Language
- The Oromo nation has a single common mother tongue, called the Oromo language or
Afaan Oromoo or Oromiffa.
- It is the third most-widely spoken language in Africa, after Hausa and Arabic.
- Before colonization, the Oromo had used their own language in social, religious,
educational, political, and legal activities.
- The Oromo language has been neglected and suppressed by Ethiopian authorities. In
an effort of destroying Oromo national identity, the language of a minority group,
Amharic is used as the official or national language.
Population
- Approximately 40 million (year 2000 estimate), a minority of the 67 million Ethiopian
Population (40-45% of the whole Population is Oromo).
- 3rd largest single nationality group in Africa; single largest nationality in East
Africa.
- Capital: Finfinnee (also called Addis Ababa).
- Religion: Christianity, Islam and Traditional Belief in God, “Waaqaa”
Economy
- Mainly agriculture (coffee, several crops, spices, vegetables) and Animal Husbandry;
Mining industry; Tourism trade; Medium and small-scale industries (textiles, refineries,
meat packaging, etc)
- Breadbasket of the Horn of Africa
- Largest livestock holding in Africa
- Forestry and wildlife reserves of the Horn
- Minerals (gold, silver, platinum, uranium, marble, nickel and natural gas)
History
- An independent loosely confederated nation before being colonized by the Ethiopian
empire in the 1890s and still a nation in captivity
- Practiced Gada democratic Leadership structure, which is similar to Grecian Polls
- Locale of the 35 million year old Lucy
Culture
- The Oromo culture is governed by an egalitarian Gada democratic system of administration.
- Power to administer the affairs of the nation and the legislative power belongs
to the people.
- Respect for elders, women and children are the key components of Oromo Culture.
- A culture of managing conflicts through arbitration/consensus.
“The hour has not come but it will come, perhaps our children will see the
departure of the oppressors”Rooba, 1975 – voicing his faith
in the future of Oromia
Politics
- Conquered after bloody resistance between 1882- 1898, as the result of which the
population of Oromo was reduced from 10 million to 5 million
- In 1886 a smallpox epidemic (the first biological warfare every used in the region)
was used to frighten and weaken Oromo resistance
- Currently thousands of Oromos languish in prison, Many have fled the country.
- Deprived of their rich resources
- Politically marginalized, tortured, and deprived of basic human rights.
- Ongoing killings, extra judicial disappearances, imprisonment, segregation and injustice
in the universities, colleges, and educational system
- Struggling for Self Determination
About Oromo Refugees
- Unaccounted number of Oromo refugees live in almost other countries of Africa.
- Most refugee have been separated from their families for more than 10-15 years.
- Most refugee children grew up in refugee camps where there is no education and where
there is lack of access to health facilities.
- More than 500 Oromo university students were forced to leave their education and
fled to Kenya
- In 2004 brutal government move is the eviction of over 400 Oromo university students
solely for their quest for the freedom of expression and speaking against the human
rights abuses of the government.
- The government assigned secret security agents to each Oromo university student,
denying them their right to join their family. As the result these students are
exposed to hunger, homelessness, and lack of other basic human rights.
- Their families are worried about whereabouts of their children. Most students are
exposed to harassment, torture, disappearances and arbitrary detention.