Oromo People’s National Struggle..
The people of Oromia belong to the indigenous north and Northeast African group of people known as the Cushites. The Cushitic people are related to the historic Nubians and ancient Egyptians who are known for their contributions for civilization as manifested by the artifacts and the pyramids. The people Oromia have been living in the current territories they occupy and beyond for thousands of years before and after the arrival of the Abyssinians. The people of Oromia practiced a democratic social and politico-military system of government known as Gada. In Gada system, political and military leaders are elected from among the most skilled pool of people for a term of eight years. The Abba Gada (Head of the state), the Abba Dula (chief of the Army), Abba Halanga (Judges) and all other important leaders were democratically elected for a one-time eight-year term. The Gada system for the most part is similar to the modern democratic republican form of government practiced in the Western World. In the Gada system, all males were continuously trained militarily to defend their fatherland from the enemies, which is what kept Oromia an independent country from time immemorial until the end of the 19th century. The Oromo egalitarian culture, the Gada democratic government, and other institutions have continuously endured the last 105 years of continuous open and clandestine war by foreign occupying forces. This remarkable endurance is a testimony to the deeply inculcated Oromo cultural identity and democratic heritage. The people of Oromia follow three major religions: Islam, Christianity, and Waqefachaa—indigenous Oromo religion. Because of the people of Oromia’s democratic heritage, there is no religious extremism or intolerance among the people. With time, many changes emerged in Oromia, and the Gada system too began to partially give way to feudal and semi-feudal systems. These changes in the way of life over a period of time gave rise to the sort of semi-feudal type of governments and competition among some leaders of Oromia. Good examples of such Oromia feudal or semi-feudal governments were the kingdoms of Jimma, Geera, Lemmu-Enariya, Yejjuu of Wallo, and Bakare of Wallagga. The emergence of smaller feudal kingdoms and the weakening of the Gada system of governance in parts of Oromia created rivalries among the chieftains and kings of the time. In an attempt to control the rest of the country and people, some Oromia chiefs collaborated with the Abyssinian leaders in fighting their own Brethren. Such tendencies gave the golden opportunity for the Abyssinian rulers who were opportunistically waiting for such a moment to occupy and colonize Oromia by force and thereby subjugate its people and exploit its resources. More...