Scylla and Charybdis in the Path to Free Oromia: Religious Divisions & Political Conventionalism

By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
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[ Posted On: 2008-09-08 ]

In an ongoing series of publications, I intend to describe possible ways in which simple Oromos can truly become real leaders in the National Struggle for Independent, Free Oromia, thus forcing bold policies and revolutionary strategies upon the present conventional leaderships and plunging the traditional enemies of the Oromo Nation in disarray. Three articles entitled ‘A Transcendental Approach to the Need for Oromo Leadership’ (Part I, II, III) and one article under the title ‘Every Oromo: A Leader in the Oromia Liberation Struggle’ (Part IV) have been published so far.

In my assertion that Oromos have to go beyond the conventional political leaderships that both do not reflect authentic Oromoness and will never lead to a really independent Kushitic Republic of Oromo Ethiopia, I found an insightful article that, written by a perspicacious Oromo analyst, consists in the best support and the strongest backing of my argumentation.

In his well-elaborated ‘The Problem of Oromo Struggle’, Waamicha Sikkoo Mandoo describes the complexity of the problem of the religious division of the Oromo Nation (Waaqeffannaa, Islam and several Christian denominations) as taking place within the various liberation fronts and movements for independence and the political parties of the Oromos.

Convincingly outmaneuvering the baseless arguments of the ‘Ethiopianist’ Amhara and Tigray Monophysitic Abyssinians, and the few Oromo Quislings who still dare side with the Abyssinian racist, tyrannical elites, the astute Oromo commentator provides us with an insightful that clearly delineates the limited horizons of the conventional leadership. That is why I re-publish it here integrally, expressing the hope to read more contributions by Waamicha Sikkoo Mandoo in the near future.

The Problem of Oromo Struggle
By Waamicha Sikkoo Mandoo
http://www.oromoindex.com/News/20069.html

What are the main roots of our problems? Is it internal or external? Internal in its sense of "within Ethiopia” and "within Oromo” and external in sense of the influence of international politics on our struggle. Why is it that when almost all nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America have got rid of their colonizers, we Oromos are still under Abyssinian colonialist? Surely the British Empire was much stronger than Abyssinia yesterday or today, but many nations of Asia and Africa have, along a go, thrown the yoke of colonialism off their shoulders. Without any doubt, Russia, even as it stands today, is much stronger than both the Amhara and Tigriyan dynasties lumped together. But Chechniyans have heroically confronted the Russians and have beaten them. Russians are superior to the Chechniyans not only militarily, technologically, but by their sheer number too. The Russian population of about 300 million, is many hundred folds than that of the Chechniyans, still the Chechniyans determined to be free, have done miracle. They have defeated the superior Russians and have obtained their freedom.

What about the Oromos, whose population is many dozen fold that of the Abyssinians or Tigriyans? Why couldn’t the Oromo send the Abyssinian home, where they came from? Why is it that the few thousand Abyssinian soldier or Tigriyan soldiers jail Oromos in thousands in their own homeland, Oromiya? Are the Oromo so cowards that they do not fight determined to attain freedom or die? Why were all our past movements destined to defeat, to doom? Where do the problems lie? Although the analysis of this problem needs a deep historical knowledge, a detail political assessment, this topic will give you the views of as an Oromo individual not well versed in politics and Historical studies. The problem seems to be both internal (within Ethiopia and within Oromo) and External (international politics, and the influence of the world power on our internal struggle).

Assessing the past, it will try also to view this same problem in context of the present world order-a world in hands of superpower, America, in context of the so called "American interest in the region"a fact which can be never be neglected, but considered without selling out our Oromo interest, and without jeopardizing our image in context of this new order. This will subdivide to this discussion into the following points: Do we Oromo really need "Bilisummaa”(freedom)? That is: Is there really an issue to fight for, in the form of freedom from Colonization? Think, we Oromos are divided on this crucial issue. Are we so beaten ,our hearts so broken that we can be never raise our hands again? Do we lack a proud history which the Abyssinians have and is this the cause of our lagging behind. The lack of trust between Oromo political Organization. Are we unable to find real Allies, both internationally and internally? These topics will try to dwell on each point.

