MARAAMMARTOO SIYAASAA IRRAA OF TIKISAA !!

SEENAA Y.G(2005)      kutaa 3ffaa

Maraammartoon siyaasaa akaakuu heeddu qabaachuu , fakkeenya Biyyoota gara garaa kaasee kutaa 2ffaa keessatti ibseera. Maraammartoon siyaasaa ofii keenyaan of irratti umnuus akka jiru hubachuun dansaadha. Oromoof maal gumaachuu ? jennee akka dhuunfaattu waan tattaaffannu keessatti, hedduu of eeggachuun barbaachisaadha. Kana malees, Ummata keenyaaf sochii taasifnu keessatti, miirri wal dorgommii bu’aa gaarii Ummata ofiif argamsiisuu yoo jiraate illee, inni kaanis akkuma koo kana waan gaarii haa galmeesisuu jedhanii yaada walii laachutti ce’uun, akeeka walii galaaf karaa akka saaqullee qalbifachuun baroodha. ammas kana irratti of eeggachuun barbaachisaadha. sadarkaa dammaqiinsa Ummata keenyaa yennaa ilaallu, qabsoo kanaaf gumaachii taasifamu sadarkaa dhuunfaa irraa eegaluu akka qabu , waan hojjachuu qabnullee gara tumsaatti tarkaanfatu akka qabullee hubannoon jiru dansaadha. Qabsoon bifa kamiinu gaggeessinu , tapha kubbaa miilaa chaampiyoonsi liigii fakkaachu yk dorgommii kuffisanii dabruu keessaa baasuun murteessaa ta’uu, waan hubatamu feesisuudha.

Dhalli Oromoo kamiyyuu waan Ummata isaaf hojjatu tokko irratti, obboleessa isaa gama biraan socha’aa jiru irratti qabxii lakkosifatu tokkollee akka hin jirre beekuun dansaadha. Kana irra ce’ame bakki itti tarkaanfatu qabu, sochiin jiru akka wal hin gufachiisneef , yaada qaban walitti fidanii mri’achuudha. Yoo ta’uu baate garuu, warri Maraammartoo siyaasaa nu qopheessan qaawwaa argatanii nu seenanii , adeemsa isaanitti nu makachuu danda’u. sochii akkasiin qabsoon Oromoo hedduu miidhameera. Namoonnis gawwafamaniiru. Badii akkasitti akka seenaniif gargaarsi gama hundaa godhameeraaf. Kufaatii keessaa akka hin baaneef garuu gargaarsa dhorkamaniiru. Maaliif jennaan maraammartoo siyaasaan akka kufanii hafaniif irratti hojjatamaa waan tureef.

Sochiin qabsoo Ummata tokko keessatti bifa kamiinu gaggeeffamu, takkaa ho’ee , takkaa kan qabanaa’uu yoo ta’e, bu’aan keenya kan yeroo gabaabaa taatee, bu’aan diinaa kan yeroo dheeraa ta’uu danda’a. inumaa kun diinaaf hamilee kenna. Gara jabinni isaa jabaachaa deema. Shirri isaas akkasuma. Maaliif jennaan, waan isa sodaachiisu hin jiru. yeroo gabaabduuf dheekkamanii dhiisuu nuun jedhan. Kun ammo miidhaa qaba. miidhaa gama lamaa. Tokko waan diinni nu irraan ga’u babal’acha adeema. Inni xiqqoollee tattaafatu hamilee caba. Kanaaf waan hojjannu hundumaaf , muuxannoo addunyaa fudhachuun barbaachisaadha. dheekkamsaa fi diddaan keenya aarii jiru fi jireenyaa keessatti nu mudatu irraa adda ta’uu qaba. sadrkaa kana keessaa ba’ee kan bu’aa buqqaasaa fidutti ceesisuutu nu irraa eegama.

