What Ever Oromo History Is, No Compromise On Our Destiny (By Fayyis Oromia)

What Ever Oromo History Is, No Compromise On Our Destiny

By Fayyis Oromia

The reason I do write this short essay is the feed back I got from different corners of Oromo community on my last article in which I tried to compare the two positions of our two websites (Finfinne Times and Oromia Times). I know with that article I touched a very sensitive issue which was always a topic of discussion among Oromo freedom fighters from the beginning of our liberation journey. That was a reason why I was cautious and I just put the conflict areas in a form of questions to be forwarded.

There were always and there are also still today two views and two perspectives among Oromo nationalists. I think the cause of these two perspectives is the version of Oromo history we do have in mind and our own individual biography. According to the discussion I made with many fellow Oromo individuals, there are even some who do just swim and pendle between the two blocks of ideas. What are these blocks and how can we accomodate them in our liberation journey? I think we can classify fellow Oromo individuals in to three in respect to their view about our history and our destiny:

- Oromo who seems to accept the history version usally written by Finfinne Times and others that we are original Cush nation and even that we are the "stem" of other Cush nations. The implication of such history is that this group tend to believe and accept that we Oromo people should stay together with Abyssinians, who are also "our siblings" from the same origin. So clear is that this group tends to advocate for liberated Oromo within a united Ethiopia and if possible struggle further for the Oromo Renaissance (here Oromo being both the Oromo proper which now identifies its self as Oromo and the Oromo progenies who "lost their Oromummaa gradually in the last 3000 years history"). I think this is the reason for some Oromo politicians to start to speak about a necessity of a change of philosophy in Oromo liberation movement.

- Oromo who seems to accept that there can be historical relation between Abesha and Oromo, but believes that the most important is the colonial relation after Abeshas could invade and subjugate Oromia in the end of the ninteenth century in connection to the European colonizers' movment of the scramble for Africa. No question this group thinks that the only destny of Oromo is a complete liberation of Oromia from the colonization or domination of our neighbour Abyssinia. Of course this group also sees a possibility of a union of nations in the region after independence of Oromo for the possible common benefit of all peoples in the region. It seems to be the fact on the ground that the majority of Oromo people seem to rally behind this idea. We do also observe a lot of websites including Oromia Times who do promote these option.

- Oromo individuals who do just pendle between the above two options based on the situation because of their own biography. Most of such Oromo personalites or groups have got a loyality conflict. They tend to be loyal to both Ethiopia and Oromia. People with such mind are either the supporters of the Ethiopianist Oromo movments like that of Ad Birtukan or they are just promorters of ONLY federation in Ethiopian context with out demanding for further self-determination of Oromo people or for independence of Oromia. Now such mindseting is almost dying among Oromo community for the struggle is becoming clear and radical.

Because of my article about the view of Finfinne Times, many Oromo nationalists wrote to me the concern they do have. In summary the concern is that the position of Finfinne times and that of few websites, who try to tell us that Oromo is the origin for most of Ethiopian nations and as a consequence must take the responsibility not only to liberate Oromo proper, but also other nations including Abeshas, seems to be detrimental to Oromo liberation movement. Simply put, they say that if we believe that Abyssinians are Oromos who lost their Oromummaa in the last 3000 years, it will be difficult to make a radical liberation struggle against our "own".

I do personally share this concern. Firstly the so called "modern Oromo history" is not yet verified exactly. Secondly Abesha elites as crooked they always are try to use this "modern Oromo history" as an instrument against Oromo liberation movement. That is actually what we could observe in cyber world in the past many years. Abesha elites always tried to dilute Oromo's radical step towards Bilisummaa by trying to tell us that we Oromo people are part of them aka "Ethiopians" and they actually used such history to try to convince us. They untiredly told us that both Amharas and Tigarus are from Oromo origin, so liberation of Oromia from the Abesha subjugators, who "are Oromo" them selves is "not logical".

As far as my position is concerned, let's leave history for historians. We don't need either to believe it or deny it. We just start from the staus quo. No question, at the momment Oromo is enslaved by Weyane elites, so we need to be liberated from this domination. Just in front of our eyes a lot of Oromo nationalists died just for they are Oromo nationalists and still a lot are languishing in jail. The Abesha elites ("our progeny") didn't look at Oromo as their own. Why should then Oromo look at this bararic tyrannts as our own? Leave alone Oromo, even the oppressed Abeshas and other nations should fight them. To decide our destiny we need our own public verdict. That is why our Kaayyoo is self-determination. What ever our histoy is, we stick to this goal.

Disregarding the different versions of our history, we can agree that our Oromummaa depends on the view we do have on our national (Oromo) interest. Those of us who do support and serve this national interest are the ones with greater Oromummaa. So Oromummaa is not only about biological origin, but more about psychological make up. To that matter, we have seen a lot of biological Oromo individuals who do identify them selves with Oromo foes. I personally think, beyond biological Oromo origin and beyond the language we do speak, an Oromo with sound Oromummaa is for me the one who identifies him self with being Oromo, with Afaan Oromo, with our liberation Kaayyoo and with the Oromo way of life including Aada Oromo.

In short, I must say that what ever our history might be or our status quo is, we should push together for our final destiny aka Bilisummaa. What matters is the Oromo nation we want to buiild in the future based on our self-determination, i.e either possibly a free, an independent and a prosperious Oromo land and an emancipated Oromo people; simply put Bilisummaa saba Oromo (freedom of Oromo people) and Walabummaa biya Oromo (sovereignity of Oromo land) or a Union of free nations based on public verdict. Galatoomaa and have a nice life of Qabsoo to Bilisummaa!!