Famous Oromos - the "Godfather of Music" - Ali Birra

This man is the Oromo icon of our age – our Lionel Richie and Marvin Gay combined. A legend unlike any other; for decades, he has serenaded countless women while showing us guys how to charm women the right way! (Because class and courtship today are fast becoming extinct concepts.) The generation that preceded us danced to his beat while we youngsters would enjoy his tunes if we are not already familiar to them. He is the star that needs no introduction (but in case you don’t know him) – he is the great Ali Birra.  Today, as part of our series of "Famous Oromos", I will share this superstar's illustrious history in the hope that you fellow Oromos realize that we have global celebrities that got groove!

Poet, composer, singer-song writer.....Ali Birra, born Ali Mohammed, was born in the Oromo city of Dire Dawa in the Laga Hare Ditrict. In the year 1950, his parents – Mohammed Musa and Fatuma Ali – welcomed their child, not knowing music was his calling and superstar status was his destiny. He had all the traits of a superstar – talent, charm and a passion for singing, especially when it came to showcasing our Oromo traditions and culture. As a young student, he was at home singing in front of crowds, stage fright a word not in his vocabulary. It was at the tender age of 13 when he joined the Urji Bakkalcha, better known as the Afran Qallo music band……..and the rest was history!

 

It was while singing as a member of this group that he was nicknamed Ali Birra after one of his songs "Birra dha Bari'e" or The Break of Spring in Oromo. He sang songs in a multitude of languages, not only his native tongue. He was able to sing in Amharic, Arabic, Somali and Adere, gaining him much admiration from a host of his singing peers of all Ethiopia's ethnicities. He sang with the likes of Eyoel Yohannes, Mahamoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessesse and Bizunesh Bekele – even did duets with the late and great Sudanese legend, Mohammed Wardi!

  It was during his record-breaking success as Ethiopia's highest paid celebrity that he met a Swedish admirer , who was vice-secretary at the Swedish Embassy in Finfinee (or Addis, whichever name you know it by) at the time. She won his heart and they tied the knot in 1985. He subsequently moved first to Saudi Arabia before settling in Sweden for two years. This exposed him to a world of opportunity and propelled him to international stardom within the Oromo Diaspora. His heart was one always passionate about singing that he pursued a degree in Music Theory at Santa Monica College, California. Even discovery of colon cancer couldn’t extinguish his love for his beloved mistress, Oromo music.

 

Thanks to him, he put Oromos on the map. Not only is he a godfather figure among the Oromo community, his success is unrivalled in even the state of Ethiopia. To attest that  he was honoured an Honarary Doctorate Degree in Music, in June 12, 2010, by Jimma University – a prestigious school of teaching back home. I know it isn’t much, but I feel it my duty to bestow him the award of Oromo Icon of the Century and the first person to feature in our "Famous Oromos" series!

References:

1. http://www.alibirra.com/biography 
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Birra 

So, what are we supposed to do?

We talk about freedom for Oromia. We talk about the self-determination of our people and taking back what is rightfully ours. We want the oppression of our people to end in all its forms. This seems like an enormous battle to take on. Where exactly are we to begin? What can we actually do to help? As youth in the diaspora, we are so far, in more ways than one, from our homeland. We have our own lives and concerns that we are preoccupied with, our day-to-day and long term challenges that we must deal with. And this is understandable.

I've literally sat and contemplated this thought. I imagined the most extreme scenarios, like all of us catching the next flight to Ethiopia and initiating an all out revolution. Of course this is not feasible. But I wanted to think of something that could bring about change, and make it happen soon. A little hasty I know, but this is the product of the frustration I feel when I consider everything Oromos went through. This has gone on for too long, and I want our people to have the rights that they deserve.

After I got over these delusional thoughts, and contemplated this some more, the answer was pretty simple. The best thing that we can do is begin with ourselves, and the rest will follow. What do I mean by this?

Be proud to be Oromo, first and foremost. We come from an incredible people with a rich culture that has so much to offer. Take pride in our unique traditions and the strength of our people to persist through the hardships that came with this identity.

