A Message to My Oromo Peeps

Starting off with my name and an intro about myself - well, what more can I say that is not already evident from my title. The name is Magarsa Mukhtar. I am an Oromo individual, born into a mixed household - half Somali, half Oromo. But there are no ambiguities where my loyalty lies. I am a true believer in the Oromo cause; the torch was passed down to me by father, as was given to him by his father. I stand here, the torch in my hand with even a glimmer of hope as my ammunition. Because we Oromos, like it or not, are all born in a war we have a duty to fight. To the uninformed reader, Oromo and non-Oromo alike, if you are perturbed about the fight I am talking about, it will serve you well to follow this blog. 

Thousand of years ago, we - the Oromo race - were the indigenous people of E. Africa (although there are claims they settled as far as Zimbabwe). We lived in peace and trainquility until the arrival of the Semites - Amharas and Tigrays included. Upon us has fallen the greatest calamity with the capture of our lands and the colonialization of our people. This is the current status quo and has desisted, despite the valiant struggle put up by the Oromo freedom fighters and the regime that tries desperately to quash it & conceal it. A fight, whether just or otherwise, will only end in the following scenarios - peace or victory/defeat. We have given them the chance and turned the other cheek countless times. All that is left is to declare war.

Now, when I say war, do not misconstrue my statement to mean a rally to arms - though that itself cannot be ruled out as an avenue to victory. War can be waged on many fronts, but no war has ever been won without a dedicated army. In Islam, the word for fight would be jihad. Before anyone takes me for a fundamentalist, any struggle against oppression, by word of mouth and sword, constitutes jihad or war. This is familiar territory even with the Western titans; the most powerful weapon used by Western powers is propaganda.  We have to support the cause with all our might and power. Let us not get caught up with the "good life" for those who think they live it. Ya ummatu Oromo, we are the foot soldiers, the generals, the admirals. Wherever you stay, the dignity of the Ummata Oromo is the dignity of yourself. Lensa, Ibsitu, Ayantu, Ibsa, Ayaana, Roba.....these names are the badges you wear so proudly, statements of your identity. But if do not strive to protect our very name as a people, what is the point of claiming it? As it would be a disgrace to wear tattered clothes, a disgraced people is quite the same. A defeat to the cause is a disaster to the name of Oromo and Orommuma, and no-one can deny it like removing clothes. A leopard cannot change its spots and we can never change identities, God forbid! 

My concluding statement ( but not the last one) is this: Anything and everything that would serve our cause my fellow Oromo is indispensable - for all is fair in love and war...and this has been too long a war!