The Story of Minority Rights in Oromia
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 centuries. Just as in any other nation, it is impossible to establish a state inhabited by a single ethnic group. There will always be diversity in any given nation or state. Having that understanding is integral to statehood. This is not a new phenomenon for Oromos, but an age-old tradition passed down from our ancestors. In an effort to prevent Oromos from self-rule many anti-Oromo propagandists have tried to propagate the idea that Oromos are out to hunt minority ethnic groups living in Oromia. Just as their ancestors did before them, they propagate the idea of the modern day 'savage Galla' or the 'separatist' who is out for blood. While the idea couldn't be further from the truth, the irony is that it was the Abyssinian emperors who invaded lands, enslaved the inhabitants, levied oppressive taxes on the subdued populations and raided them for centuries on end, as is evidenced by the chronicles of these emperors. While the Oromos had established an all inclusive social and political system.
This was one of the reasons for the rapid decline of the Abyssinian state from the 16th century onward. This is also a reason why you will not find communities of minority ethnic groups living in places like Gonder, Gojjam and Tigray. The inclusiveness of the Oromo tradition is greatly contrasted by the oppression, and subjugation of the traditional Abyssinian rulers.
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 centuries. Just as in any other nation, it is impossible to establish a state inhabited by a single ethnic group. There will always be diversity in any given nation or state. Having that understanding is integral to statehood. This is not a new phenomenon for Oromos, but an age-old tradition passed down from our ancestors. In an effort to prevent Oromos from self-rule many anti-Oromo propagandists have tried to propagate the idea that Oromos are out to hunt minority ethnic groups living in Oromia. Just as their ancestors did before them, they propagate the idea of the modern day 'savage Galla' or the 'separatist' who is out for blood. While the idea couldn't be further from the truth, the irony is that it was the Abyssinian emperors who invaded lands, enslaved the inhabitants, levied oppressive taxes on the subdued populations and raided them for centuries on end, as is evidenced by the chronicles of these emperors. While the Oromos had established an all inclusive social and political system.
This was one of the reasons for the rapid decline of the Abyssinian state from the 16th century onward. This is also a reason why you will not find communities of minority ethnic groups living in places like Gonder, Gojjam and Tigray. The inclusiveness of the Oromo tradition is greatly contrasted by the oppression, and subjugation of the traditional Abyssinian rulers.
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