Embrace our culture and everything it has to offer. Our traditions, our values, our food, our music and dancing and most importantly our langauge! Learn afaan oromo! (check out Magarsa's piece, The Importance of Knowing Afaan Oromo, if you haven't already) Don't hesitate to take part in our culture, it is the product of centuries of tradition of our people, and it is what makes us unique and beautiful.

Get educated! I can't stress this enough.You cannot know where you are going if you do not know where you come from. Make it a point to learn about our history and how it has affected where we are today, and educate yourselves on the current events going on back home. (Those Oromo news websites are not just topics for discussion among our dads and uncles :p) We are hoping through this blog to provide some of this information, but it will take a conscious effort from each of you to seek out information for yourselves. American author Robert Heinlein once said that a generation that ignores its history has no past, and no future.   If we expect to have an influence on the future of our generation, we are going to have to educate ourselves on our past.

Believe it or not, accomplishing this is half the battle already won. You all know that in Oromo history the goal of the habasha colonizer was to eliminate our very identity and culture. By taking pride in it and maintaining it we are rebelling against this oppression and honoring those who sacrificed and suffered in the name of Oromia. Accomplishing these changes within ourselves also serves as the foundation for whatever plans for self determination we will potentially develop. We cannot get anywhere if we do not have our pride, our culture, and our knowledge intact. Like I said, the rest will follow. My point is that tackling this issue is not beyond our capabilities. I know that all of you are smart, talented individuals with so much potential, whose unique contributions we can use to move forward in our struggle. But we first need to take pride in ourselves, and be as informed as possible. It needs to be a collective effort, and we have to believe we can do it. A wise man once told me that the greatest talent one can acquire is learning how to believe in oneself, because whatever hidden ability you have will not blossom unless you believe in yourself. And I believe in us, ya ilmaan oromoo! Be confident in yourselves and our cause, and let's show the world what we can do.

Comment with opinions, and stay tuned for some interesting posts!

Oh Ummata Oromo.....do you hear not the cries?

Oh Ummata Oromo, do you hear not the cries?

Of desperate prayers for emancipation

Oh Ummata Oromo, do you see not the oppression of our people in front of our eyes

The souls of forefathers demand liberation

Dreams I have of glory restored

Of power returned to the rightful lords

Oh my people, do you dream my dreams at night

Our majestic flag hoisted in front of all God's creatures – a glorious sight

Realized at long last my dreams

Gleaming red and green, the shinning tree in between

My heart yearns it but in the meantime screams

Oh Ummata Oromo, do you not hear our cries?

Of the mother who prays to hear her lost son's speech

Escape the iron bars of dungeon's keep

And relieve her tormented soul

To speak to her and say, "Mom, I am alive and well!

"Fear not that I am deceased!"

The blood poured from the sacrifice of our young

While our mother weep upon the their slain sons

Oh Ummata Oromo do you not hear the cries?

We were a nation as mighty as Greece and Rome

How can it be that we are an oppressed majority in our own home

Has our dignity been rendered worthless

How is it that ours sons are of their soil disposed

Our people forced away from their lands

To die away in their journey through the Arabian Sands

Or perish like many before them in the Mediterranean and Red Sea

To live in disgrace as a refugee?

Unity and solid resolve is the ammunition we need

To no master shall we heed

Rise up Ummata Oromo

The nation bleeds, Ummata Oromo do you not hear the cries?

The main point of this poem is to get YOU acting as a representative of something greater than yourself - your people! Support this blog and follow it, spread the word about our struggle, take part in any activity that will help furthering the cause. Its the will that counts, even if you do something so small, it seems to have no effect, It is the gesture that counts!

But one thing I will like to emphasize - anyone who chooses to ignore this blog after seeing this should bear in mind that there is no-one like your peeps. You support them and they will always have your backs! Support Project Oromia!!!!