Sochiin akkasii amma qindaa’utti ammoo, harka marannee haa teenyu miti. Waan amma Addunyaa irratti mirga keenyaaf qabsaa’aa jirru irraa achi butuu qabna. Waan diina duraas ta’ee ammaa irratti gaggeessinu, qalbii addunyaa kan harkisutti ceesisuu qabna. Addunyaa irraa Ummati mirga isaa gaafatu al takkaatti hanga nama kumaatti ga’uutu wareegamaa jira. Wareegama kanaan ammoo, diina isaanii kumoota 10n galaafataa jiran. Walii gala addunyaa irratti, oduun jiru kana fakkaata. Mee addunyaa sochii kanaaf gurra hin laanne keenyaaf ni laatti jennee yaannaa ? kan isaanii hin bilchaanne jedhanii irra taran. Kanaafan minilikiniis ta’u isa kaan irratti wanni gaggeessinu waan hundeetii buqqisu ykn dafee hin dhaabbannee ta’uu qabaa jedhuf. Bilisummaa fi walbummaa galii keenya ta’e addunyaan akka nu dhaggeeffattu yaannaan, sochiitti jiraachuu keenyaaf illee waan addunyaan gurra itti laattu hojjachuun murteessaadha. Kun haaluma addunyaatu nu dirqisisee itti nu seensisa. Addunyaa dhiisaatii diina keenya rifaasisuuf kan raawwachuu qabnu kanadha.

Kana hundaa raawwachuuf , waan akka tasaa nu mudatee mormiif nu kaasisu jiraatullee , waan keessa dabrre keessaa wanni barannu garuu, diinni keenya akkaataa deemsa keenyaan kan nu irraa dhaabbatu miti. Kana jechuun kiyya sochiileen Biyya keessaa Ummata Oromoon gaggeeffamu gatii hin qabu jechuu kiyyaa miti. Sochiin keenya ykn mormiin keenya sagantaa fi qophii keenyaan kan gaggeeffamu malee, MARAAMMARTOO SIYAASAA irratti yoo nu jalaa maxxane, hegaree keenyaaf akka hin tollee hubachiisuufi.

Miniiliik dhabameera. Miniiliik qaamaan hin jiru. miniiliik ekaraan isaa akka hin faarfatamne barbaanna taanaan, nu mitii, warri miniilikiin faarfatan iyyuu miniilikiin waan isaan yaadachiisu of keessaa fi dachee keenya keessaa dhabamsiisuun murteessaa ta’a. Dhalli Oromoo ol aantummaa qooqa isaaniif mo’ame tokko , miniilikiin balaalefachuun haqummaa qaba jedhee hin fudhu. Maqaa Gizaachoo fi Daanyaachoo miniiliik qooqa keenya balleessuuf nu keessa kaa’ee baadhatee, minilikiin mormuun isaa jabina natti hin fakkaatu.miniiliik qooqa keenya addunyaa kana irraa dhabamsiisuuf tokko jedhee wixinee har’allee hin dhaamne qabsiisee dabru karaa adda addaa babal’isaa, har’a harka yoo facaase, bu’aan inni argatu balaalefachuu irra hin dabru. Oromiyaa keessatti , dhaloota keenya irratti dhiibbaa gochuu fi ol aantummaa qooqa tokko mirkaneessuuf , bifa sirbaan, diraamaan kkf shirri meeqa hojjatamuu ofitti fudhannee nama lubbuun hin jirre abaaruun bu’an isaa karaa kamiin fudhatama qabaata ? akkan gubbaatti jedhe, seexanni kun lubbuun hin jiru. kan inni facaasee deeme garuu nu miidhaa jira. Tokkon tokko , mana keenyaa keessatti adda nu baasaa jira. Maarree kan balleessuu ykn mormuu qabnu isa kanadha. Sochii baddallee itti jiruuf taasifame, osoo Oromiyaa keessatti qooqaa fi aadaa keenya irratti dhiibbaa taasifamu irrattis itti fufee , bu’aa lama galmeesifna turre.

Mormiin kun hundee sheexana kanaa dhabamsiisuu irraa eegaluu qaba. Amaara humnaanu nu bulche dhiisaatii, warri guraagee illee gaaffii akka kaasan taasifamaa hin jiru ? wayyaaneen shira Qooqa Oromoon Barachuu fi hojjachuu dhaabuuf gaggeessitu, karaa saboota biroo akka gaaffitti kaasisuun itti fayyadamuun hin hafu. Miniliikis dura Oromoo Oromoon cabsee ka’ee, warra baalaabbaataa dachee isaa fidee nurra galagalche. Wayyaaneenis kanumatti jirti. Kun hundi dhaabbachuu kan danda’u, sochiin keenya waan keessa deebii hin qabnetti yoo ce’eedha. Humna murataa ijaaranii tarkaafii Gootummaa keenyaa fi obsi keenya dhumachuu kan diinaaf akeekutti ce’uun fardiidha.

