u/Able_Figure_513

Firaa fakkaatema jiraattii ruumichi qabdee simbira nyaatti
Waloomi lammii koo hunduu baatta

When a child is smarter than adults lol

Back in 2024, leaks already detailed the intense paranoia surrounding Jaal Warraaqsaa’s deployment to West Shawa, with local factions viewing his appointment as a threat to replace Jaal Abdii's leadership. Apparently Jaal Marroo had sent him previously to push out Sanyii Nagaasaa. Fast forward to today, and that two year slow burning fuse has finally exploded into open warfare in Cobii and Ilfata where Jaal Warraaqsaa was killed. What’s worse is that outside commanders tried to step in to mediate, but local units rejected dialogue and fighting is still going on.

Just what the hell is wrong with this group seriously. I am sorry but even though I understand what they are fighting for, they are just so fucked because they keep cannibalising themselves. The movement has never achieved anything and just brings misery to the Oromo people. Then while they do shit like this, they want to play with fire by getting in bed with the Ximdo alliance. We all obviously know how that will turn out. Maaltu maal tahee? kan darbe kan dhufus hogguu gaaratti isaan galchanii achiitti wal fiixan warri kun maaf hin baranne maal tahaan?

I've been diving into Oromo resistance music, and it got me talking to my parents about our family tree. Turns out my family has been involved in the Oromo struggle since its start. We have ties to Jaarraa Abbaa Gadaa's lineage and some famous artists from the early bands. My mind is so blown right now 🤯 It feels like standing on the shoulders of giants. Do other diaspora out there randomly find out these kinds of things?

Rest in power to artist Ilfinaash Qannoo. Your voice of resistance will never be forgotten. 💔🕊️

This post got some hot under the collar even though the comments were agreeing 😂 Its gotta live somewhere 🫰🏽

Feeling like dropping nukes in this place 😁. I am f’ing done with the slimy psychological games around the controversy surrounding Miss World Ethiopia Ruth Yirgalem. The absolute irony is that Ruth herself is an Addis Ababa native of non Oromo heritage who simply chose to honor the country's diversity by wearing Arsi cultural dress. Yet, whether this manipulation is conscious, or subconsciously driven by a segment of society that is emotionally stunted, it needs to be called out.

The online discourse around this topic right now says it all. Most posts about the controversy use words like "ethnics" and "biting each other's heads off" to describe the drama. Notice how the Oromos, who are the actual victims here, are the only ones named and tied directly to those toxic words. Meanwhile, the real aggressors get to hide behind a smoke screen of vague terms like "some people are angry." It is a sick narrative trick to ensure the word Oromo is the only group name associated with chaos while completely shielding these "national unity" bullies. Can we call them what they are now? They are not inclusive Ethiopianists or the standard of Ethiopia. They are just a bunch of hateful right wing Amhara tribalists.

The comments are straight up calling Oromos animals and saying they are not human or ruining Ethiopia. But let us look at history and see who has shown real humanity. Do we all remember how these same unionists and the Amhara elite overwhelmingly championed the recent military campaign? They were hosting stadium rallies and celebration parties over blockades that forced the humanitarian starvation of millions of Tigrayans. They did all of this while actively ethnically cleansing them from Rayya and Humera, literally murmuring mantras to themselves about how much they "loved" them and were only doing it for national unity to save the region from TPLF. LOOOOooool!!

Compare that to the Oromo community. Despite enduring 27 years of intense political oppression under the previous TPLF led regime, the Oromo people demonstrated profound political maturity and universal empathy when the war broke out. Rather than choosing revenge or celebrating starvation, they stood side by side with regular Tigrayans and organised global joint protests to demand peace and regional autonomy.

So when these Amhara unionist tribalists sit online calling the largest ethnolinguistic group in the country animals just for someone else showcasing Oromo cultural clothes, I have to ask who the real animals are here, seriously.

Honestly, I'm feeling so burnt out and can’t keep track of wtf is happening in this weird country anymore. How is everyone else holding up?

No political arguments, no debates, and no fingers pointing. Just a section to let it all out and vent and support each other as individuals. How are you all taking care of your peace of mind right now?