Life of Hopeless (Oromo) Refugees

It is with a heavy heart and shell-shocked spirit that I begin this blog. What is it that has brought me down and dampened my spirits? These past days, news have been coming in about the mistreatment of our Oromo brothers seeking asylum. This has been all too familiar for the average Oromo refugee, specifically those stuck in a life of limbo in the cruel streets of Hargeisa. For you see, they live in a strip of land where they hoped to see the end of persecution under the hands of the Ethiopian government just to enter a country that is, in essence, an agent-state of Ethiopia. This state is called Somaliland.

I always heard harrowing accounts of misery and suffering amongst a people who, if I remember correctly, we sheltered from the ruthless and relentless oppression of Ziad Barre. Dozens of news articles of appeals from the hapless refugee community to the outside world to hear their story, yet so far, these cries for help have fallen on deaf ears. In the meantime, the Somaliland government only obliges to do the dirty work of their Ethiopian masters. (See Persecuted in Ethiopia, Hunted in Hargesa, Oromia Support Group for more details).

 

Refugee discontent reached its climax when they held demonstrations in front of the UNHCR, the UN body responsible for the welfare of these displaced folk. Their peaceful protests were met with gunfire from the security apparatus and mass arrests. The government followed this by subsequent and speedy deportations of these detained refugees, just to return them to the very thing they were escaping – the Ethiopian government (Check:http://hornwatch4rights.blogspot.com/2012/01/somaliland-deports-ethiopian-refugees.html). However, this has been the case for so long – so what is it that has made my sad and spur anger within me? This was caused by a story of a man whose case left me silent for hours.

An Oromo refugee this morning hung himself on top of the tallest building being built in Hargeisa. His method of suicide was wrapping a tight electrical cable round his neck and throwing himself off the top of the building. This was after he had been weeping all day in front of the local police precinct, commiserating about his plight and how he had been robbed by locals. He was quite aware that for a refugee, especially an Oromo, Hargeisa was a land without mercy. Days he would cry yet no-one would hear him out or extend a helping hand. His depression and sense of hopelessness spiralled till he decided that the world was too cruel a place to continue living. Yet, what was disgusting was the fact that he was left to dangle on the wire for a complete night – no-one (neither the guards at the building nor the police at the precinct nearby) bothered to save him. It was only in the early morning when the city was buzzing with activity that people noticed something hanging from the rooftop. The poor soul was noticed just too late.

This is a case unheard of, yet not surprising when taking into account the miserable conditions the Oromo refugee has been forced to deal with. The deceased's man frustration encapsulates what it means to be a refugee and Oromo. A people who were persecuted in Ethiopia and hunted in Hargeisa – hope is hard to keep alive when the conditions are that bad.

The following poem in my next blog goes out for him – the Oromo who lost hope!

Oh My Fellow Oromo.....What Have You Done Today to Make the Nation Proud?

I start this blog with the following question:  What have you done today to make you feel proud? What spurred me to put forward this question, you ask?  I came upon this question while listening and watching London's pitch for the right to host this year summer's Olympics. The Heather Small song – Proud – had a tantalizing tune, but more importantly, its lyrics spoke to me (as it must have did to the selection committee). I found myself rhythmically repeating the words of this song. I, then, posed the question to myself – what have you done today to make you feel proud? There was no immediate answer, and so I paused trying so desperately to find one; I took a good amount of time (whatever was required) to deliberate. What have you done today to make you feel proud? Me being an Oromo nationalist, I rephrased the question, giving it another dimension: What have YOU done today to make the Oromo nation feel proud? Have you left your mark on this earth for you to be remembered eternally by your mother nation? When in doubt, its best to follow the example of the success stories before you.

I recall the stories told as a young child about the iconic marathon runner, Abeba Bikila. This Oromo hero became the first Sub-Saharan African to win the gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome ₍₁₎. The son of a modest shepherd rose to stardom by not only setting an Olympic record; my admiration is not only due to the fact that he put Africa on the map, but his achievement was testament to the fact that we are a nation of greats! No-one in the history of marathon sport has run barefoot and won gold at the same time. Playing the song I mentioned would be a befitting tribute for this Oromo legend. He made his nation proud!