Qeerroon Oromoo diina irratti tarkaanfiin fudhataa jiran diina hangam yaaaddeessaa jira ? kana irra yoo jabaanne maal hojjachuu dandeenya ?qaawwaa dhaloota gidduu jiru duuchinee, dhalooti jiru mana barumsaa keessa wayita jiru qofaa odoo hin taanee, hojii irratti wayita bobba’uus gurmuu isaa jabeessee itti fufu akka qabutti irratti hojjannee, Hojjattoonnis , daldalaanis, dhalli Oromoo kana keessatti akka hirmaatutti hojjannee , nu ga’aa jechuu qabna. Shira diinaa kana cicciruu qabna. Siidaa eenyullee haa ta’u , kubbaaniyyaa eenyullee haa ta’u, waan dachee fi Ummata Oromoof hin tolle yoo raawwate, battalumatti dhaabii jechuu barbaachisa.

Akka walii galaatti, sochii keenya humnatti geeddaruu qabna. Keessattu dhalooti har’aa waan itti jiru kana daran jabeessee gurra abbootii irrees ta’ee addunyaa akka harkisu taasisuu qaba. waan eegalle tokko akka hin dhaabbaneef sagantaa sochii wal irraa hin cinnee baafachuu fi qopheeffachuu barbaachisa. Shirri nu irratti hojjatamu lakkoofsa hin qabu. Shira kana dura dhaabbachuuf, yeroo qaban hundatti dhimma ba’anii hojjachuu barbaachisa.warri Biyya alaa keessa jiraatanis carraa argataniin , warra sirnicha waliin jiranis ta’ee , diinoota seenaa waliin dhaabbatee jiru guyyuu itti himu qaban.  Kan dhumaa jiran obbolaa keessanii,, kun deemee deemee dhaloota dhabuuf deemna . jarri beekaas ta’uu odoo hin beeknee garamitti nu oofaa akka jiran hubachiisuu barbaachisa. Kun har’a ta’uu baatu boriif waan nu fayyadu qaba.

Maraammartoo siyaasaa keessaa baanee, gumaa nu irra tuulamee jiru hanqifachutti haa ceenu. Gumaan Yohaannis, Tewudiroos, miniliik, H/Sillaasee, Dargii fi wayyaanee nu irra jira. odoo nuuti gumaa hin baafatiin isaanu wal baafataa jiru. garuu Gumaa  dhalootaaf dabarsinu yk dubbannu hojjachuun murteessaadha. Gumaa miniiliik ba’uuf, siidaa isaa kaasee hanga ilaalcha isaa nu keessa jirutti buqqisuu qabna . kana ammoo sadarkaa dhuunfaa kaafnee irratti hojjachuu dandeenya. Mana keenya keessaa eegallee dirree keenya irra waan ifatti arginu irratti haa dullu. Siiidaan H/Sillaasee, yohaannis, Dargii fi Mallasaa dachee keenya irra tuulamanii jiran. Gochaa fi shirri isaanis akksuma guutee danbali’ee jira. Kanatti duuluutu furmaata maayyii argamsiisa. Bara baraan balaaleffachuu fi aaruu irra waanuma Ummata gammachiisu fi buqqaasaa ta’ee hojjachuu irra boqonnaa namaaf kenna.

Kana irratti wanni qalbifachuu qabnu, wayyaanoonni fi Abbootiin qabeenyaa maqaa investimantiin waan miniiliki nu keessa kaa’ee ture dabalaa jiraachuudha. Qabsoon keenya maqaa umama keenyaa deeffachuu hammata. Har’a garuu , HABASHAA SIMINTOO, HABASHAA KONISTIRAAKISHIN, HABSHAA BAANKI, ABSINIYAA BAANK, kkf jedhanii nu irratti ijaaran boriif wareegama akka nu gaafatu hubadhaa .kana ammumaa qoqqobbii Baddalleen wal fakkaatu fudhachuuf yaaduun misha. dizaayinii manneen jireenyaa, warshaalee, siidaa adda addaa, gamoon adda addaa fi kubbaaniyoonni Oromiyaa keessaa, irra jireessi AKSUMIIN faarfatu. Meeqan keenyatu kana qalbeeffate ?  waan hojjannu irratti bal’inaan itti haa yaannu jedha. Damee isaa ciruun bu’aa yeroo qofaa ta’a. waan itti fufaa jiru kana dhaabuuf, furmaata buqqaasaa ykn waan akkasitti akka hin deebineef, waan isaan dhaabu hojjachuun  murteessaadha. Kana hundaa wayitan kaasu, gama kamiinuu haa ta’uu waan hojjatame hin jiru jechaa hin jiru. amma baayyina keenyaa haa geenyuudha. Yaada kiyya xumureera. Mudanno tokko eereen adda baana.

