live in Oromia but claim arab ancestry. To that Jarra replied "do you think that being Oromo means that you have to count your lineage and trace your ancestry to a single patriarch? Oromo is a nation that shares the same language, culture, history and homeland. Therefore, your lineage can be Sharifa but you are still an Oromo national." The villagers at ease. The rebels were on a mission to rebuild a nation, not to baptize and force people to abandon their identity. Oromia is a land inhabited by ethnic Oromos as well as many minority ethnic groups, many of which have lived there for ...

Jiilchaa Haamidiin Jaarmayni bu'uraa kan jireenyi ilmi namaa irratti hundooytu jaarmaya hawaasaa ti. Hawaasa jechuun qaama ummataa kan dhimma hunda gaggeeysitu: - Siyaasaa (Politics) - Diinaggeey (Economy) - Barnoota (Education) etc. Jaarmayni ummanni guutuu, xiqqaa fi guddaan, dargaggoon ifi shamarran, haawwan ifi manguddoon hundi miseensummaa qabu. Hawaasa jechuun humna ummataa ti. Jabaachuun isii jabeenya ummataa ti. Laaffachuun isii ammoo, laaffina ummataa ti. Ummanni tokko yoo humna alaatiin roorrifamuudhaan siyaasaan khufee, waraanaan cabee, mirgi isaa sarbamee, qabeenya isaa saamamee diinaggeeyiin khaasaaree, wanni ummata san lafaa khaasee haqa isaanii deebisu jaarmaya hawaasaa ti. Jaarmaya siyaasaa dura jaarmaya hawaasaa tu dursa. Maalif yoo jenne, hawaasaa tu jaarmaya siyaasaa biqilcha malee jaarmayni siyaasaa hawaasa hin biqilchu. Jaarmaya siyaasaa tu hawaasatti irkata malee hawaasni jaarmaya siyaasaatti hin irkatu. Khanaafuu yoo hawaasni tokko laaffate, siyaasaan khufuun...

In Somali oral tradition there was once a people who inhabited Northern Somalia before being expelled by the clans which inhabit that area today. These people are simply referred to as 'Gaal' or 'non-muslim' in the Somali language. Many somalis claim that these people were Oromo since Oromos are often considered to be the indegenous stock of people in the H orn of Africa, while the tribes of northern Somalia mostly claim some form of Arab ancestry. Therefore, any tradition or artifact related to Somalia's pre-Islamic history is regarded as foreign. And the nearest foreigners to attribute it to are the Oromos. For example the tradition of Gaalka'yo, or the town which traces it's name back to the expulsion of the 'gaal' people indicates that there was probably a conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims in the region. There is another nearby town called A'budWaaq. A'bud means worship in Arabic, while Waaq can be translated to the indegenous wor...

Jiilchaa Haamidiin Aayyoo Qumbii yaa haadha dhiiraa, dhiifama nuuf godhi yaa dagatamtuu sabaa Aayyoo Miinoo yaa haadha teenya, rakkattee dhabde ilmaan khee if biraa Alagaa firoomsinee kheenyarratti bobbaane Nagaya eeydu jennee ifumaahuu wallaalle Khufnee dhamaanee, duwwaatti dachaane Arra sababa kheetiin hirriibaa khaane "Mootummaa hin qabnu!" jette aayyoon Mayyuu Mee maal irraa hubanne jecha hayyuu Oromiyaan biyya ummata Oromooti Hin taatu alagaan irratti Mootii Mootummaa jechuun kan biyya bulchu Kan heera eegee nagaya tiiysu Kan wal qixxummaa fi naasuun ummata laalu Kan guddinaa fi milkii isaaniif hawwu Kan qabnu ammoo saamtoota biyyaati Kan barbaadan dachii fi qabeenya isii Kan misoomsan bank accountii fi jireenya ifii Kan hiyyoomee sablate ummata Oromooti Nutilleen namumaa, isaanii gad hin taanee Mootummaa ni dhaabna arra yoo laffaane Gurmooynee hiriirree haqa kheenya barbaanne Gooytatti irkannee irratti bobbaane Tuffatamee jiraataa abbaan if tuffatee Sablatee jiraataa ka...

Jiilchaa Haamidiin Haqaan malee jaallan, jiruun awwaalaman Khumootaan lakkaawaman, dargaggoo fi shamarran Boonsitoota ummataa, ibsitoota dukkanaa Ittisoota mirga namaa, kan saba cunqurfamaa Isin yaadanna Qeeyroo Huursoo, Zewaay ifi Didheessa Dhaloonni arraa hin dagannee, wareegamtoota khaleeysaa Gariin dhukkubaa, gariin rasaasa Kan hafe maraatee, jeeqame mataan 'saa Arra hin jiran seehanii, hafuura baafannaan Dukkana kheeysaa itti as baate, dhaloonni haarayaa Ni jirraa miti, yoom nu dhabamsiiftani? Nu abaduu ni jirraa, gargaarsa Gooytaatiin Ni jirraa, ni jirraa...nu bakka hunda jirraa Nu haqa kheenya hin lakkifnu...du'aan baduu nu wayyaa Ni jirraa, ni jirraa.... nu qe'ee hunda jirraa Nu ilmaan murti guutoo.... nu abaduu ni jirraa

