Saturday, April 20, 2013

Oromo martyrs day Oslo april 13/2013.

By Adugna Dinka

Oromo martyrs day of 2013 was commemorated in Oslo on 13 April at veitvet. It is an annual event where Oromos all over the world honor their fallen heroes; express their solidarity with those suffering at the hands of Ethiopian regime and show support to those who are struggling to the cause.

 The seven Sisters- I travelled 1000 km with a night train from Sandnessjøen to participate in this event. The journey in this spring night was amazing. Before I go further let, me just briefly introduce my home town for the past five years.  After living in 3 other asylum seeker camps, I am assigned to this beautiful place in Northern Norway. Sandnessjøen is a small town on the Alsten Island with de syv søstre (the seven sisters) at the back yard. Mountain climbers yarn to climb de syv søstre to have a clear view of the area to see    "The kingdom of the thousand isles" as it is called by the local populace. They say during a clear days you can see many islands, fjords and endless ships roaming the sea as far as the horizon is stretched. On the other hand for those who pass by the ‘de sye søstre’ from the sea, it is possible to see the mountains chain sometimes covered by clouds. The Norwegian cruise line ‘Hurtigruten’ that makes a long journey along the coast of western Norway passes nearby ‘de syv søstre’ and the tourists can have a clear view of the interesting mountains chain from the deck of the ship.
de syv søstre(the seven systers) from the see.

The journey- To travel from Sandnessjøen to Oslo is making a long journey. It is possible to do this by air, train and bus combination, or only busses or it is also possible by the sea, though it might take a week. The mode of travel usually depends on the purpose of travel, cost and time required. But I prefer bus-train combination. The bus journey from sandnessjøen to Mosjøen is interesting. It starts by crossing to main land using the helgeland bridge a long cable stayed bridge, a type that most people see only on movies. Then we travel inland for some time. Later on, the journey will be along the side of the sea fjord, one side is a high rocky or forest covered mountain and the other side is the sea. The tunnels through which the bus passes makes it more interesting. From mosjøen to Oslo is a very long train journey that takes almost 14 hours. It is done by two trains, the first is a diesel train that goes from Bodø and to Trondheim. The second is an electric train from Trondhiem to Oslo. To make this long journey comfortable, there are services available on the train. There is a coffee-Bar service where one can have coffee some snack or even a cold beer.   For those who have their laptops or tablets or smart phones with them, there is an internet service that makes one almost always connected with the world. Well, people do that usually when it is dark or when they get tired of seeing the beautiful scene outside through the window. Small beautiful hills covered by forests or ice and a plain land below them where houses are built far apart, big rivers flowing between mountains covered by forests and small waterfalls are some of the interesting things one can view. Trondhiem is a big city and it is a place where one takes the train to Oslo. Oslo, the capital of Norway is a beautiful city. It is a tourist destination from across the world. But it is an expensive city. Hotels, transport services, restaurants etc. are all expensive. Due to this, most people (Oromos) who come to Oslo must stay with friends or families, except tourists of course, who can afford to pay.
Stay in Oslo- All Oromos who travelled from across Norway and even some who come from Scandinavian countries for the commemoration of Oromo martyrs day stay with their friends and relatives. Some come from Sweden and Denmark. Those who come from Norway comes from different parts of the country. Those who come from northern Norway even travelled more distance. But they all come for one purpose, to commemorate Oromo martyrs day and to remember our heroes and heroines. Just like everybody after my long journey I arrived in Oslo to stay with my friend. I guess I am the lucky one because where my friend stay is just less than three hundred meters from the place of the meeting, veitvet.
The Martyrs day- Oromo martyrs day is April 15, but it is commemorated mostly around April 15 by Oromos all across the world. It is a day when we Oromos take a day and remember our heroes and heroines who gave their life for the true Oromo cause. The cause that, just like any people in the world, we must also be recognized as a free people, as a free nation. They gave their life to bring forward Oromos and Oromiyaa from the shadow of Abyssinian colonization. Our Goal might not yet fully fulfilled but they made us travel a thousand miles toward our goal, which the Liberation of Oromiyaa from Ethiopian empire.
 A unique day- Oromo martyrs day is a unique day for us. It is a unifying day! One might follow a different political program or may be a member of a different political group, but on this day, we Oromos are united and believe in the true achievements of our heroes and heroines. We also recognize the struggle they are making today to free Oromiyaa from minority led murderous TPLF government of Ethiopia.


The commemoration- It started in the afternoon with the elders blessing (eebbaa) according to Oromo culture. Then a moment of silence was held to remember and pray for the fallen. Afterwards an official from OLF gave a clear account of the importance of Oromo martyrs day. Next Obbo Dhugoomsaa Dhugaasa gave an interesting list of heroes and heroines with their achievements and how and in which battle they passed away. This includes some of the eye witness accounts of Obbo Dhugoomsaa himself and it was a thrilling story of our heroes and heroines. Dr.Dagafaa Abdiisaa’s short and brief speech about the day and OLF activities was followed by early dinner. After Dinner, a video of the speech by OLF leader Obbo Daud Ibsaa of January1, 2013 was aired for those who are interested.
The evening- As usual such a day ends colorfully, with the evening entertainment of Oromo artists. What is special about the evening was the artists themselves. To see the legendary artist Elfenesh qanno’s daughters on stage while Elfenesh herself watching is very special. Hawi and Daanga with Totoba as a backer made the evening colorful. Of course the other legendary artist Hailu kitaba appears on the stage sometimes with his beautiful music. It is so interesting to see people of all age and gender dance in a unified spirit, carrying and waving OLF flag and chanting ‘ Oromia shall be free’. From back, the support groups of the day were active in providing refreshments. Overall, It was such a beautiful day and it is also an honor to be part of it. It was an opportunity to reunite with friends from my previous stays in other parts of Norway over the last 10 years. Now I am back to sandnessøen, the place I like much and reflect on the occasion. The day is a commemoration of the fallen heroes and it reminds me why they sacrificed and why I am in Norway in the first place.

By Adugna Dinka, email (re_appear1@yahoo.co.uk)



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