Dogoggora Nama qomoo keenyaa ala ta’e tokkottan hedduu aaree, akka malee itti aaruu kiyyan ibseef. Kolfa taajjabbii natti kolfee, , keessa isaatti waan nu taajjabe natti dubbate. “Isin aarii beektuyi ? Aariin keessan isa akkamiitii? dhuguma ni aartuu ? ani waan aartan natti hin fakkaatu . KAN AARE FAKKAATTU MALEE , keessa keessanii ni aartuu ? dachee qabbanaa keessatti umamtanii aariin, akkamiin miira keessan xuxuqa ? aaruu fi qabbanaa’uun keessan tokkuma. Namni aarii isa dhugaa aare, waggaa amma kana obsaa ? nuuti dachee gogaa keessatti guddannee, dafnee aarii isa dhugaa aarra. Aariin kun ammo tarkaanfii humna qabutti nu ceesise. Obsa kan jedhamu dhabnee turre. Bilisummaa booda obsa haaraa horanne. Kanaaf kan aaree gubatee argeen, sittin aare jettaa ? aarii keetiin fuulli kee gubateeraa ? dhukkubsatteettaa ? Odoo dhukkuffatee akkas sitti tolaa ? asi jirtaa ? Gabrummaan nama quqquuqa malee namatti hin tolu. Odoo aarii isa dhugaa aartee, Ummati miliyoona sadii , miiliyoona 35 gabroomsutti gubattee dhumatta.kanaaf aarii isa dhugaa baradhu , Bilisummaa dhabuuketti odoo hin kolfiin ooltee bultee beekataa ? anoo yeroo hundaa gammaduma keessanin argee , har’a maqaa aarii eessaa fidde ?? kkkkk“” naa jedhe. Namni kun, Oromiyaa keessatti dhalatee guddachuu isaa irraa, miidhaa nu irra ga’u isa dhukkubsa. Dhuguma , gaafa waan jedhe kana dubbatu fuulli isaa hundi hidda dhiigaa qofaa ta’ee ture. qaamni isaas akka dhidhiita’uu tokko ta’e ture. kan koo har’allee akkas ta’eeraa jarana.?

GALATOOMAA , HORAA BULAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kutoota dabran:

2.  MARAAMMARTOO SIYAASAA IRRAA OF TIKISAA,  Kutaa 2ffa
1. MARAAMMARTOO SIYAASAA IRRAA OF TIKISAA, Kutaa 1ffa

=>ayyaantuu

Egypt seeks Saudi help on Ethiopia water dispute

The Blue Nile flows into Ethiopia's Great Renaissance Dam in Guba Woreda in Ehthiopia, June 28, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri)

AUTHOR                             TRANSLATOR(S)Kamal Fayad                       Ayah Aman


CAIRO — Egypt is considering preparing a formal request for Gulf mediation under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, in order to back Cairo’s stance vis-à-vis the ongoing conflict with Ethiopia about the Renaissance Dam. The mediation request comes as part of a basket of escalatory measures adopted by Egypt in January, following the breakdown oftechnical negotiations among the Egyptian, Sudanese and Ethiopian water resources ministers.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, an Egyptian government official said, “A detailed report is currently being prepared to examine and explain Egyptian concerns relating to the building of the dam, in the absence of a clear agreement with Ethiopia about it. The final draft of the report, which explains the concerns over the repercussions the construction of the dam will have on Egypt and Sudan, will be sent to the International Panel of Experts.”

The official, who has close ties to Egyptian decision-making circles, added, “Egypt will ask Ethiopia, through the mediation, to sign a binding agreement with Egypt stating the dam’s operational specifications, its stored water capacity, and the amount of water that will be regularly released in a manner that does not negatively affect Egypt’s share of that water.”

This convergence of views between Egypt and the Gulf countries — except for Qatar — began after the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi by the army on July 3, 2013. While the Gulf leaders expressed their satisfaction toward the change in the political scene of Egypt after the fall of the Brotherhood, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emiratesrushed to offer financial aid packages to the Egyptian government, amounting to $10.7 billion in the span of only six months.