By Jilcha Hamid When reading the history of Harar the Emir who stood apart from the rest is Muhammad Ali (1856-75). Before his rule it can be said that Harar was no more than an  isolated city-state suffering from political instability, and a vulnerable economy. Some of the major changes implemented during the rule of Emir Muhammad were that he strengthened ties between the town and the Raba Dori administration of the Afran Qallo Oromo; symbolized by his adoption and title as 'ilma gosa' (or 'son of the clan'). His relationship with the Afran Qallo Oromo brought the town the much needed stability and gave the Emir the political and diplomatic leverage to transition Harar into a new era, and establish a state with the Oromo clans. Harar in the 19th century was a town inhabited predominantly by the Gey Usu or 'people of the city', while the territories outside of the walls were inhabited by Oromos. The Afran Qallo Confederation periodically elected a Raba Do...

By Jilcha Hamid I think it's a question that recieves a wide range of opinions, many of which may have valid points. The way you answer the question will obviously depend on your own life and experiences but the first question is obviously what is an education? In the context of this discussion I'll define it simply as completing your schooling ie. a post-secon dary institution. Some of the opinions I've come across range from "an education is worth everything in life" to "it isn't worth anything". But what's more important than the the conclusions is the reasoning behind it, which are too diverse and numerous to get into every detail so I'm just gonna highlight some points and focus in on my own community (Oromo and other African youth). Being born and raised in this country I found that alot of youth, found it hard to stay motivated in school (and I include myself in this group). In most case these youth grew interested with other "mor...

By Jilcha Hamid Reading Dr. Abdulsemed article "History of Oromo Writing and the Contribution of Dr. Mohammed Reshad" I remembered a story my father told me about a time when the use of qubee was banned. It was used in underground publications such as the Bakkalcha. In his area the paper was circulated by the celebrated Oromo freedom fighter, Jamal Mussa (better known as "Guulaa"). In  the late 1970's Guulaa was a one man army, travelling throughout the countryside from his native Baatee Haromaya, to Kombolcha and neighbouring districts speaking to Oromo farmers and students. Underneath his coat he kept a copy of the the underground paper written in qubee and in amharic. This was the first exposure many youth like my father had to the script. At the time my father couldn't read the script, but he eventually learned. Guulaa was arrested at Kombolcha by the Derg, and questioned about his activities. The Dergs appointed mayor made an agreement to release Guul...

By Jilcha Hamid “Today you will see for yourselves, the faces of your enemies as they are brought before you! We will read you their names and the crimes they committed!” announced the loudspeaker, driving through streets. The public was being invited to come out and witness something they’d never seen before. So they came out in droves. Not because they wanted to see an execution, but more so because they wanted to see if their loved ones, friends or neighbors were among the names that would be called. In the late  1970’s following the Ethio-Somalia border war, in which the Ethiopian government lost control of much of the east and southeast of the country, killings were common practice. The regime was still consolidating its power and although they had no shortage of enemies, many of their victims were simply ordinary citizens. The crackle of gunfire broke the silence after dark. Another mass execution. Sometimes the victims would be buried in mass graves and other times the bo...

By Jilcha Hamid With the recent  BBC documentary  on the abuses suffered by Ethiopian refugees in Yemen, you have to stop and reflect on the pattern that has developed in recent times. From the conflict in Bale in the 1960′s, to the exodus after the Ethio-Somali war in 77-78, earlier refugees faced their share of hardship travelling through harsh terrain, hostile territory, with very little to survive on. Once they arrived in countries like Somalia, and Djibouti, many were settled in refugee camps, while many went into the cities to find work and earn a living where they would learn the language and become part of society, before going to register themselves at the UN. During the reign of Siad Barre in Somalia, Oromo refugees fleeing Ethiopian government persecution settled in Somalia by the hundreds of thousands, some figures quoted put that number at over a million. While some would settle in Somalia, many would make their way to Saudi Arabia either with Somali nation...

By Jilcha Hamid In October of 1624 the army of the Ahmednagar Sultanate in southern Indias Deccan region led by Malik Ambar, confronted the attacking Mughal army at Bhatwadi scoring a major victory over the Southern Asian empire. The Mughal Empire continued to expand its territory in the 16 th  and 17 th  centuries covering southern Asia, but continued to face stiff resistance in the Deccan region (Southern India) from Malik Ambar, the army commander turned leader of the southern sultanate. He began his campaign harassing Mughal supply routes in 1595, after the arrival of the Mughals to southern India and continued to be a thorn in the side of the empire until his death in 1626. By the time of his death his force had grown from roughly 7000 soldiers to an estimated 50 000 including an army, cavalry and navy which maintained control of the Deccan Plateau and coast. An Indian writer, Rangarajan, described some of Ambar’s leadership qualities: “He was a rare combinatio...

