What Has Become of Our Struggle?

This Friday, a day of rest and reflection for me, was spent pondering many stuff. A half-hour spent skimming every single news event of the week; watching Youtube videos; chatting on Facebook (a holy ritual of sorts to me). I was doing everything I could think of, seizing all the free time this glorious sabbatical offered. While doing so, I came upon many Oromo websites preaching the importance of seeing out this struggle till victory comes. Forgive my cynicism, but this was the case for the past 4-5 decades. I am the last to give up the fight, but what i wonder is this: are we - the diaspora Oromo - fighting for a cause that our compatriots at home really desire? Could it be that the Oromo populace is not as determined about self-determination as they should be? We have seen the spark of uprisings and the call to revolution sound throughout the normally-dormant Arabian region. Tens became hundreds which grew to thousands which finally evolved to million-man marches until discontent manifested itself into an unstoppable, united movement, be it armed or civilian. North Africa was overtaken by the Arab Spring, yet it is a shame that their east African counterparts remain apathetic about their own destiny. Again I ask, have we reached a stage in our fight where no-one cares anymore?

My memory is still fresh with memories of jubilation the days of Red Terror were officially over and the Dergue was gone for. In fact, that point of time was marked by twin, simultaneous falls of two despotic regimes infamous for oppression and murder, i.e. the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam and Ziad Barre in '91. Everything seemed certain – freedom had come for the people of E. Africa, a long time coming for our Ummata Oromo. The celebratory mood was infectious until we were dealt the worst hand and the OLF was to remain a rebel movement instead of a leading political entity for Oromos. The first consolidated step taken by the new government – the TPLF – to secure the "artificial union" aka Abyssinia was taken; the regime implemented the federal system of governance in the hope that the flame of separatist sentiment would abate. Largely, this end has been achieved.

The effect has been that the OLF has lost its long swathes of control and has become a movement of the Diaspora. When was the last time we saw OLF activity in Ethiopia? Yes, you will see homegrown Oromo activists write articles on local media about human rights violations against Oromo-Ethiopians and transgressions here and there, but I have yet to come across an article making calls to Oromo self-determination. I could be wrong but then again it could be a sign of dwindling support for the once great OLF. Testament to that would be the emergence of many other secessionist movements.

In my opinion, the time has come to make radical changes to our policies. To me, there are two options left: either we up the ante and mount our attacks, militarily and political, against the Abyssinnian colonial machine; we simply need to have a greater presence in Ethiopia. Orommuma and the fight must be implanted in every Oromo's mind. I remember stories back in the day where my own Somali relatives gave their children Oromo names in solidarity of their Cushitic brethren. There cannot be any excuse of Oromos not taking part what is supposed to be their fight!

Or we fight for Oromo's share in Ethiopia and take what is rightfully ours while leaving in place the state of Ethiopia as it is. We should, I personally think, take example from the Shiites of Iraq who have arisen from nowhere to the heights of absolute power. Democracy is the "rule of the majority" and us being the majority would give us that right. A hegemony by the minority makes my blood boil, especially when it robs us of our rights. The Shiites did not stand for it, and neither should we! Eitherway, we are at a crossroads and change is desperately needed, lest we lose a war we have been losing for the past 20 years..