Oromia is one of the largest countries in Africa and yet few have heard of it – because it is inside another country, Ethiopia. Ethiopia was created as the empire of the Amhara. It is made up out of five or so other countries. The largest of these is the land of the Oromo, Oromia. It lies at the centre of Ethiopia and extends to the south and to the west. It is bigger than France but has only half as many people, about 30 million. In our own time it has become the scene of genocide.
The Oromo are much like the Somalis in language, custom and race. They speak Oromo, one of the top ten of the thousand languages of Africa. While the Somalis live in the eastern end of the Horn of Africa, the Oromo live just to the west of them in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. But while nearly all Somalis are Muslim, only half of the Oromo are: the other half are Christians, though some do still practise the native Oromo religion.
Most were herdsmen raising cows until the 1800s. Many still are, but now most are small-time farmers, a change that began in the 1800s. Trade also increased then. That gave great power and wealth to those who could control it, so in the early 1800s Oromia was ruled by warlords. Then in the late 1800s the Amhara took over and made Oromia a part of their country, Abyssinia, now called Ethiopia.
It was not enough for the Amhara simply to rule, collect taxes and keep the peace. They went beyond that. They saw the Oromo as savages, as backwards and violent. They tried to make them into good Amharas, speaking the Amharic tongue and worshipping in Orthodox Christian churches. Amharic became the language that school was taught in (till 1995). Some Oromo were ordered to become Christians or lose their land. The Amhara outlawed the practice of the old Oromo religion. They also outlawed the Oromo flag of black, red and white (pictured above).
The Amhara broke down Oromo society to weaken it – although it had already been weakening under the warlords. They sent settlers to live on Oromo land and wrote in their history books that it was the Oromo, not they, who were the newcomers to the region.
Losing one’s Oromo ways and taking on Amhara ways became the way to get ahead. Most of those who did not remained poor – probably proof to some that Oromo ways are backward.
A third of Christians in Oromia are not Orthodox but Protestant. That is high for Ethiopia, but part of the appeal of Protestant Christianity is that it is not the Amhara sort of Christianity.
People like to point out how Ethiopia largely avoided becoming a colony of the European empires – it was ruled by Italy for only five years. But to the Oromo the black man merely took the place of the white man. And he is still there.
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nice entry abagond. I have a request are you going to do an entry on the children of american vietnam vets that were conceived during the war?
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Oh yes, definitely. I will probably have it up in the next days. I will post the link here. Thanks for the suggestion.
Here it is:
https://abagond.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/vietnamese-amerasians/
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This is a deep subject. I have often heard heated debates between Amhara, Oromo, and Eritrean people in regards to how their countries where forcefully taken over for Ethiopian expansion, and all senseless deaths due mainly to pride and political gain. Actually, you painted a much prettier picture than the reality.
Nice entry.
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“you painted a much prettier picture than the reality.”? OMG.
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Oromos always craying or barking like a mad dog againest Amharas –Amhara this Amhara that.
OROMOS in political power during Emperor Minilik and Haileselassie’s time:
Ras Abbebe Aregay Bichire – Defence Minister
Bilata Deresa Amintu – Vice Minister of ministry of Agriculture
Dejazmach Deresu Duke – Governor general of Illubabur and Gemugofa
Dejazmach Fikreselassie Habtemariam – Governor General of Wellega
Dejazmach Kasa weldemariam – President of Addis Abeba University and Minister of Agriculture
Dejazmach Shiferaw Balcha – Administrator of Wellega and Abegaz of Jijjiga and Ogaden
Dejazmach Kifle Dadi – Governor of Gonde
Dejazmach Sebsibe Shiberru – Governor of Arussi
Dejazmach Bekele Weya – Adminstrator of Chebbo and Gurage and later on Adinistrotor of CherCher (Harer)
Dejazmach Kebede Bizuneh – Governor of Kibre Mengist (Adola), Nazareth (Yerer Kereiyu) and Menagesha
Fitawrari Hailemikael Zewde Goben-?
