What We Had, What was Taken from Us, What We Will Reclaim: The Oromo Irreecha Festival Revisited and Reinterpreted
By Professor Mekuria Bulcha Introduction Once again the Oromo are preparing for the celebrations of the Irreecha festival at Lake Arsadee in Bishoftu city 50 km south of Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) in central Oromia. This time the annual national rendezvous takes place on October 1, 2016. Although it is the Oromo equivalent of Thanksgiving,[1] and…