Let begin with the first one that some Oromos might be bewildered by the simple question of "Do we really need freedom? Freedom from what? What is nature of Oromo-Abyssinian relation ? Is our quest for freedom from Abyssinian Colonialist just a "Myth” we Oromos have created out of the thin air, or is it really a historically justified quest? Is the assimilation of Oromia, the Afar, the Somali people, and all Southern nationalities, the Bani Shangul and others, just an inevitable historical consequence of "Nation building"through which the whole world passed? This will raise question because there are many among Oromos who accept "Ethiopia” as a historical reality that we have to live with.

They also believe (although they are terrified to openly say it loud to the Oromo people) that the problem of Oromo is the problem of "Democracy”. If the whole of Ethiopian is democratized the Oromo problem, and with it the problem of all nationalities, will be solved.

This group advocates that the Oromo should look for solutions of their problems within the context of "Ethiopia," true, a metamorphosed Ethiopia, Democratized, and the equitable participation of all nations and nationalities in the affairs of the country guarantied. This group, in their real hearts, never accept the concept of "Bilisummaa” in its full essence, that is, the formation of a Free Oromo state recognized by whole world as Eritrea, for example. They never had, and (have????) the heart that is determined to accept the breakdown of the Ethiopian empire. For them this is too much.

Although this group fears to explain to simple Oromo mass, this "clique” of intellectuals, see the following "danger” in the quest of the Oromo people for a free state. They ask the following legitimate questions. If the Oromo is to form a free state ,then the Sidama is to have free state.

So is Walayita. So is Afar. So is the Bani Shangul. Dangerous enough, the Somali people under Abyssinian yoke of colonization might choose to join Somali proper, A dangerous notion of disintegrating a "Biblical Ethiopia”, "the Christian Island in the midst of Islamic Ocean”. How many new sates? How many new "countries” will be appealing to the United Nations for recognition? Can we convince America, who is interested in stable blocks to deal with in political, economical, strategic and social affairs, in such a disintegration and mushrooming of the new countries? We can, Oromos, therefore sell out question of "Bilisummaa” to the whole world community ? The answer of this closed circle of intellectuals to this question is a blatant "No”.

They cannot fight for Bilisummaa. This is suicidal. It is inconceivable. It is a much weaker argument even when compared with Tigray politics of Decentralized Federal Ethiopia. The world will never accept and support our question of "Bilisummaa”. This is why a "hidden” strategy of changing the whole strategy of our struggle and matching it to the new world order was circulating in the past. Why hide crucial issues from the Oromo people? So this closed group says "Let us put our Oromo question in a more palatable and acceptable form. The Democratization of Ethiopia”.

The first question to this group is "Why do you try to hide such important issues from the owner of history, the bearer of all calamities, the Oromo nation ? Do you think that a few intellectuals can decide the fate of such a big nation as the Oromo people? We see this as a big sin in Oromo history and warn against such political mischief in the future. Let us add the views of the question of whether we should fight for "Bilisummaa” or the "Democratization of Ethiopia”. Some shroud politicians, nowadays, have such a twisted argument so that their goal of sustaining the Ethiopian Empire will be fulfilled. They say that no political party has the right to decide what the people want. We cannot say that the Oromo people want Bilisummaa.

We only fight for the right of people for self-determination. Let the Oromo people be given the right to decide. If the Oromo people wants to live in harmony (what type of harmony with the Tigriyans and Amhara who are determined to subjugate us for ever) with other nations of Ethiopian Empire let it be. If the Oromo people want to be free let it decide so. We as political parties can never say out that we fight for "Bilisummaa, A Free Oromo State”. We say then remove the designation "Liberation” "Bilisummaa” from your names. We can make this call to all political Organizations who are so coward that they are terrified to mention "Bilisummaa” as their political goal.

Surprisingly, of all those Oromo political parties that say that they are fighting for the rights of the Oromo people there is none which doesn’t have suffix "LF” "BO”, that is, liberation front, Bilisummaa Oromoo. Then why twist things, why mischief, why ambiguity in setting goals. Let pass this idea. As an empire build on brutal military might, there is no sin for the Ethiopian empire to disintegrate, to crumble and fall and be removed from the world arena, may be reduced to its former state, Abyssinia. There is no wrong in the formation of many new countries.