Fitawrari Lemma WeldeTsadik – Vice Governor of Sidamo
Lut. General Jagamma Kello – Commander of the forth army division and Governor of Bale
Maj. General Mulugeta Buli – Commandor of the Body Guard and Minister of Culture
Maj. General Abebe Gemeda – Commandor of the Second army division, Vice minister of Finance, Commandor of the Police and in charge of the Body Guard
Maj. General Wakjira Wereda – In charge of various army divisions
Maj. General Kelbesa Bekka – Administrator of Sidamo and Tigray
Maj. General Abera Weldemariam – Vice Commandor of the Air Force
Maj. General Regasa Jimma – Commandor of various army divisions
General Demise Bultu – Commandor of the second army division and Comandor of the Army
General Tadesse Birru –Comandor of the police and special forces
General Dawit Abdi – Comandor of the army’s engineering division
Col. Solomon Kedir – Vice minister of customs and (yehizb dehninet minister)
Lutenant Girma weldegiorgis – Vice minister of the civil aviation and member of the Senet
Legaba Bekele Hordofa Chengire – Responsible of the Royal Palace (Gibbi)
Ato Yilma Deresa Amentu – Ethiopian Ambassador to the U.S.A, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance and Trade
Ato Gebremariam Amentu – Advisor of Telecomunications and Finance
Ato Amanuel Abrham – Ambassodr, Minister of Police and telecommunications, Advisor and member of the Crown Concil
Ato Bulcha Demeksa – Vice minister of ministry of finance, Minister of Agriculture
Ato Solomon Gebremariam – Director, vice miniter in various ministries
Ato Tesfaye Bushen – Vice minister of ministry of Agriculture and Governor of Arusi
Ato Teshome Gebremariam – Chairperson in the kinistry of Justice, vice minister of ministry of mines
Ato Olena Natnael – Vice minister of Finance and monitory fund
Ato Efrem Boru – Ambasador
Ato Molisa Rabu – Chiefe director in the ministry of Education
During The Time Of The Derg And Mengistu Hailemariam:
Col. Mengistu Hailemariam – President (Father Oromo, Mother Wolaita and Not as claimed Amara.)
Col. Debela Dinsa- Member of Office of the Police Force and Vice President
Ato Yesuf Ahmed – Vice President
Colonel Tekka Tullu – Member of the Police Force and Yedehninet Halafi
Colonel Tesfaye Weldeselassie – Member of the Politburou
Doctor Geremew Debele – Ambassador and Minister of Agriculture
Ato Tesfaye Dinka – Member of the Politburou, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Money, Minister of Industry and Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister
General Tesfaye Gebrekidan – Member of the Politburou, Minister of Diffence and later on President
Capitan Mengistu Gemechu – Special Aid and Advisor for col. Mengistu Hailemariam
General Mesfin Gebrekal –Armed forces operational and political Chief
General Fiseha Desta – Member of the Politburou and Vice President
Doctor Berhane Gebrayi – Central Comitee member of the Ethiopian Workers Party, Ambasador, Assistant minister in the ministry of Education
General Yaditu Girumu – Chief of the Addis Abeba Police
Doctor Duri Muhammed – President of Addis Abeba University ,
Ato Simon Galore – Chief of Ethiopian Workers Party in Southern Ethiopia
Ato Tadese – General Maneger of the National Bank of Ethiopia , Minister of Foreign Trade and Ambasador
next time come with facts or shut the fucc up OROMOS
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Don’t listen to “OROMO LIERS” he or she is an Amhara,
Amhara are Habasha, and Habasha are Arab Yemeni
immigrants in origin. they immigrated about 2000 years ago
from Yemen to East Africa.
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tell me your stand about wolayta people. And is mengistu haile mariam wolayta
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abagond please tell me your stand about wolayta people. And is mengistu haile mariam wolayta
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you oromo liers, you are the lier. you said, “Col. Mengistu Hailemariam – President (Father Oromo, Mother Wolaita and Not as claimed Amara.)”, where is your claim in book. there are a lot books wrtten regarding mengistu. he him self did said that. how can you say like that. tell me where you found it? you have no document!
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wow i had no idea! that’s an intriguing concept to me, a country within a country. oromia…
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@Fleecyhead Milagrero
This is not uncommon in Africa. There are similar groups in Ethiopia who face discrimination and oppression and there are groups who want liberation for their people. Some Ethiopian examples: Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (of the Tigray region), Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (Afar region), and Ogaden National Liberation Front (Ogaden region/Somali region of Ethiopia). A non-Ethiopian examples is the struggle of Tuaregs (black Berbers) in Mali and perhaps Niger and Algeria. They refer to their native regions in those nations as Azawad. This is also related to the recent French-led battles and bombings in Timbuktu, Gao, northern Mali, and other regions in Mali and Niger.
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Wow i never thought i will see this day
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