Pro-OLF Oromia Times Vs Pro-ORF Finfinne Times (By Fayyis Oromia)

Pro-OLF Oromia Times Vs Pro-ORF Finfinne Times

Fayyis Oromia*

First to make clear to my readers, I am not a historian, geologist, politician, anthropologist or ethnologist. I am a simple Oromo individual, who is interested in Oromo cause and who tries to dig about Oromo in books and websites. Here is the two interesting Oromo websites and their differences I found in short. If I might have misunderstood the two websites, just pardon!

As I read and understood Finfinne Times, alia Voice of Finfinne, it tries to show us how Oromo is related to Egypt, to the origin of cushitic civilization, to the city of Meroe and it tries to figure out how the Oromo destiny should be and it teaches us how Oromo proper is the "stem" for all cushitic nations in the north east Africa including some in the horn of Africa. Oromia Times seems to be a genuine nationalist striving to achieve Bilisummaa Oromo from the current Abyssinian subjugation, whatever the history of Oromo could be.

The main difference of the two websites seems to be that Finfinne Times is history oriented, whereas Oromia Times is destiny oriented. Finfinne Times is digging the history of Oromo from different perspectives, whereas Oromia Times is doing its best to promote liberation movement of Oromia at any cost. Who is right? Both or one of them? By the way to comprehend the position of the two websites exactly, we need to read most of the posts appearing in both websites.

To me very interesting is the implication of the two positions. The implication of the position of Finfinne times is to forge our final Kaayyoo to be a RENAISSANCE of Oromo, defining Oromo as a people to include the Oromo proper (nation) we do now know and the Oromo progeny aka all the nations which seem to have been emerged from Oromo proper, which meanse all cushitic nations including the semetized cush nations in the region, i.e most nations in the Ethiopian empire and some in the neighbour countries. The implication of the position of Oromia Times is that of LIBERATION of Oromo proper aka Oromia from the subjugation and suppression it is suffering since the last 3000 years. This time span which is usually adored by Ethiopianists as the time of Ethiopian freedom is actually the time of Oromian gradual assimilation so that a lot of its parts lost their original Oromo identity aka Oromummaa and became semetized and arabized.

I personally can look at the move of Finfinne Times as a support for a liberation movement and I would like to call its move and its supporters as ORF (Oromo Renaissance Forces), a movement which seems now to fight for Oromo liberation within a union of nations in the empire and which then will try to influence other progeny nations to look at their Oromo root. This includes the position of some Oromos in OFC (OFDM + OPC). Very clear is that the political stand of Oromia Times looks to be like the position of OLF aka Self-determination per referendum of Oromo public on the issue of Independence within Vs without a union with other nations, be it that the Oromo renaissance follows or not.

Just accepting the Oromo modern history, which suggests that Oromo is the indigenous nation in the region and it is the origin for most other nations, I can say Oromo till now used to excercise self-destruction under the influence of different forces from the Middle-east and from the West. Just as an example, the Axumite Oromos (semetized and christanized ones) destroyed the traditional Oromo of Meroe and the Amharanized Oromo like Theodros, Minilik, H/Sillasie and Mengistu as well the Tigranized Oromo individuals like Yohannes and Melles destroyed the well presereved and the very resistant Oromo proper. Here is important to mention that Oromo proper is the most disident which resisted the influence from out side and kept its indegenous religion and language. Some scholars even tend to say that this is the reason the name "Gaallaa" is given to this NO-sayer nation. The word seems to have been driven from the Arab word "Qallaa" which meanse simply "said NO". I can say Arabs gave Oromo people this name for they resisted to accept Islam at the cost of Waaqeffaannaa. Of course then the Abesha elites (semetized Oromo progeny) used it further giving it more negative connotations. Actually in the above mentioned sense the word "Gaallaa" has got positive meaning in comparision to the Arab word "Habesh" which in reality meanse mixed ("bast*ard") and confused. Unfortunately still today the Oromo progenies in a form of Weyane (Tigrean elites) are going on with the further destruction of Oromo proper aka their grand grand ancestor.

The question to be raised and to be answered is: how can we Oromo proper, who are now fighting for our liberation from the domination by the "ignorantly arrogant" Oromo progeny aka Weyane elites? What is the implication of having these two positions (pro-OLF Oromia Times and pro-ORF Finfinne Times) in the Oromo society? Are the two position irreconcilable? Is the position of Oromia Times (OLF) the prerequisite to promote the position of Finfinne Times (ORF)? I just write this article and ask these question to provoke thinking and action in Oromo community. My stand here is not necessarily the last well tought and not the most important.

As far as I am concerned, the two position are complementary, not contradictory to each other. Fact on the ground is that now Oromo nation (proper) is under slavery by Weyane and it needs to be liberated unconditionally. For this struggle we need OLF and its noble position on the right of Oromo proper to self-determination. This ensures our liberation at any cost without any compromise. As far as there is Abesha domination (mind you Abesha is one of the Oromo progenies) over Oromo proper, there will be Oromo liberation movement going on and surely there will be a viable front to fight for Bilisummaa. After achieving the Kaayyoo of OLF i.e after liberating Oromo proper from any sort of oppression, we can opt further to realize the position of Finfinne Times (ORF) aka integration of all nations, most of which are acutally Oromo progenies, with Oromo proper. I think this is the reason that OLF put in its programm not only the necessity of independence, but also a possibility of union!

Otherwise the position of Finfinne Times (ORF) should not be misundersood and confused with the position of Abeshas, who do preach "unconditional Ethiopian unity". For Abeshas (for these Oromo progenies, who already lost their Oromummaa), it doesn't matter if the enslaved Oromo proper is liberated or not. For them important is the "unity "aka keepning the empire at any cost, if possible they wish to continue with the ongoing Amharanization!. I think Finfinne Times wants to achieve the renaissance of Oromo in a sense of liberated Oromo and then possibily the coming back of the different Oromo progenies to their root. But for this to be accomplished, we first need a liberated Oromo national area with a growing Oromo language and values without a limitation by oppressors as it is today. That is why I do say the position of Finfinne Times can only be realized after first achieving the Kaayyoo of Oromia Times aka that of OLF.

So to put it in short we Oromos do have yet three goals to achieve after one an other. The next stop of our liberation journy which started in Djibouti (Garbummaa), passing through Diredawa (status quo aka limited cultural autonomy) will be Adama (true Federation), that is why we need to support MEDREK with all our power. Then the true federation can lead us to the Kaayyoo of OLF, i.e Finfinne or Bilisummaa or self-dtermination of oromo proper to vote on the Oromia republic as a prerequisite for Oromo resainssance Vs union of nations as a step to the resainssance. Sure is that if there is true freedom and democracy, at last we will achieve the final goal aka the Oromo resainssance in which both the Oromo proper and the different Oromo progenies including other nations in the Horn which might not have emerged from Oromo will grow together. Sure is again without liberation of Oromo proper, it is fact that the whole region continue to suffer under the present poverty and tyranny. So the key to prosperity in that cursed region is liberation of Oromo proper, be it within or without the desired union. In short, let's all Oromo nations (the proper and the progenies) move now from our hitherto self-destructuion to the future self-determination. Let's continue to be a NO-sayers to slavery, injustice and tyranny. Last, but not least I would like to appeal to Oromo (both proper and progeny) historians, geologists, anthropologists, politicians, ethnologists and other social science students to write what they know on this issue and educate us Oromo public (in a wide sense i.e including all Oromo progenies) further. Don't leave the topic to amateur writers like me. Galatoomaa!!

*The Opinions of The author Do Not Necessarily Reflect The Opinions of OromiaTimes.