This is not to mean, however, that anyone seeking to emulate our heroes should take their trainers and win us gold to merit our appreciation. Not everyone was made to run.  Taking a pen and telling the world what the Oromo nation is; writing an essay, a poem or a blog like Lensa and I are doing is no less an honorable deed. If God has given you the gift of writing, follow the path our own star poet has paved – the notable Boonna Mohammed.

He is the talented Oromo poet that has been dubbed the "voice of a generation" with his outlandish performances that have won him accolades such as the 2007 CBS Poetry Face Off "Best New Artist" Award ₍₂₎. He is also a role model, preaching the word of Islam to sophisticated, Muslim youths disillusioned and detached from their faith. Memoirs of a Slave, When the World Changed and other poetic masterpieces by this Oromo great. He made his nation proud!

Everyone that attempts to leave their mark in this world and the nation he/she was born from is, in my books, an Oromo hero. However, international success is not the sole criterion and the next example will show why. Days ago, in numerous cities of Oromiya, The National Youth Movement of Qeerroo hanged the OLF flags in public areas and the main road of Naqamte, Gedo ₍₃₎. Now, I don’t know where that place is, but what I do know is that their bravery should have cost them their lives, and so they deserve the highest honour from all the following examples. 

My message, overall, is that an Oromo brother or sister deserves to be bestowed the greatest honor for any gesture made for the cause. But seeing that not all Oromo youth are willing to join the fight, I would encourage my fellow Oromo brethren to never shy away from showcasing your talent. That is not only self-gratifying but does service to the Oromo name in general. We are a nation with greatness rooted in our history and engrained in our DNA! But, you as an Oromo should always lift the bar to attaining that honor to greater, glorious heights. Make your Oromo brothers and sisters proud of you as they should be of their Oromo ancestry. Always seek to become the pride of thyself and Ummatu Oromo!

References

1. The Biography of Abeba Bikila, Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abebe_Bikila

2.Boonna Mohammed Facebook Page, Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/BoonaaMohammed?sk=app_2309869772

3. Flying OLF flag high in many cities of Oromiya is our sign of resistance to TPLF dictatorship and struggle for democracy, Qeerro. Retrieved from: http://qeerroo.com/2012/03/01/flying-olf-flag-high-in-many-cities-of-oromiya-is-our-sign-of-resistance-to-tplf-dictatorship-and-struggle-for-democracy-qeerroo/

Introduction- co-author!

Hello all. I will be co-authoring this blog with my friend Magarsa, so I thought I would give you an introduction to myself.

My name is Lensa. I am an Oromo individual born and raised in the west, and I too had an upbringing somewhat detached from our culture.  I grew up for the most part adapted to western culture, and I was never really concerned with the politics of back home.  It wasn't until I began to research our history that the beauty of the people we come from, and the huge injustice with which they have been dealt, really sunk in. Since then I have been inspired to wholeheartedly take part in the struggle, even if that means simply keeping our culture and identity alive.

I realize that there are many of you out there already actively participating in the Oromo cause, and that there are those whose upbringing differ from mine in that you have been able to embrace our heritage in a way that I never did. But I also know for a fact that there are many of you out there like I was,  dormant in your actions and desire to engage in our cause and culture. And I know that there are many of you somewhere in between- perhaps some of you would like to participate but don't know where exactly to begin. We all come from vastly different circumstances that have resulted in diverse experiences of Oromo youth in the diaspora. I want to encourage everyone to reflect, learn, and share your experiences. I truly hope that open dialogue between all of us will foster a sense of unity and solidarity, and that we can motivate each other to ultimately work towards the self-determination of our people.

Our goal for this forum is to provide a platform for you all to think about the current issues facing our generation, and the implications these have on the Oromo struggle as a whole. We also hope to provide some background and history on Oromia- how many of us are aware of the events that led us to where we are today?  Finally, we hope to instill a sense of appreciation and pride for our beautiful and rich culture and history, and that you will be inspired just as we were to learn more and participate in the struggle. We want you all to realize your responsibility as Oromos to continue the fight our forefathers so heroically pursued. 

This is just as much a learning experience for me as it is for you all, so do not hesitate to comment with suggestions, feedback, criticisms...anything!