The most burning question for us today is, I am convinced, how to completely expose the pecular colonial nature of Abyssinian domination of the empire- state of Ethiopia . Most people in the west and elsewhere have only recieved information about Ethiopia and are intentionally misled for long time. Ethiopia is presented even in its present form as Christian land under threat , a land that has a history of three or four thousand years..How can we undo the systematic disinformation by presenting only simple facts not only ofhistory but , most importantly, those showing the present reality? I think, this is the most important issue that needs to be dealt with if we really want lasting peace in the Horn of Africa.
As an Oromo I know what it means to be treated like a second-class citizen in one’s own land. Of course I am acutely aware that Ormos are not the only people that have been subjected to multiple forms of oppression and mistreatment by the Amhara and Tigray rulling elites in the past and at present. International circls who consistently sponsored these oppressors from the early days of the Ethiopian empire and keep doing so up to now know all the relevant facts very well, and have no intention , whatsoever , as far as I see, of changing their policies now. Rather they misuse the contradictions within the empire to advance their own interests. , no matter how much human suffering their policies cause.The major powers among western democracies , especially Britain and the USA , are not interested at all in seriously reviewing certain naked double standards in their internaional relations. This is the main reason why democracy as practiced by them has faild to find a universal acceptance in developping countries among the poor up to now , despite the extensive work of their huge propaganda machines to prove the contrary. This is why they icreasingly resort to military intervention to impose their will on weak nations, even though after the end of the era of Soviet dictatorship there was and there is no need for feverish militarism. I will narrow my statements to situations that are definitely clear to most people in the Horn of Africa.
Millions of people who belong to to the oppressed nationas within the empire- state of Ethiopia cannot accept indefinitely the century- old Abyssinian repression and domination. The biggest among these nations are the Oromo people numerically and geographically. Sidamas, Somalis, Afars, Hadiyas, Gurages, Kunamas, the Adare and other small entities were also independent nations before Abyssinian colonization.
At a time when in Latin America and Asia many countries are able to choose their own way of develoment democratically, Africa is mostly still run by regimes that are utterly subservient mainly to the Anglo-.American French domination . For all practical reasons we are still protectorates. We are living in an era when the struggle of the oppressed peoples is equated with terror, ethnic narrow mindedness and tribalism. An era where might is right more blatantly than ever. Honestly , I do not like high sounding talk, especially when I am not personally active politically. Yet I must speak the truth without mincing words no matter what my situation may be. Our problems are not confined to Ethiopia. I think it is absolutely necessary to look at our problems in a wider African context.