Kinda random, but I’ve fallen into a rabbit hole of collecting Oromo phrases from Walloo and Rayyaa songs when I suddenly remembered the famous phrase “Asina bel Asina Genaye.” I’ve seen many Amharic speakers ask what “Asina” means, since it doesn’t have a standard dictionary root in Amharic.

Even though it’s celebrated as a national Amharic Christmas anthem today, the phonetic forms line up remarkably well with Oromo, and I think it may preserve traces of an ancient winter solstice chant. Here is what I’ve pieced together.

In Afaan Oromoo, ganna means the heavy winter rainy season or, in some contexts, the drought season. By adding the suffix ”-yye” (ganna + yye = gannaayye), the word shifts from a plain noun into an expression of affection and personal connection with the season. Since there isn’t a perfect English equivalent for this type of seasonal endearment, I’ve translated it as “my beloved winter/ rainy season.”

In another post I asked what beel means in these songs, like in the phrase “laaloo beel.” I suspected it meant either beela (hunger) or beellama (appointment), but no one could give me an answer. Hearing it in this Christmas phrase again, it only seems to make sense to translate it as hunger or starvation.

If the phrase is reconstructed through Oromo morphology, you get Eyyoohaa (composed of Eeyyee/Eeyyoo ['yes'] and haa ['let it be'], creating a sacred affirmation of blessing or spiritual agreement), asiin (this way / situational direction), na (literally “me,” but used collectively as “us”), and ganna (winter/ heavy rainy season). The chant can then be interpreted in two ways:

Interpretation A (The first interpretation is a split command, welcoming and deflecting):

Eyyoohaa asiin na gannaayye
Yes, let this blessing be received. This way to us, oh my beloved rainy season

Asiin na beel asiin na gannaayye
Move past us, starvation; come this way to us, oh my beloved rainy season

Interpretation B (The second interpretation is a protective command and farewell):

Eyyoohaa asiin na gannaayye
Yes, let this blessing be received. Pass by us safely, oh my beloved winter.

Asiin na beel asiin na gannaayye
Pass by us safely, hunger; pass by us safely, oh my beloved winter.

Because the Ge’ez script does not consistently represent Oromo vowel length, many distinctions that are grammatically meaningful in Oromo become obscured when written in Ge’ez. As these phrases transitioned into Amharic and Tigrinya, several appear to have lost their original Oromo meaning.

To show you what I mean, here are some other famous northern song phrases that have lost their Oromo context in the other languages:

Oromo: Asiin laalee gumaa
From where I stand, I witness blood injustice.

Amharic/Tigrinya: Asin lale guma (no clear lexical meaning)

Oromo: Laalee Laaloo
I have seen / we witnessed.

Amharic/Tigrinya: Lale lalo (no clear lexical meaning)

Oromo: Siin laalee laaloo / Ahh laaloo
I can’t stop gazing at you / Ah, what a sight.

Amharic/Tigrinya: Sin lale lalo (no clear lexical meaning)

Oromo: Magal damma damma
Dark brown beauty, sweet as honey.

Amharic/Tigrinya: Magal dama (no clear lexical meaning)

Oromo: Magan Rayyaa
Our sanctuary and refuge of Rayyaa.

Amharic/Tigrinya: Megen Raya (no clear lexical meaning)

Oromo: Laaloo magan
I see sacred sanctuary / I seek refuge.

Tigrinya: Lalo megen (no formal lexical meaning, but interestingly shouted during times of hardship)

Oromo: Gubee lolee, aahh hayy, gubee lolee
Closest translation: He burnt everything down and fought. He set it on fire and went to war.

Amharic: Gube lole (no clear lexical meaning)

Also, the “aahh hayy” part is difficult to capture in English, but it’s essentially the cultural equivalent of saying “yes that’s the way” or “that’s what you get.”

There are many more phrases like this, but I just wanted to show where I’m going with this theory. If the vowel distinctions obscured by the Ge’ez script are restored, I think it’s quite possible that the root of “Asina bel Asina Genaye” is Oromo.

Edit: Updated the seasonal context and corrected the situational direction of "asiin" for better translation of commands.