The west itself allows this where necessary. Look at what is happening in front of our own eyes in Balkans. Bosnia, Croatia and now Ossetia are on the verge of forming new countries. Quebec in Canada has the right to secede at any time the majority of its people are ready to vote for an independent state. As far as the size and stability is concerned you can take Djibouti, our neighbor, which has survived as a strong independent state. You can see many examples. By the way, Israel, with few million people, is an artificially recreated state. Then what is wrong with Sidama forming its own free country, Walayita, the Afar, Bani Shangul, doing the same? Who decided that the present status of states is the perfect one? So our quest for "Bilisummaa". It a legitimate historical question for which the hearts of millions of Oromos yearn. Oromo politics based on Bilisummaa is not a weak politics in front of any maneuver from the clever Abyssinians.

Unity with the oppressed people of Sidama, Afar, Somali and others, even at this early stage of our struggle is necessary. Creation of a United Federal state with them can also not be excluded from our strategy. Our geographical scatter (distribution),where other nationalities are interspersed between big blocks of Oromo population ,might even favor this concept. "Democratization” of the Ethiopian Empire, with the Amhara and Tigriyans included in the equation is formula, which goes against all past historical fact.

This being the views, any political organization that really believes that "Democratization"of Ethiopia is plausible, can put this concept forward openly and try to convince the Oromo people. Playing "Diimtuu Guraattii” as has been played for the last quarter of the century is a historical sin. We have paid dear and are going to pay even greater dearer. So let us be and clear to our people. No hidden agendas. Are we really a beaten and broken people with no proud history so that we can never raise our heads again?

This is the justification some political give to the question "why could the EPLF and TPLF achieve their goal (more than its goal in the case of the TPLF) whereas the Oromo are still far from their goal”? These politicians say that the Tigriyans and the Eritreans had proud history and have more confidence than the Oromos. Some Eritrean repeatedly the same concept in our discourse with us. Asked probably why you Oromos are too broken to really stand up and fight for your freedom? You know, a Tigre individual can spend one thousand Birr to regain his own 5 Birr. He fights for the Principle. What is wrong "Oromo"?

There might be some truth in fact that Oromo people might have been traumatized by subsequent cruel Abyssinian subjugation, but historical occasions have shown that given the right conditions the Oromo can stand and revenge. It can be crash the Abyssinians. It is only a determined leadership that guides him through the difficult and long journey to "Bilisummaa"which is lacking. By the way, proud history by itself is not a guarantee for the success of a nation.

The ancient civilization of the Americans has vanished long ago with only few of its traces being there. Its people are almost being eradicated from the earth’s surface dominated by other nations who have immigrated from Europe. Isn’t the Jimma Abbaa, Jifar Kingdom, the Kingdom of Wallaggaa, our proud history? Isn’t our Gada system where Oromos crashed every obstacle on their way a witness of our past proud history?

The lack of proud history is not justification of our failures. It is a strong leadership, and convenient historical events, such as the one that exists just now, which will change the balance of history and make us successful. If the seed of the desire and determination to be "Free"is planted in the heart of Oromo people, it is only a matter of time and the appearance of such convenient historical conditions which will change the balance in our favor. It is not suicidal if the goal is not achieved in 1992, but in 2000, but it is suicidal to disseminate hopelessness by rejecting Bilisummaa and advocating the Democratization of Ethiopia.

The lack of trust between the Oromo political Organizations:- One of the most ideal conditions of any emancipation struggle is to have if possible ,only One well organized political party that could align its people behind the main goal of the struggle, Bilisummaa. Historical lessons teach us that whenever there are many parties whose domain is the same people, same territory, the same resources, fighting between those same parties who have sacrificed dear lives of their compatriots for same cause, is inevitable.

Bitter fighting between the EPRF and TPLF among the many inter-party wars in the not distance past in Ethiopia, the continuing bloody wars in Afghanistan, the conflicts between various rebel groups in Sudan and Congo are witnesses to this. We had our own tolls in the form of bloody fighting’s between the OLF and IFLO. During the transitional period where the "Democratization of Ethiopia"seemed imminent, and the chance of coming to political power was open, we, the simple Oromo people, have witnessed how our political parties were ready to tear each other into pieces to get as many seats as possible in Ethiopian Parliament. This is the bitter and disgusting lesson history has lectured us. This is a big obstacle, which hinders us even today. We are unable to create trust between the various political parties.

