September 13, 2009

Opinion: Oromo is the stem, Others are branches: fact or fancy? (Fayyis Oromia)

Oromo is the stem, Others are branches: fact or fancy?
Fayyis Oromia

It is really interesting to hear that nowadays few Oromo elites and of course a lot of Abesha elites telling us the new "statistical" conclusion regarding the wish of Oromo people. The conclusion declares that Oromo people doesn't want "secession". They do argue that Oromo is the stem for the other nations in the empire, who are the branches. So logically, it is the branch who may need to break off or separate, but not the stem. That is well said, very good for Abesha elites and I do congradulate them for their new "research finding". Even the few Oromo elites are trying to tell us that Oromos are changing our philosophy regarding our liberation movement. According to them, Oromo liberation will be realized only in a united Ethiopia, not in "separated" Oromia. But I do hear Oromos asking: from whom did this new philosophy basically come? Who ever the source of this theory is, let me try to challenge in short both the analogy (parable) and the philosophy these elites are talking about.

First of all, is the analogy suitable to describe the relationship between nations in the region called Ethiopian empire or in the Horn of Africa? I think seeking and finding an analogy to describe and explain the relationship of these nations in the region is mainly based on the version of history the elites do accept and which version they want to apply as an instrument for their wished goal of the political movements in the area. Clear is that there are different versions of Oromo history. According to some "historians" we are immigrants who came from Madagascar. Others tell us that we were confined only in Mada-Walabu till we could move towards north few centuries back and owned the current Oromo land, which then was lately invaded by our neighbours from the north. Yet some do talk that we are indigenous people in the North East Africa, originally from Meroe, and this group claim that most cushitic nations in the horn are branches of this stem called Oromo. Accordingly the solution these three groups do suggest for the political conflict in the empire also differs. Those who tell us that we Oromos are immigrants suggest that we just leave the empire and go back to our origin. Those who claim that we are a separated people originally from Mada-Walabu insist on the unconditional independence (separation) of Oromia from Abyssinia (the current occuppier of Oromia). The elites who do believe that we are the stem for all other nations claim that we can be free people in the empire including "our branches" and even we can be the dominant nation of the empire in the future, so no need for "secession" of Oromia!

I must say, the last version is the current post-modern way of opposing Oromo's right to self-determination. Forgetting the few Oromo elites who do talk like this, be it mere rhetoric or more reality from their side, the very smart Abesha elites are currently trying to designate Oromo as the stem from whom even Amharas and Tegarus originate. Their logic and move is fantastic: the stem Oromo can not be separated from its branches. They think with such simple message, they can discourage Oromo nationalists from pushing for the independence of Oromia within or without the possible union of nations in the empire/region. The question to be answered is, are the few Oromo elites preaching the same theory fooled by these Abesha elites or do they have their own tactical move having the indispensable right of Oromo nation to self-determination at heart?

As far as I am concerned, Oromo is not necessarily the "stem" for the "branches" like Amhara and Tegaru. Be it they do have common origin or not, now they are different nations with different languages, cultures and even different histories, of course having their own specific national areas. So I do consider all nations in the region, big and small, including Amharas, Tegarus and Oromos as separate trees in a garden standing as neighbours and sharing common soil, air and water. The trees have got their own discrete identities, but they do share common enviroment. They can only live both independently and interdependently sharing the neighbouring enviromental resources. Let's imagine the different trees with different nature living as neighbours enjoying the common area which can be considered as a garden. It is really beautifull to see them having diffirent colours and flowers. But what will happen if one or two of them try to encroach over the area of the others and destroy the colours and flowers of their neighbour trees? Such a tree or a plant is considered to be invasive and destrucitve. Few monthes back I read about invading plants called weeds (usually foreign plants) agrressively invading the area of other plants (always indegenous plants).

Arn't Abesha elites like these invading plants? What is the role of Weyane elites today in Amhara region, Oromia, Ogaden, Afar, Sidama, Somalia....etc? Are they not encroaching on to the God-given area of other indegenious plants? To keep the garden stay beautifull and that the weeds will not invade areas of indigenous ones, the keeper of the garden should do every thing possible so that all plants be limited to their only allowed living area. I do imagine the garden called Horn of Africa can only be beautifull if Amhara elites and Tegaru elites will be limited to their respective national areas and live in harmony with their neghbour nations. If they want to claim the national areas of Oromos and other nations as their own, no question they are the very destructive invading weeds, with whom we have to deal accordingly. Up to now, they left their own ground and invaded the ground of the neighbouring plants. Nowadays such destructive plants are to be controlled with chemicals to limit them in their own area, so that they can be inhibited from invading the area of other neighbouring plants. At the moment, Weyane is the worst destructive weed who invaded the areas of the beautifull indigenious plants aka Oromos and other nations in the region. Oromo liberation movement is nothing other than limiting the invading weeds and compell them to stay at their own areas, where they can be considered as indegenious plants.

Looking at the empire/region as an animal body, rather than as a garden, the invading Abesha elites are the same to cancer cells, which do leave their own organ to invade and destroy other neighbouring tissues and organs of a body. What the elites of the two Abyssinans hitherto did on Oromos and other nations in the region is such a cancerous invasion. It might be true that Oromo is the biological stem of Amharas and Tegarus, just like all our organs come from only one stem cell. But after being differentiated, each Organ has got its own specialized cells and tissues with peculiar colour, function and structure to be limited in only one specific organ. Brain cells are very different from liver and heart cells, and are limited to have a form and function which is required in a brain. If we find brain cells in a liver or a heart, it is pathological and lethal. The same is true, when we find the non-integrated and autoritative Abesha elites like the current ruling Weyane elites in Oromia. They just destroy the social fabric of Oromos. For instance, language is the main parameter determinig the identity of nations. Just regarding this fact, Abesha elites who didn't learn to speak Afaan Oromo after living in Oromia for a long time are like the invading cancer cells. They either will be integrated by learning Afaan Oromo or they will be ejected as a foreign body in due time or they will kill the host Oromo language and Oromo culture slowly. This is the law of both nature and culture. That is why the normal simple Amhara and Tegaru individuals living in Oromia being integrated and respecting the culture, language and other rights of Oromos including the political right to self-determination are not to be considered as cancer cells to be rejected and removed.

Coming to my own conclusion, the healthy and recommendable solution is to have a very healthy trees with different forms and flowers beside one an other (tree of Amharas, tree of Oromos, tree of Tigarus...etc) with their specific living area, without being allowed to invade the living area of others like the weed plants do. The empire, in which Abesha elites invaded other nations and tried to destroy their culture and nature as well still struggle to hinder the realization of the right of nations to self-determination, must be transformed in to the UNION, in which all nations of different culture live independently and interdependently like those well placed and managed plants in a very beautifull garden. That is what we mean by union of independent nations. Union of independent Amhara, Tigrai, Oromia, Ogaden, Afar...etc including even independent Eritrea, Somaliland, Djibouti, Puntland and Somalia based on self-determination of each nation is the optimal thing we all should strive to achieve. Without respecting the right of nations to self-determination, there is no power under the sun which can hinder nations from striving to get rid of the invading weeds or from trying to be free from the cancer cells.

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