Garee biraa kan kana beeku jiru hin fakkaatu 🤔 'laaloo beel' jechuun maal jechuudha? Sirboota Qabsoo keessatti jechoonni 'sirbi', 'sirbina' fi 'sirbi mee' jedhan akkamitti hojiirra oolu?

Muhahaha, as you wish habiballaa. Please, let us out of our cage! 😎

I came across a post by Kemal Gelchu discussing the Arsi massacres. I am not treating it as fully verified, since there is no independent investigation available, but I think it is still worth engaging with as one perspective. Kemal Gelchu was previously embedded within the Ethiopian military system before defecting in 2006 and later joining the Oromo Liberation Army (WBO). That background does not confirm his claims, but it does place him inside the political and military networks he is describing.

His points about local tactics match a bigger pattern I’ve been noticing. Looking at what has happened in Wallagga, violence there appears to create a neutralising effect by suppressing the Oromo movement’s strongest military bases, while simultaneously enabling land grabs by certain corrupt figures.

But in Arsi, the target is not just land, but the dismantling of Oromo politics through manufactured fear that “Oromos are dangerous,” since the Ethiopian nation was built on the myth of Oromos coming from “outside” the country. Some may disagree with this interpretation, but Arsi is the geographic and economic gateway connecting central Ethiopia to the south and east, and it literally takes only 3 hours to get to Addis. By keeping Arsi destabilised through violence and fear-mongering, it blocks the Oromo movement from having a secure and influential base right next to the capital.

Another question concerns how the victims are being identified and categorised. Historically, the south has experienced significant assimilation and religious conversion. Over generations, certain communities in Arsi may just be descendants of southern groups who adopted Amhara identities or Orthodox affiliations.

So how can media outlets and political parties broadcast these events as specific ethnic or religious groups being targeted? Have they actually investigated the backgrounds of these communities? I’m not saying the origins of these victims change the weight of the tragedy, but the framing seems designed to cause panic, mobilise Amhara constituencies in the north, and create support for military control and political stagnation in the Oromia region.

It is also possible that rogue WBO factions could be involved. But if the movement’s stated objectives are taken at face value, attacking civilians does not align with its political goal, which frames the struggle as being against the Ethiopian state rather than against ethnic or religious communities.

There are too many unanswered questions, and many of them probably will not have answers for years. What are your thoughts?

Here is my translation of Kemal Gelchu’s post. I have tried to keep it as faithful as possible. In a few places I added bracketed clarifications where the Oromo leaves the subject implicit but the meaning appears clear from the context. But if you’re not following in a few spots, do ask for clarification and hopefully someone will help out.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bxyVhx4nh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Oromo: Rakkoon maqaa qabsoo fi seera kabachiisuu jedhamuun deemu kun wal fakkaata. Hawaasa karaa inni hin beenneen isuma mataa isaa diina isaa taasisu.

English: This trouble going on under the name of “the struggle” and “enforcing the law”, the method they are using to sustain themselves is identical. It turns the community into its own enemy in ways it does not even recognise.

Oromo: Hawaasni keenna dheedaa cinaachaan wal cinaa qubata. Lafti takka bishaan ykn marga qabaattee kanarratti wal mufiin jiraachuu mala. Ykn saba biroo wajjiin wal cinaa haala akkasii keessa jiraata.

English: Our community lives settled side-by-side, sharing grazing lands. A single piece of land might have water or pasture, and there might be local disputes over this. Or, they might live alongside other nation groups in a similar manner [where resolving local friction peacefully is the normal baseline of daily life].

Oromo: Rakkoolee akkasii hawaasni manguddoo biyyaan furataa deema. Galata qabsoo amma manguddoon akkasii jirti hin seeyu.

English: The community usually resolves such problems through the council of elders. [But] thanks to the current struggle, I do not think such elders even exist anymore.

Oromo: Yeroo humna qabsoof baye jedhu mootummaan cinqee qubsuma itti dhiphisu, hawaasa gama tokkoo irraa maqaa gosa ykn amantaa kaanii dhayachuun nama ajjeesu.

English: When a force claiming to have risen for the struggle emerges, the government squeezes and restricts the area; [the state forces] kill people from one community under the name of another clan or religion.