“Resorting to Gulf mediation will help Egypt gain more time. As Ethiopia is rushing to build the dam, we are running out of time and are unable to re-launch negotiations, which puts us in a critical situation,” the official added.

According to the same official, “Egypt is preparing this dossier after receiving verbal assurances from Saudi and Emirati officials that they would back Egypt in all issues affecting its national security. This problem has been discussed in the many meetings that took place between Egyptian and Gulf officials since last June 30.”

“The Gulf mediation is a good and useful step, but it is conditional on the acceptance of both countries,” Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the head of the Arab Water Council, told Al-Monitor.

Abu Zeid said the potency of such mediation efforts lies in the fact that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have strong economic ties with and large investments in the Ethiopian market.

The head of the Arab Water Council, whose membership includes Saudi officials, added that it was possible for the council to play an important role in helping alleviate the ongoing tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia. But the Egyptian government has yet to ask it to intervene, and Egypt’s concern with the water issue still requires direct guidance from the president, as well as an intensification of efforts to solve the crisis, Abu Zeid said.

Saudi Arabia contributes to economic development projects in Ethiopia through investments made by Saudi businessmen in infrastructure projects. In addition, it offers Addis Ababa further support through the Kuwaiti Development Fund, OPEC and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, with the Ethiopian parliament endorsing projects financed by Saudi Arabia in energy and agriculture. Furthermore, the kingdom plays host to thousands of Ethiopian workers who are employed in a variety of jobs, particularly as domestic labor, despite that this issue was the cause of tensions after Saudi Arabia expelled a large number of illegal workers.

In January 2011, the Director of the Ethiopian Investment Authority, Abi Walad Meskel, estimated Saudi investments to be close to $3 billion dollars, making Saudi Arabia the largest investor in Ethiopia, followed by India, China and Turkey.

Al-Monitor spoke with an Egyptian diplomat assigned to the Ethiopian relations dossier. “Any change in the amount or terms of monies given to the Addis Ababa government will greatly contribute in compelling Ethiopia into reassessing its stance towards Egypt, as well as committing to a serious and constructive dialogue in order to resolve the continuing crisis that exists between the two countries concerning the Renaissance Dam,” he said.

The diplomatic source, who requested anonymity, asserted, “Arab financial pressure was the best of options in the escalatory scenario currently adopted by Egypt, following strong indications that the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources’ visit to Italy would be successful, and the uncertain prospects vis-à-vis resorting to the international community, now that Egypt has a new government in place.”

African affairs specialist at the Al-Ahram Center for Political Studies, Hani Raslan, cautioned, in an interview with Al-Monitor, about “the current state of affairs, which was no longer confined to mere tensions and constituted a direct and imminent threat to Egypt, as a result of it being deprived of its water rights. Ethiopia refuses to recognize previous international norms and conventions, as well as Egypt’s historical right, and considers the waters of the Nile to be its property.” Raslan further warned against any attempts to impose a fait accompli and move toward adopting a policy where water would be sold after the building of dams.

Raslan opined that Saudi mediation did not stop at direct negotiations with Addis Ababa, but also entailed putting pressure through other diplomatic channels that exist between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

He also asserted, “The success of Saudi intervention would primarily be to the benefit of Egypt, in accordance with the political pledges and interests that Saudi Arabia has undertaken vis-à-vis Egypt lately.”

The Arab world suffers from an inability to secure daily water needs, with a November 2013 UN report estimating that Arab countries needed to allocate at least $200 billion for water resource management during the next 10 years, just to address this crisis. The report also warned about the nonexistence of comprehensive international agreements governing transboundary waters, despite that one-third of the surface water upon which the Arab world relies originating outside its borders, with the same applying to ground water in the Arabian Peninsula.

News reports have pointed toward a shift in the food security policies of Gulf countries from Africa to Europe and America. Gulf countries are re-evaluating their projects aimed at securing their food security through some African nations, such as Ethiopia, following increased animosity toward Gulf investors among locals and the spread of public reservations about Arab investments on their lands. This is a result of the massive investments that Gulf countries made to purchase tens of thousands of hectares of cheap farmland in African countries, which they used to satisfy nearly 90% of their food needs.

The Renaissance Dam crisis continues to dominate the rhetoric of Egyptian officials, as the Ethiopian side asserts its intention to proceed with the project. Despite Cairo’s efforts, there’s no clear indications that their efforts thus far have made any inroads.

