Oromo elites are shunning initial Kaayyoo of the nation as articulated by OLF without replacing it with any viable alternative

By Ibsaa Guutama 23 March 2019 Oromo elites are shunning initial Kaayyoo of the nation as articulated by OLF without replacing it with any viable alternative. This raises a question if they are accepting that Oromo were and will be self-reliant independent nation? So far it is only struggle under that kaayyoo, that could enable…

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Barara is not Addis Ababa

By Guluma Gemeda PhD University of Michigan-Flint 25.11.2018 Recently, unpublished, 49-page document entitled: ‘Addis Ababa is Barara, and Barara is Addis Ababa’ has circulated on the internet. The name of the author(s) is not indicated but an organization called Amhara Professionals Union (Amba) claims to have sponsored it. The purpose of this document, as indicated…

Pacified politics or risk of disintegration? A race against time in Ethiopia

Source: https://www.opendemocracy.net/ren-lefort/pacified-politics-or-risk-disintegration-race-against-time-in-ethiopia RENÉ LEFORT 21 August 2018 The dramatic changes of the last months have moved Ethiopia away from “the gates of hell ”, but all options are still on the table, from the worst to the best. April 2, 2018 – House of People’s Representatives – Swearing in of the new Prime Minister Abiy…

Article 39, Oromo Nationalism, Abyssinian Exceptionalism & Expectations Raised by Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s Premiership (Part II)

Article 39, Oromo Nationalism, Abyssinian Exceptionalism & Expectations Raised by Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s Premiership (Part II) Mekuria Bulcha, PhD, Professor 10 July 2018 Introduction As indicated in the first part of this article, the declaration of most of the opposition political organizations that came to life and disappeared during the last 26 year has been…

Article 39, Oromo Nationalism, Abyssinian Exceptionalism & Expectations Raised by Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s Premiership: Part I

Article 39, Oromo Nationalism, Abyssinian Exceptionalism & Expectations Raised by Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s Premiership Part I Mekuria Bulcha, PhD, Professor 8 July 2018 Ethiopia is in the middle of one of the many crises it had faced since its creation as an empire at the end of the nineteenth century. During the last four years,…

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The History and Politics of the Qubee Alphabet

The History and Politics of the Qubee Alphabet Guluma Gemeda Professor, PhD 1 July 2018 In several publications, Professor Mekuria Bulcha has presented the origin, development and the significance of the qubee alphabet for Afaan Oromo. Just last summer, in an article published online, he has succinctly summarized the discussion on the same topic.[1] But…

TPLF’s genocidal policies and practices to reduce the Oromo nation to a minority

By Leenjiso Horo April 15, 2018 The 19th-century Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky famously wrote: “History doesn’t teach anything, but greatly punishes one for not learning its lessons.” This quotation reminds us, our failure to learn lessons of our tragic history of a century ago, the tragic history that made Oromo people the victim of Abyssinia,…

A Remarkable Chapter of German Research History: The Protestant Mission and the Oromo in the Nineteenth Century

By Wolbert G.C. SMIDT Oromo–German relations First steps A crucial period for the creation of the traditional and special relationship between Germans and the Oromo were the 1840s, when many Oromo areas were still located outside the traditional Ethiopian state. Two parallel undertakings of two South Germans – Tutschek and Krapf – led to a…

Moving Beyond the Trauma of October 2, 2016 Irreecha Massacre – Part III

A Pledge to Struggle for Oromo National Sovereignty By Mekuria Bulcha, PhD, Professor 30 September 2017 Introduction In Part II of this article I have described the trauma and anger caused by the October 2, 2016 massacre and discussed the manner with which the Oromo society has responded to the situation. In this third part…

Moving Beyond the Trauma of October 2, 2016 Irreecha Massacre – Part II

28 September 2017 The Oromo Resolve to Fight the Trauma of State Terrorism By Mekuria Bulcha, PhD, Professor Although the Oromo have been exposed to series of violent acts perpetrated against them by the Ethiopian security during the past twenty-six years, the Irreecha massacre of October 2, 2016 stands out as one of the most…

Moving Beyond the Trauma of October 2, 2016 Irreecha Massacre – Part I

25 September 2017 October 2 Will Signify State Terrorism Against the Oromo in Ethiopia By Mekuria Bulcha, Professor Introduction In Oromo history 2016 was one of the darkest years. Sequences of traumatic events followed each other from day to day, week to week and month to month as the Oromo uprising which had started in…

The ‘Nine Lives’ of Oromo Literacy – Qubee and the Birth of a Generation – Part II

Defying a Tradition that Demonizes Our Identity, Our Language and Alphabet 18 September 2017 By Mekuria Bulcha, Professor Introduction In the first part of this article which was published on websites on July 15, 2017, I have described briefly the humble beginning of Oromo literacy and the repression with which it had been treated by…

Excerpts from a Speech made by the Outgoing Chair of OSA Board of Directors, Prof. Mekuria Bulcha, at the Opening of the 31st OSA Annual Conference on July 28, 2017

Ladies and gentlemen, On behalf of OSA Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, I want to welcome you all to this evening’s events. It is with a great sense of satisfaction that I stand before you to open the 31st Annual OSA conference. The first time I came to Washington was 33 years ago…

The ‘Nine Lives’ of Oromo Literacy:  Qubee and the Birth of a Generation

Part I By Mekuria Bulcha, Professor The qubee [the Oromo alphabet], in providing an instrumental means to modern communication, has itself become highly symbolic of the legitimacy and authority of Oromo in the modern learning environment. Juxtaposed with the odaa tree [it], is a resonant symbol of the Oromo polity asserting the unity of all…

Oromo shall defend the gains they so far registered with their sweat and blood

By Ibsaa Guutama 25 June 2017 Qubee is Oromo national treasure and pride. It belongs to no group in particular except the Oromo nation. It costed so many lives and involve so many to reach here. Therefore let us make a call to Oromo of all walks of life, from independent or dependent camps, to…