Oromo: Gosni maqaa isaan nama ajjeesan kun haluu warra namni irraa du'ee baqaaf jecha jara kana ufitti maxxansee akka hidhataa ufiitti fudhata. Yeroo biroollee kan biroo wajjiin itti fuufu. Booranni umrii isaa daba kanaan miidhamaa jiraate.

English: The clan whose name was used in the killings, fearing retaliation from the victims’ families, becomes closely attached to “those people” [the government forces] and accepts them as its own armed protectors. At other times, they continue the same process with another group. The Borana [community] has also been suffering under this twisted injustice for a long time.

Oromo: Karaa amantiin rakkoon deemu kun itti fuufinsa mala hamtuu tanaa natti fakkaataa jira. Amalli kun karaa warra seera kabachiifna jedhuunittis lixa oromiyaatti muldhataa ture. Amma dubbiin tun gara jihaa Arsii waan fidan fakkaatti.

English: The trouble currently manifesting through religious avenues looks to me like a continuation of this evil strategy. This pattern, previously seen in Western Oromia under the pretext of "law enforcement," now seems to be directed toward the Arsi region.

Oromo: Ummanni arsii jijjiirama jedhamu fiduu keessattis sochii muldhataa qabaataa ture. Amalli isaa kun sochii fuulduraa keessatti madda sodaa tahuu mala.

English: Historically, the Arsi people have had a visible, prominent role in bringing about [social] change. This characteristic of theirs [their track record of mass mobilisation] could be a source of fear regarding future movements.

Oromo: Humni biroo durirraa balaa fi mala akkasii hawaasa kana keessa galchuun jibba amantaa fi gosaa qabu raawwachuuf wixxisaa jiraate. Amma hojitti hiikuu waan jalqabe fakkaata.

English: There have been long-standing attempts by other forces to introduce ethnic and religious divisions into this community to fulfill specific agendas. It seems they have begun putting it into action.

Oromo: Tana dura Tuulama Arsii keessaa amantaan harkisanii Amaraa arsiitti irkisuun akka Arsii jibban yaalamaa ture.

English: Before this, attempts were made to draw religion into the relationship within Tuulama and Arsi, and to use Amharas [within] Arsi as leverage in order to turn people against the Arsi.

Oromo: Yaaliin kun ammayyuu jiraatus, hawaasni dhamaan wal beeka waan taheef heddu hin hojjanne.

English: Even though this hatred still exists today [coming from outside pressure], it didn't really work because the community as a whole deeply knows one another.

Oromo: Tahellee angoo furtuu fi hiree jajjabduu Arsii keessaa namoota yaada balaa kanarratti hojjatan angessuun hojiin hin dhaabanne. Furmaatni jiru, Arsiin qe'ee ufii keessatti humni rasaasa qabatee akka hin sochoone gochuuf lafaa kahuu qofa.

English: Even so, they have not stopped empowering and giving key positions within Arsi to corrupt individuals who work on executing this dangerous agenda. Now the only solution is for the Arsi people to rise up and ensure that no armed force carrying bullets can operate freely within their homeland.

Oromo: Yoo hin taane, Inni kuun shiftaa qallabde jechuun, Inni biroo ergamtuu mootummaa jechuun ibidda gandaa, amantii fi sabaan lafarraa si dhabamsiisu.

English: Otherwise, one side will accuse you of feeding bandits, while the other side will call you a government puppet destroying you from the face of the earth through the fires of neighbourhood wars, religious, and ethnic conflict.

Oromo: Tana dura rakkoon akkasii akka jihaa kana hin seenne wanti mormaa turreef saba oromoo keessaa ummatni Arsii, Amaraa fi barcuma leelistootaan addatti akka jibbamu waan beennuuf. Duraan, sababa kanaan Arsii keessattuu jibbamaa turre.

English: The reason such troubles were resisted from entering this region before is that we know that, among the Oromo people, the Arsi are uniquely targeted with hatred by the Amhara and the barcuma leelistoota [throne-worshippers / status-quo elites]. Previously, for this very reason, we were targeted with hatred specifically in Arsi.

Oromo: Jaalalli hafee hardhayyuu yoo namaa galee uf dhaqqabne, akka sabaattuu milkoofne.

English: Forget mutual affection if we can just understand our situation today and save ourselves, we will succeed as a nation.