By Jilcha Hamid So the Gabaa brigade (that's what I call my family) arrived in the remote mountainous Iftoha district in eastern Oromia. The place my family called home for centuries, before largely relocating to the urb an areas. I remember looking up at the houses spread out in the mountains and thinking, why did my ancestors choose to settle here of all places? Very rough living conditions compared to the plains regions just a few km's away. It was funny noticing the difference between my family from the city, and family from the Iftoha mountains in that their mannerisms were quite different. City folks are generally more keen to show off how modern they are, with their internet access and satelite tv's. But unfortunately they have gone soft. They typically can't walk a few blocks without yelling for a mini-cab, and in the market place I once caught my cousin taking a napkin out of his pocket and wiping a speck of dirt off his shoes. He told me never to tell anyb...

By Jilcha Hamid “There are two men named Muhammad Ahmad in the Harar provincial administration. The one known as “Caffee” (Chaffee) is a snake. The other one is him.” said my uncle to his younger brother (my father). “He is our man” he said, pointing at a burly tall man walking in the street in the town of Malka Rafu, East Hararge. Muhammad Ahmad Imar, better known as Kormooso was the head of the Farmers Union in the province of Harar in the late 1970′s. After spending 5 years in prison in Somalia as part of the Qeeyroo Ganamaa unit led by Jaarraa Abbaa Gadaa, he was released in 1975 and returned to his country where he headed the Farmers Union in the new administration. During this time the Afran Qallo movement had spread to all sectors of society and there was a growing fear amongst the political elite that the growing social and political awareness amongst Oromos was a threat to the status quo. In March 1978 when the Somali army retreated and the Ethiopian army retook all the t...

By Jilcha Hamid The Mountainous region north of Harar where the 1875 battles took place. In late 1875 the Egyptian ruler Khedive Ismail Pasha dispatched an army to expand into the horn of Africa and establish a governorate based in the city of Harar. The army led by General Rauf Pasha arrived in the port town of Zeila in September 1875 and moved south-west towards the town of Harar. The territories stretching from the port town of Zeila through the neighbouring  deserts  were controlled by Somali Chieftains namely of the Issa and Gadaboursi clans. The army of Rauf passed through this region without conflict. Further south bordering the Somali region were the Oromos belonging to the Afran Qallo Confederation. The Afran Qallo (meaning ‘the four sons of Qallo’) a clan based confederation included the region surrounding Harar which they governed under the Raabaa Doorii administration. This was essentially a cabinet administration which was elected periodically. The Emirat...

Jiilchaa Haamidiin Kan barreesse: Jiilchaa Haamid Wadaay: “Aboo Leencoon gale dhageeysani!?” Araarso:”Sa boo maal jetta?” “Galan! Isaa fi diimaan faan” “Haaya bada boo! An siin hin jenne!? Yoom galan hoo?” “Dheenyuma khana, ati internet hin seentu sa? Itooppiyaa kheenya dimokraateeysina je’ee darsa saa guurratee khute hin ja’anii” *blup blup blup* (shiisha) “Qabsoo kheenya laamsheeysanii..” *blup blup blup* “ati duraanuu jette bar” “Ani duraaniin je’e bar. Gaafa chaartaraa..as khanni boo niin harkisa…*blup blup blup* “gaafa chaartaraa waan isaan hojjatan namni hin beeyne hin jiru.” “Aboo gaafa chaartaraa maalii, san duratti bara meeqa olola oofaa gaara kheeysatti joollee kheenya wal ficcisiisaa turan!? Jaarraa Abbaa Gadaa eebalu ajjeese jechaa? Arra ammoo eega isaan boqotan kaayyoo isaanii kan dhugaa as baasan.” “Kaayyoo ganamaa diiganii, kan Itoophiyaa as baasanii mi khunoo” *Gandi Akkam ooltan!?* Araarso: “Hay! Aboo Jamal! Seeni gaa, numa badde yaa obboleeyso. Jamal: Fayyumaa mi...

By Jilcha Hamid I packed a bag, assembled the squad and we hit the road east of Dirre Dhawa. We spent a few days in the town of Malka Raafuu before heading out to villages where other relatives were expecting us. Although the area was usually fertile, there were water shortages due to persistent drought. It hadn’t rained in quite a while. Nonetheless it was a beautiful town, surrounded by green hills and interestingly enough we arrived just as it began raining. Unfortunately I made the mistake of leaving my jacket behind. The ground was damp, and would get rather muddy as the rains continued for several days. Droughts, followed by heavy rains and occasional floods was the cycle. Global warming, climate change, whatever you wanna call it, people were just happy to see the rain again. Until the rains got a little too heavy. “You brought the rain with you!” joked some relatives as we settled down and family and guests arrived. Over the next few days I was referred to by my new nickna...