=>al-monitor

ከፍል 3 — የጌታቸው ሃይሌና የነፍጠኞች ርዝራዥ ጩሃት፣ አምስት ሽህ ዓመት የሚያስኬደው የኃጥሃታቸው ገደል መግቢያቸው ጊዜ ስለ ተቃረባባቸው ነው። (8ኛው ሽህ)

ከቃሉ ኩሳ

- ከቃሉ ኩሳ

=>gadaa

Oromo women protest male violence under banner of goddess Atete

By VELEDA

March 7, 2014 (Source Memory) — I found this article while searching for information about the Oromo goddess Atete on a scholarly database. Here the southern Ethiopian goddess hardly appears in her own right, most of the Oromo having (incompletely) converted to Islam or Christianity. Yet she has survived in women’s domain, especially in a ceremonial period around birth, known as Qanafa, which remains sacrosanct. The women fiercely defend this time sacred to Atete and, although they are abused at other times, militantly confront men who commit abuse during the Qanafa seclusion. Much of the information available about Atete revolves around these ritualized female protests rather than the actual rites of the goddess.

Jeylan W. Hussein. “A Cultural Representation of Women in the Oromo Society.” African Study Monographs 25 (3), October 2004, pp 103-147 Online:

Oromo scholar Jeylan Hussein outlines the decline in women’s status in recent history, losses that have accelerated since conversions to Christianity (pushed by the dominant Amhara group) and Islam (embraced by many as a means of resisting these traditional enemies of the Oromo). He cites testimony of elders and historical records that indicate that women’s status was better in earlier times and that gender inequality hardened in the colonial era. [108-9]

It’s not that the old laws weren’t patriarchal. Oromo society was already patrilineal, with a harsh sexual double standard that stigmatized females and practiced boy-preference. Men who could afford it married several women, and senior wives ranked far above additional wives and concubines. Hussein analyzes numerous proverbs, showing how they describe women as inferior beings, as weak, fickle, irrational. They overwhelmingly depict women as men’s chattel. Several proverbs advocate beating wives, and compare them to donkeys and horses who could be tamed and beaten at will. As Hussein summarizes, Oromo sayings prescribe male mastery and female subordination. [121-28]

Men “actively excluded” women from the Gada generational system. However, when men held their assemblies, women used their work songs to make their position known with “pointed commentary… or a direct criticism of some unjust or unwise decision the men are contemplating.” [Legesse, 1973: 20-21, in Hussein,109]

Oral tradition also says that Oromo women received certain regalia and powers from the Gada system. An official called the Abba Gada brought to his wife two insignia of female honor and authority, a sinqe (ritual stick) and a qanafa (sacred piece of wood). She used the sinqe in anointments and other important ceremonies. The qanafa was to be tied around her forehead while giving birth, and for several months afterward. This wearing of the qanafa represented the high dignity of mothers, and served as the focal point of female protest and resistence.

Among the Shoa Oromo, most people are nominally Orthodox Christians, but the old religion is still in the mix: “One example of this is the periodic observance of muuda (anointment) by both men and women, and Atete (female divinity) by women.” [105] In Oromo religion, Hussein contrasts “the patriarchal view of Waaq, and the matriarchal view of women’s divinities such as Atete and Marame.” [110] Women’s Atete rituals belong to a cultural belief that women are intermediaries between the spiritual and physical, and “that Waaq listens to women’s desire and instantly responds to it.” [111]

Hussein disputes early British accounts of Atete as a fertility goddess with annual ceremonies. He says that there is no fixed date for her festival: “Whenever natural disasters fall, women gather and perform the ritual.” So when crops failed, the rains stopped, epidemics spread, or in times of war, it was the women who prayed to relieve the hardships. The men formally asked them to “gather around a sacred Qiltu (sycamore tree), distinguished ford or high ground, or any renowned ujubaa (tree shrine). The women gathered and prayed to revert the affliction.” [111]

Hussein offers one example of “rainmaking Atete hymns of the Arsi Oromo women” intended to win favor from Waaq. Once again, Atete is not named, only “the Lord,” indicating that revisions have erased the goddess from “Atete hymns.” Tradition held that after women’s prayer, Waaq “would immediately provide the community members with a much rain as they wanted.” He notes this as a female “leadership role” that also “indicates the subtle interconnection betweenayyaan (spirituality), uumaa (nature) and saffuu (ethical and moral code). [111-112]

