Let no one Rob you of your Identity

By  Roba Pawelos*

In Psychology and Sociology, Identity is a person’s conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations (such as national identity and cultural identity). The concept is given a great deal of attention in social pyschology and is important in place identity.

In Ethiopia, the identity of one have to be told thousand times but ignored for the others, must be praised too much for one but have to be abused and humiliated for others, positive to talk about it for one and unspoken taboo for the others, the conept seems a difficult one to understand but not in reality. Generally, weather we like it or not human dignity, freedom, independence and the like must be build on the base of the recognition of his own or her own identity.

One important thing throughout the history of the Oromo nation, and particularly in the last 50 years, is that the Oromo people’s life is a progression, a journey of the forgotten towards their own origin, self-rediscover for some and self-build and lifting up of them selves which suffered all the evils under the earth a human can do to his/her fellow human kind. There for today when one says I am an Oromo it means a lot for the nation and even for the whole of Africa if one understands. Another is that Abyssinians stand to resist every step and to hinder the journey in every way possible. As an Oromo, to advance against these powerful and brutal opposition requires unity and stead-fast courage from every Oromo individual, institution, organization and community.

As many died for their country, they declared their own determination to advance against all obstacles of Oromo identity including the Abyssinians and ignorant westerns towards Oromo nation. Their sacrifice showed the light, prosperity, joy, pride, freedom, peace and soverignty to come in time. Eventhough these has yet attained unto the goal set before them, they did their part and left a big shoe to be filled by their children and grand children. But today who can boldly say I press on toward that goal, that goal of prosperity, freedom, peace, and soverignty of the Oromo nation? This is an assignment to be worked on by all Oromo people specially the young generation today.

There fore, in the generation we are living every oromo have to say I will fulfill the goal of my fore fathers with everything I have at hand. To say so, one have to be sure and confident of his/her own identity. So don’t throw away your confidence about your about your identity, the more they became ignorant, you must come out and shine your identity up. I am an Oromo first wheather you like it or not, sing it like your daily prayer., why not. For every Oromo knowing and respecting your identity and even paying sacrifice if it demands, will be richely rewarded. The idea of Ethiopianism which is widely decorated with back ward errors will pay the price for the war against oromo identity in more than a century long wide range violence and abuse.

Every Oromo have to stand together and block the unrenewed idea of hate towards Oromo identity in Ethiopian empire. We have to be in unity and bulid unshaked self-respect which doesnot mean hating others.

The current domains of old Ethiopian empire including TPLF/EPRDF (The killer brutal regime in the horn of Africa for more than two decades), the so called Ethiopian opposition parties in the empire and in diaspora that created not to fight for their own freedom but to stand against Oromo nation’s freedom, have one things in common which their hate and dream of robing every Oromo his/her oromo identity and swallow being habesha.

Finally know that much present-day anti oromo propoganda parrots the egotistics of a past Ethiopian generation. There fore, don’t allow one of them to rob of your identity.

I am Oromo first
Oromia shall be free

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*Roba Pawelos can be contacted at bora1273@yahoo.com

=>oromiatimes