Oromo Martyrs Day
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Oromo Martyrs Day 2025 and the Legacy of Oromo Exceptionalism

April the 15th This day stands etched in the Oromo conscience as a day of solemn remembrance and unwavering pride. It is a day when time slows down for Oromo communities across the globe to honor the lives of our fallen heroes — courageous men and women who gave everything in the struggle for Oromia’s…

when-language-colonizes
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When Language Colonizes: The Amharic Illusion of Progress

When Language Colonizes In the landscape of African colonization, one recurring justification for conquest and domination has been the civilizing mission—carried out not just through force, but through language. From the French mission civilisatrice to the British insistence on “English education,” colonizers offered language as a “gift”—while using it as a tool of control. In…

One Year Without Jaal Battee Urgeessaa: Your Nation Still Grieves, Your People Still Resist
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One Year Without Jaal Battee Urgeessaa: Your Nation Still Grieves, Your People Still Resist

A year has passed since we lost one of Oromia’s brightest sons, Jaal Battee Urgeessaa—an icon of peaceful resistance, a visionary political leader, and a man whose gentle strength made him both beloved and formidable. His assassination on this day, on the Ramadan festive day last year, was not only a devastating loss to his…

assimilation decree
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How a False Unity of Mythical Ethiopia Was Manufactured Through Annexation and Assimilation

Introduction Emperor Haile Selassie ascended to the throne on April 2, 1930. Just over a year later, on July 16, 1931, he promulgated the country’s first modern Constitution. In that founding document, the name “Ethiopia” was formally constitutionalized for the first time—replacing the historical name “Abyssinia.” This name change, however, did not gain international recognition…

"Systematic Dispossession of Oromia"
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The Systematic Dispossession of Oromia: Language Status Denied, Lands Mythologized and Engineered, Names Rewritten, and a Mountain Nearly Claimed

 An Article by Invitation Introduction In the age of satellites, algorithms, and global awareness, one might assume that cultural denial has no place left to hide. And yet, Ethiopia—a multinational entity whose sociopolitical structure still bears the hallmarks of an unreconciled empire—continues to find creative ways to deny the Oromo people what is clearly, obviously,…

oromophobia
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A Civic Lesson Disguised as an Interview: Understanding Oromophobia Through the EBS Controversy and Shabo Media’s Insightful Dialogue

It is rarely the case that interviews transcend their usual form and qualify as effective lecture material in civic education. Yet the interview of Aaddee Samihaa Osmaan on Shabo Media last night, conducted by the ever-charismatic Gaammee Galgaloo, focusing on an age-old issue of Oromophobia, was one such rare instance. More than just a conversation,…

Qanani Adunya
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The Death of Qanani Adunya and a Microcosm of Ethiopia’s Deep-Rooted Supremacist Mindset

Please Watch the Video Clip (81 sec) That Prompted this Editorial Before Proceeding. Thank You. The Tragic Death of a Young Artist The tragic death of young Oromo artist Qanani Adunya should have been a moment of collective mourning—a time for Ethiopia to grieve the loss of a bright, talented soul taken too soon. Instead,…

Oromia
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A New Abyssinian Alliance in the Making and What it Means for Oromia

Excerpt: The crisis of Oromia can be summed up in a single, stark sentence: Oromia’s greatest hazard is its own wealth. The sheer abundance of its resources has drawn in competing forces, each vying for control. This relentless scramble has made the realization of Oromia’s self-determination—a cause championed for decades—an even more daunting challenge. Today,…

The Myth of Ethiopia’s Historical Continuity: A Political Invention Disguised as Legacy
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The Myth of Ethiopia’s Historical Continuity: A Political Invention Disguised as Legacy

Synopsis The name Ethiopia is often presented as an unbroken historical identity, tracing back to ancient times. However, a closer examination of historical records, international registrations, and linguistic origins reveals that the name Ethiopia, as applied to a modern empire-state, lacks continuity before the 20th century. Instead, it was a political rebranding strategy, gaining official…

Civility Costs Nothing, Obbo Hailu Adunya
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Civility Costs Nothing, Obbo Hailu Adunya

Public office is not a playground for personal arrogance, nor is it a stage for hurling insults at those with differing perspectives. It is, above all, a responsibility—a duty to conduct oneself with dignity, reason, and respect. Obbo Hailu Adunya, the spokesperson of the Oromia Regional Administration, seems to have missed this fundamental truth in…

Meeting on Oromia
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Decoding Prosperity Party Regime's Farcical Four-Day Meeting on Oromia

  ­DISCLAIMER This editorial opinion of OROMIA TODAY has been formulated in consultation with opinion influencers.   What Just Happened? Reportedly, delegates representing a broad spectrum of political, civic, and faith-based organizations—16 in total, as stated—convened to deliberate on the political and security situation in Oromia. While the stated purpose was to discuss these pressing issues,…

Urbanizing the People, the Land, and the Government: A Bold Statement by Shimelis Abdissa
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Urbanizing the People, the Land, and the Government: A Bold Statement by Shimelis Abdissa

Introduction Shimelis Abdissa, the President of Oromia, has introduced a new term—possibly a novel entry into the Afan Oromo lexicon—magaalomsuu, derived from magaalaa, meaning town. The term magaalomsuu is intended to mean “to urbanize,” and it resonates deeply in the context of Oromia’s rural-urban divide with strong socio-political connotations. He further stated, “Waan sadii magaalomuu…

The Immutable Standard: The Politician Who Stands Like a Mountain
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The Immutable Standard: The Politician Who Stands Like a Mountain

There exists, in the crumbling, treacherous landscape of modern politics, a rare and nearly mythical figure—the Politician of Unyielding Principle. Unlike the fair-weather careerists who slither from one political feast to another, sniffing for power like a desperate hound at a butcher’s door, this individual is cut from stone, his convictions carved deep, immovable, impervious…

Why Is No One Talking About the Dissolution of the Ethiopian Empire?
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Why Is No One Talking About the Dissolution of the Ethiopian Empire?

The Elephant in the Room The Ethiopian Empire, as it stands today, is a product of the late 19th century “Scramble for Africa,” when European colonial powers carved up the continent among themselves. Unlike most African countries, Ethiopia managed to resist outright European colonization. However, its imperial formation under Emperor Menelik II followed a similar…

Why the Oromia Opposition Parties Never Ever Learn
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Why the Oromia Opposition Parties Never Ever Learn

A famous intelligent person once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That is precisely the dilemma Ethiopian opposition groups and liberation fronts find themselves in today. Despite repeated betrayals, failed negotiations, and a rigged political landscape, opposition parties continue engaging with a regime that has never…

Historical Revisionism
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The Futility of Denial: How Historical Revisionism Undermines Inter-Ethnic Cohesion in Ethiopia

Excerpt Historical revisionism is no mere academic exercise—it is a powerful political tool that shapes memory, identity, and power. In Ethiopia’s modern politics, the deliberate use of imperial-era place names like “Nazareth” instead of “Adama” signals a deeper resistance to Oromo identity restoration. This article explores how such symbolic acts, like Dr. Desalegn Chanie’s recent…