Prefer listening? Play the audio of full article. The Tranquil Indigenous People Before colonization and forced annexation, indigenous peoples thrived across the globe — civilizations, cultures, and ways of life intricately woven with their environments over thousands of years. They were not waiting to be "discovered"; they were living fully, imagining, governing, trading, and sustaining...
“That is what prosperity looks like,” boasts a Prosperity Party (PP) regime loyalist in his Facebook repost, proudly sharing a photo announcing a $7.8 billion agreement between Ethiopian Airlines and the African Development Bank to build Africa’s largest airport in Abuu Seeraa, near Bishoftu town in Oromia. A gleaming model aircraft in the hands of...
The sickening propaganda machine of the Prosperity Party (PP) regime has reached a new low—one that defeats description, but not scrutiny. This Easter weekend, one of the holiest in the Ethiopian calendar, the Mayor of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) and the Prime Minister himself embarked on a public relations roadshow. The show? Distributing cooking oil—and yes,...
There are moments that sear themselves into the soul—not because of their scale, but because of the depth of their inhumanity. Ethiopia never ceases to amaze—but with inhumanity. We've witnessed people burned alive, skinned while breathing, severed heads paraded on spikes. And now, as if in a grim sequel to past shock treatments, we...
Questions for Troubling Rhetoric Where does freedom of speech end, and the incitement of dangerous, ethnically charged propaganda begin? At what point does public discourse shift from a right to speak one’s mind into a reckless abuse of influence—especially when the speaker holds public office in a fragile, multi-ethnic society? These are not abstract questions....
There’s something truly ironic about attempts to rewrite history—how they often stumble on the very tools they try to wield. A case in point: a laughable “13th-century map of Abyssinia” now making the rounds. A single glance at its slick, pixel-perfect typography and digitally crisp outlines is enough to raise eyebrows. We are expected to...
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 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...
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...
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...
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,...
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,...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