Neither are we, the Oromo people, able to outline how we could co-ordinate these forces so that we can exploit the unfolding historical opportunities. For me the problem seems the following. One is religious difference; the other is the level of intellectual representative ness in the various political organizations. This is simplistic view may be its wrong.

The OLF is the richest organization in terms of intellectuals, who are mostly Christians, although the majority of its fighters are Moslems. Of all things, this Christian intellectual is most weary of the subdivision of the Oromo people into two religions, Christianity and Islam, both of which has gone far from the original cultural state, although some vestigial remnants are reflected in both religious group. The OLF intellectuals are specially frightened of the fact that the majority of the Oromo people are Moslems. The fact Islam plays an important role in the whole fabric of the society, including political, has made the OLF even more furious. Adding fuel to the fire, there appeared a political organization calling itself Islamic Front. This was the last blow up to this group of intellectual Christian Oromos at the head of a vanguard Oromo political organization.

This group knows that if any Islamic influence is allowed in the subdivision in the leadership, their share in the power structure of the future Oromia will be according to the proportion of the various religions. That is, the majority of the seats will be taken by Moslem Oromos. But in few years of the struggle, this narrow Christian group has already controlled all economic in the form of AID to Oromo people. The ORA is one example. Any imminent role by Islam should therefore be suppressed.

To buffer the situation they coined the principal of Waaqeffannaa, a historical fact of the original Oromo religion, which is practiced by few Oromos even today. Any distinction in the organization that shows who is Moslem and who is Christian should be eliminated. One of this is the changing of names, for example, Mohamed into Gamada etc. Islam from one side and modern missionary Christianity with the whole well organized army of devoted missionaries and billions of dollars to construct excellent school, hospitals water wells and other facilities for poor Oromos, for which the Oromo are expected to drop Waaqeffannaa and convert to Christianity, on the other hand, have waged a war on this traditional religion whose future fate will be witnessed only by historic facts.

The influence of Kuyyara Adventist College on the Arsi, the influence of the many schools in Wallaggaa are few of the witnesses of how much damage modern missionary Christianity has done to what the OLF has imagined as its only Savior, Waaqeffannaa. For the their fear of the role of Islam in Oromo politics, this Oromo intellectuals at the head of the OLF say, as party we are bound only to accept the original Oromo State, Waaqeffannaa being the religion, and the Gada system being the model of statehood. This futile attempt of homogenizing the whole Oromo nation is witnessed by one the Macha and Tulama congress where both Christian and Muslim Oromos ate meat slain by the other party.

That is, the Muslims ate the flesh of oxen slain by Christians and the Christians ate the meat slain by Muslims. It has even become fashionable for some Oromos who we know that they have been at least baptized, to declare themselves that they are "Waaqeffataas”. Every Oromo has the right to follow whatever religion he/she chooses. Every religion is perfect for its followers. But you can never homogenize people on religious basis.

People will continue to adhere to their own religions and how much is needed of each religion will always be reflected in all spheres of Oromo life, including politics. Eliminating this, as the OLF has been attempting, to get rid of any idea opposing to its own in the past, will never help Oromo people. On the other hand, due to their Islamic background and lack of intellectual manpower, the other political organizations were much suspicious and afraid of the OLF.

They saw their role in Oromo politics being diminished at end. They understood that they are not capable and competent to be ministers for example, for the simple lack of the educational level required. They understood that the role they have plaid as devoted fighters on the war front would never be useful here. They were frustrated. The whole ministerial, commissioner, and other posts were taken by the OLF, which had enough educated people.

This is why we have seen those unpleasant conditions during the so called transitional period and such discrepancies will continue to exist unless genuine Oromos find a solution even to this problem. Nobody wants to see every post occupied by a narrow group of Oromos. Nobody wants his role to be limited only sacrifice his life fighting for Bilisummaa and when Bilisummaa comes to be converted into a "Qoraasumaa Seller”.

Yes! It is a question of power, it is the question of inter-Oromo Democrat, and it is the problem of Equal representativeness on all aspects, religious, regional and it can never be postponed, saying, that these are matters we deal with after we have defeated our enemy.

Note -- One more revelatory book that all Oromos must come to imperatively read and fully capture: http://www.oromiapublisher.com/meta/default.aspx

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 51, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

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