Women use the Atete ceremony, among other things, for rituals of conception. An Arsi couple would ask the saddeetoo senior mothers sodality to set up an Atete ritual for them. The village women would gather and celebrate a sing with call and response prayers.  Among the Borana, a childless woman would come  to a mother of dabballe (young men of rank) for blessing. Her forehead and belly were rubbed with butter and libations of milk and honey wine poured. [112; 137, note 11]

By all accounts, however, Oromo women have lost ground. The most traditional groups retained a base for female solidarity that reached across divisions of kin and marriage ties. The Arsi Oromo called this female organization saddeetoo or saddeettan hanfalaa. This group of married and older women “provides the women with the impetus to participate in village councils and the cultural vehicle to mobilize en masse against mistreatment by men.” [103-07]

It was these female groups that invoked Atete “to counter male atrocities and to enforce religious sanctions against related misbehaviors.” Women’s primary impetus to action was a violation of the qanafa post-birth sanctity during which family members are supposed “to please the mother and avoid annoying her.” The husband has to respect taboos surrounding birth, which include not abusing his wife. If he beats or verbally abuses her “while she is observing this ritual, the wife throws off any responsibility at hand and heads straight to communicate the matter to thesaddeettan hanfalaa (council of senior mothers).” Even when the woman tries to kept such abuse secret, other women tell the female elders’ council. “Then, the senior mothers mobilize en masseagainst the atrocity committed by the husband. As a result of this, all of the women in the village abandon their individual houses, and protest against the offense.”

“The village women consider the offense committed against a single woman as violation committed against them as a group. Hence, no woman in the village is excused from the protest unless and otherwise she has an absolute inconvenience she has no control over.” They will not tolerate any woman who breaks this female solidarity. … After abandoning their houses, the women gather in the compound of the misbehaving husband and sing songs of resentment.” They may also decide to lay a curse on him. [113]

“Once they are in Atete ceremony, the women are observing a ritual and many taboos come into full force.” [113] No one can speak to them or cross their path as they go in procession. Bystanders have to stop and wait respectfully until they have passed, or risk a most serious curse resulting in incurable illness, ruin, or madness. To avoid these magical disasters, the male elders approach the senior women to find out what the problem is. If the male elders do not intervene immediately, the women leave and take refuge with another clan. Custom requires that they be received with honor, and their heads anointed with butter. The elders of that clan would then get in touch with male elders of the boycotted clan. These elders would have to ritually make amends and agree to deal with the abusive husband.

The ritual of reconciliation begins with the male elders taking a sheaf of green grass to the women (a sign  of reverence) and reciting a formal apology for invading their space. The male elders say all together, Dhiltee dhinna (save us from your eyes). The women elders accept the grass, responding, Hoffola Hobbaya (Be saved!) or Ijarraa hafaa! (Survive our eyes!). [In the footnotes, Hussein explains that “Save us from your eyes” is a standard disclaimer when facing a big gathering, that looking at the group, in this case at the women, is not to be considered shameless or bold.] After this opening, the men ask the women why they are protesting. One of the female elders recounts the crimes committed against the female community, against motherhood (protected by Atete, thus this protest is named for the goddess). “If need be, she reminds the male elders the lallaba of the good old days, when they were granted honour.” [114]

The outcome is that the wrongdoer makes amends by “compensating the group and appeasing their divinity.” He usually does this by sacrificing a cow or calf for the women to feast on. “If the offender does not confess his mistake in person or in absentia, the women impose a more serious curse called abaarsa sinqee (the curse of sinqe). This is the stage when all of the women rest theirsinqe (ritual sticks) on the ground and pray to Waaq for the offender to be ruined.” So the Atete society has two sanctions: this one against a single person, and the bidhaa against the council of male elders. [114]

Hussein writes that the Atete ceremony has two functions: one is regulating women’s morality (but she says nothing about this). The other is to enable women to challenge male domination as a group. She observes that this ceremony is seriously endangered, like so much other Oromo culture. He discusses the pressures from Islam, particularly the “fanatical” Wahabi sect active in her country: “In the region, the preachers of this movement indignify those who cling to indigenous creeds by calling them Awaama or Jahila (ignorant). They condemn the traditional religious practices in its entirety as shirk (heretical)…” Hussein observes that Muslim Oromo women are abandoning the Atete rituals, and thus losing a significant mechanism of solidarity and resistance. [115]

“The gradual expansion of the two universalistic religions, Islam and Christianity, has directly or indirectly contributed towards the decline of the value of the Oromo women’s Atete ritual over the last century. With the recent resurgence of the competitive religions, their religious influence on the communal practices of the people has gained maximum momentum.”

