The representation of ‘Ethiopianness’ and ‘Oromoness’ in two Oromo-language novels: Yoomi Laataa by Isaayas Hordofaa and Kuusaa Gadoo by Gaaddisaa Birruu

Abstract

The modern Ethiopian state was created by the Shoan Emperor Menelik II between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. People living to the south, east, and west of the Abyssinian Empire, the Oromo among them, were incorporated into the Solomonic polity through successive military campaigns, and have been subjected to the rule of Addis Ababa ever since. This article analyses how this process of conquest and its impacts are represented in Oromo literature. After offering an overview on the origin and development of Oromo literature, the article focuses in particular on the role that Oromo novels played in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in forging and enhancing Oromo cultural and political nationalism against the hegemonic ideology of Ethiopianness. The article analyses two novels in particular, Yoomi Laataa (‘When Will It Be?’), published in 2011 by Isaayas Hordofaa and Kuusaa Gadoo (‘The Pool of Grudge’), published in 1991 by Gaaddisaa Birruu.

Keywords:

• Oromo literature
• Oromo novels
• Oromo nationalism
• Oromo language
• Ethiopian history

Notes

1. The term ‘Galla’ was commonly employed in the past to refer to the Oromo. It is now considered pejorative and no longer in use.

2. Nowadays, Oromo and Amhara people together make up over 60% of Ethiopia's population.

3. Qotu is a derogative name for Eastern Oromo, spoken in northern Bale, East Hararge, and West Hararge. It literally means ‘farmers’.

4. Naftanya literally means ‘gun-bearer’ or ‘gun-owner’, and refers to Amhara settlers.