Qabsoo songs: Amansis
Qabsoo (Oromo resistance songs) Part 10. As a reminder, Afaan Oromoo relies heavily on nature, ecology, and animal personification to express political disenfranchisement and emotional realities. Without adding too much poetic interpretation, I have tried to make these lines flow for non Oromo speakers while preserving their implications.
Amansis opens with an expression of profound disappointment regarding unfulfilled hope and political frustration. While rain traditionally symbolises blessing, abundance, and renewal in Oromo culture, the image of a dark fog (hurrii) blocking the sky represents a hijacked political transition. Following the monumental “storm” of the Oromo youth protests, the subsequent transition should have brought freedom and peace. Instead, both were withheld, leaving the Oromo people carrying their wounds (madaa).
Despite this suffering, the singer insists that the Oromo people are fighting for dhugaa (truth and justice). This struggle is presented as a justified response to continuous hostility rather than unprovoked aggression. The line “tuqee na tuttuqee” (“it kept provoking and pushing me”) highlights that the Oromo did not seek conflict, but were cornered by a state unwilling to deliver meaningful freedom.
The song then turns grief into mobilisation through symbols of unyielding defiance. Lyrical references to marqaa, a thick and dense traditional porridge, symbolise an absolute refusal to surrender under political pressure. The rhetorical question “Maal jettaree?” (“What can you even say now?”) directly challenges the government and rival political factions, while the call-and-response sections turn outward to reinforce that the community will not retreat.
One of the most politically charged lines in the song states, “Diinni diina caaluu kalees har’as jiraa” (“An enemy worse than any enemy exists yesterday and today”). Within post 2018 transitional context, this is widely understood as a critique of resurgent Amhara nationalist movements and militia forces like Fano. The “enemy” is not specifically about a people, but the older imperial political order they are seen as trying to restore. As the song moves into Walloo and references a seat bought with blood not being handed over, the lyrics also connect to ongoing conflicts in the Oromiyaa Special Zone. The singer warns that these movements threaten to dismantle ethnic federalism, while reminding both the audience and the government that the Oromo will not allow their generational sacrifices to be undone.
Certain concepts in the song defy direct English translation, such as xiiqii, which is a complex proverbial blend of accumulated grievance, pride, defiance, and an absolute refusal to back down. By combining this concept with the horse, an ancestral Oromo symbol of war and resistance, the singer warns that past state actions have birthed an uncontrollable xiiqii horse, signalling that the movement will not stop until the system that created it is dismantled.
Finally, the song politically reinterprets the concept of gumaa. Traditionally a restorative justice process designed for communal reconciliation and closure, gumaa is transformed here into a collective political obligation. The blood of those killed for the cause binds the community together, turning grief into a duty to continue the struggle until their political aims are secured.
This aspect of Ethiopian politics a deeply saddening reality. Because there is no trusted neutral institution capable of mediating or speaking for all sides equally, political legitimacy has increasingly devolved into competing historical grievances and endless cycles of justification.
By sharing more of these posts, I hope to challenge some of the misconceptions Ethiopian society holds about Oromo political motivations. These resistance voices are often excluded from state media and prevented from reaching wider audiences. For those interested in learning about Oromo culture and why Oromo political thought has historically clashed with centralised state systems, I have linked this reading material Understanding Safuu. If you have any questions about this song, feel free to leave them in the comments so everyone can discuss them further.
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