© 2010 Max Dashu

The women’s ritual stick is especially interesting, since this appears in the Saharan murals as well as in modern South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and other parts of Africa, as well as on other continents.

I originally posted this commentry on the Suppressed Histories Facebook page after a reader who challenged my suggestion that a woman’s bruised eye could have anything to do with male batterer pattern. It gives ample evidence of endemic and sanctioned wife-beatings in that cultural context, but the feminist Oromo scholar’s article is interesting for another reason. He shows how Goddess veneration provided a basis for female solidarity and resistance, even though it had shrunk to apply only to periods of pregnancy and birth, and even as the goddess Atete herself was being done away with by christianization and islamicization.

Read more Jeylan W. Hussein. “A Cultural Representation of Women in the Oromo Society.”

=>ayyaantuu

የኢትዮጵያ ድህነትና ኃላ ቀርነት መሠረቱ የእነ ጌታቸው ሃይሌ ሃይማኖትና አጉል ጀብደኝነት ነው። ከፍል ሁለት

ከቃሉ ኩሳ

- ከቃሉ ኩሳ

=>gadaa

Oromia: Alemayehu Atomsa Dies

March 6, 2014 (All Africa) — Less than two weeks after resigning from his post as chairperson of the Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Organisation (OPDO) – one of the four member parties of the ruling EPRDF – and president of the Oromia Region, Alemayehu Atomsa died late on Thursday, March 6, 2014.

Alemayehu, who was an obscure figure – formerly with the EPRDF’s propaganda office and with little connection to the OPDO’s rank and file prior to his appointment as president of Ethiopia’s largest of nine regional states – was absent from office most of the time due to illness. On February 18, 2014, the OPDO disclosed that it had accepted his request to step-down from his presidency due to health related issues.

The Chinese-educated president had not previously received the go-ahead from the Party to step down, although he had tendered his resignation on several occasions. Alemayehu fell sick within months of his appointment, and had been rarely able to conduct his duties, travelling abroad for medical care for the majority of the last two years.

Alemayehu was pronounced dead at 1am on Thursday at the age of 45, after receiving medical treatment in Bangkok, Thailand. He was a father of two daughters and a son.

Born in 1969 in the Bilo Boshe woreda of East Wollega – one of the 17 zones in the Oromia Region – Alemayehu was replaced by Muktar Kedir, minister of the Civil Service & Good Governance Reform Cluster, with the rank of deputy prime minister, in both posts as chairperson of the OPDO and president of the Oromia Region.

=>ayyaantuu

The Importance of the credibility of Media outlets.

By Adugna Dinka

The newly inagaurated Oromo television (Oromia media network) aired a news on the 4th of march 2014 that said the former Oromia regional state Mr. Junedin Sado has been accepted by USA for protection and Just entered USA. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OudMp0DWmto)

But last year(around september 2013) There was a news circulating all over the cyber space specially on Ethiopia and Oromia news outlets that Mr. Junedin  Sado was killed by TPLF security forces. According to the news outlets, Junedin Sado was killed when he return back to Ethiopia from Kenya. (see
http://ethiopianewsforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=59170
http://www.ogadentoday.com/news.php?readmore=9838
http://dandi4130.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/junedin-sado-former-governor-of-oromia-was-killed-by-woyyanee/ )

Even some international websits like allafrica has reported there is a rumor that Mr. Junedin was killed. (http://allafrica.com/stories/201309161789.html). Wikipedia too has reported he was killed by government agents when he returned back to Ethiopia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junedin_Sado).

The source of this false news might be the security apparatus of the TPLF government just for a political purpose. They might be successful in confusing the media outlets of specially opposition parties, political activists and journalists, but at the end it just degrades their value when it is found out that it is a false news.

The important thing over here is, it is very important for news outlets to be credible. That means the news that is made available for the audience must be genuine and accurate. The sources must be reliable and trusted too. If the news happen as a rumour or is a mistake, it must be updated and corrected timely. 

Television information sources are perceived by public as more credible news sources than websites, magazines  and news papers. Due to this It is very important for Oromia Media Network to carefully scrutinize the news made available to it before airing.  We all Oromos want OMN a game changer in the history of Ethiopian media. We want it to be a true and credible media that provide accurate and genuine news and informations for Oromia and the Great Horn of Africa. 


Adugna Dinka (re_appear1@yahoo.co.uk)