In my views any Oromo person who watched the Dr. Gemachu discussion on the subject of identity and Genocide can say many things on this topic. The issue was very painful and touching .It has a big message for the empire supporters and advocates. I knew Dr. Gemachu personally and he was one of my mentors while I was in Finfinee University. His talk on the identity and genocide encouraged me to come up with this article and it’s up the read to go between the lines and make a judgement. I am not Anthropologist like him but on my personal and political experiences, I would like to take this opportunity to argue about the politics of identity and genocide in the context of current major online debate on among oromian on the political plight of the Oromo person in the empire. Based on this, First, I will talk about the politics of Identity; Second, I will focus on the crime against the Oromo person and identity or the politics of an identity.
Identity is not a believe system .It is about one personality, dignity and integrity. Without identity there is no sense of humour and self esteem. Identity is a natural gift that defined its society entire way of life. Identity is a Culture and it is everything that reflects the society world views. Language is a culture and identity. History is a culture and identity. Name is a culture and identity, it meant the Oromo person name like Wako, Nagawo, Ararso, Genamo, etc is an identity; it defines and expresses the identity. It is a symbol that differentiates one ethnic group from another. wedding is a culture, eating is a culture, dancing and singing is a culture, Welu is a culture, dressing is a culture, laugh is a culture, playing is a culture, Gaduu is a culture, Guffufuu is a culture, hair cut is a culture, nail cut is a culture, haamomotu is a culture, religion is a culture, faru is a culture that defines the politics of identity. It is a material value of a society that defines the Oromo person world views, and therefore, without developing, protecting and restoring the true identity of the Oromo person talking about state security, power and human security is hard and questionable in the empire.
However, contrary to this, under imperial regimes, there was no a legal protection or recognition to this great Oromo person identity in history. Emotional war, psychological war as well cultural war had been there for a century. Genocide, cultural genocide, ecological genocide and biological and chemical genocide had been an official state political policy to eliminate the Oromo person. The war against Oromo identity was engaged many ways. It was engaged the fabrication of the Oromo history, the repressing of the Oromo person language and religion right, it was also employed the marriage alliance, divided and rule political policy system had been witnessed in the empire against the Oromo person. Changing the Oromo city name into Amharic name, changing people name and Christianizing, giving economic status and social statues to obtain loyalty and trust was the typical Amharaation political program under the successive regimes to build one country, one language, one culture and one history at the cost of the Oromo person identity. The political philosophy of one country, one culture, one language and one religion has been there and still persisted. Politically, the Oromo person had been alienated, there was no political right, the right to elect, the right to support or associate, the right to oppose and the right to choice for the Oromo person. Oromo person was passive politically and indecisive in decision making on his/her own daily political life. only those who loyal to the ruling party meant who changed their name to Amhara or those who adopted orthodox Christian or married to Amhara women would be offered low paying job in the country . Job like a body guard, messenger, solider or local representative to deceit the public such as like abbaa lafa, Chiqa shufum, Balabat was a good and a decent job for the Oromo person in the empire .
Economically, Oromo were marginalized and the migrant from north to south made land eviction and confiscation, most fertile land in Oromia possessed by Semitic minority Amhara people ruling classes in the process the Oromo person got poorer and poorer whereas the settlers got richer and richer.
culturally, as professor Bulicha argued on his on line article and Dr. Gemechu recent talk on yutube ,there is no cultural right and religious rights under imperial regime that protect about the cultural and religious diversity in the empire in general and that of Oromo people in particular, legally this is a crime , a crime against humanity both under the law of nation as well as law of International Human Rights .
culturally, as professor Bulicha argued on his on line article and Dr. Gemechu recent talk on yutube ,there is no cultural right and religious rights under imperial regime that protect about the cultural and religious diversity in the empire in general and that of Oromo people in particular, legally this is a crime , a crime against humanity both under the law of nation as well as law of International Human Rights .
The Amharaziton policy had gone, the Tigirazation police has come in and still there. This is a parasite. A parasite needs to be treated and no need to wait till it duplicates, to eradicate all parasites carrier of the parasites those who serve the parasite needs to be challenged. The carriers are those opportunists that attempt to polarize oromian among tribal and religious basis to keep the status qua at the cost of the Oromia interest need to be challenged. There are viruses and carriers.
To make the Oromia the land of hopes and opportunities; to make the Oromia the land of peace, the land of no war, the land of no crime, and the land of an equal opportunity for every resident without prejudice certainly the time is now. To protect and defend the Oromia interest and security as well as the Oromo person rights the Oromo cultural or identity soft power is there our culture, value, norms or traditions stronger than hard power .It is a powerful tool in fighting against colonialism soft power. Thanks to internet, thanks to technology and thanks to science we are get connected without physical geographic limitation. The inward thinkers, wishful pro empire loyalist have no place in the heart of the Qubee generations .
They need to find their way. They need to stop lying and pretending on the justice question of the Oromo person .The time to narrate is over because the question of justice and rights are not a politics, the question of identity is not propaganda or ideology. It is the question of birth right that never ever changes with the changes of times. However, Contrary to this, the popular views within an Abyssinian who think as the Oromo person is weak and divided have no any basis political. It is a myth ideas and far from the realty. The differences within Oromo are a difference of the political opinion which is neither a threat to the unity nor the solidarity of the Oromo person. The cement is already there and no chemical reaction can disassociate, change, or alter it. Our culture is our cement. Our language is our bond and there is no unity that we can seek like Ethiopia Empire to create by force. Force can’t create a unity. A unity that created by force has no durability .It can’t last forever. Having a different view is not a division rather it is a sight of change, it is a sign of awareness, development and consciousness and nothing to do with the unity of Oromo people. Our goal, culture, identity, and common purpose we wish to have is the same and one; that is a creation of the Ideal, Independent Sovereign Oromia.
Alako_bor@yahoo.com
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