Volume I Number 2 Winter 1994 Managing Editor's Note I Lemmu Baissa 47 Gada Values: The Building Blocks of Democratic Oromo Polity Herbert S. Lewis Aspects of Oromo Political Culture Addisu Tolesa 59 Oromo Literature, Geeresa, and the Liberation Struggle Demessie G. Yahii Distribution of Letters in Oromiffa Text Bichaka Fayissa , , , , ,, , , , , , , , , ,, , ,, , , , ,, , , , . , , 72 Some Aspects of the Vision and Effectiveness of Oromo Organizations Mohammed Hassen 77 Some Aspects of Oromo History That Have Been Misunderstood I Mekuria Bulcha , , , , , , , , , ,, , , , , , , , , , ,, , , , , , , , , , , , . : 91 The Language Policies of Ethiopian Regimes and the History of Written Afaan Oromoo: 1844-1994 Book Reviews Oromia and Ethiopia: State Formation and Ethnonational Conflict 1868-1992 116 Boulder, Colorado, Lynne Reinner Publishers, I993 232p Hard Cover, Price $49 50 Asafa Jalata by Mohammed Hassen State Transformation and National Integration: Gedeo and the Mhiopian Empire, 1985-1935 119 East Lansing, Michigan: African Studies Cente~,Michigan State University, 1988, 194 pp by Mohammed Hassen The special anniversary issue of the.Journa1of Oromo Sttufier (JOS) in many ways fits this year's conference theme of the Oromo Studies Association (OSA), "Oromia: Cultural Reconstruction for Liberation and Development," We believe that our readers will be on a discovery rendezvous of the hidden Oromo treasures: their system of government (the Gada), political culture, literature, language, and history, Dr Lemmu Baissa's article, "The Political Culture of Gada The Building Blocks of Oromo Polity" examines some gada values and their possible contribution to the democratization pro- cess He concludes that Ommo cultu~alvalues will provide extremely useful and powerful building blocks to create and institutionalize a political power that will lead the nation with dignity, liberty, and prosperity. "Aspects of Oromo Political Culture" by Professor Herbert Lewis concludes that the Oromo share some elements of political culture, of ideology, and values despite some differences among various Omgroups and regions The "equality" and "democracy" concepts which are popular among the educated and politically sensitive Oromos seem to be a widespread and general part of their people's background "Respect for law, for peace making elders, for assemblies, and the recourse to voluntary organizations with elected officials who should serve the community that elected them, and be responsible to them, is basic to the life of many Oromo country people" In his article, "Oromo Literature, Geemrsa, and the Liberation Struggle," Dr Addisu Tolesa demonstrates that Geemrsa serves as the treasury of the national Oromo literature in its role of cultural preservation for bilisummaa (liberation) He argues that "the Geemrsa singers play a significant role as catalysts in reminding the Oromo the challenges that lie ahead of them in their struggle for bilisummaa (liberation), Dr Demessie G Yahii's study analyzes and summarizes the distribution of the Latin-based Oromiffa which has 34 basic sounds (phonemes) comprising of 10 vowel phonemes and 24 con- sonant phonemes His fmdings provide further insights into written Ommiffa, particularly con- sidering its recent alphabetization "Such investigations can provide the basis for many interesting applications in linguistics and information processing systems" The importance visionary leadership and organizational synergy among Oromo have been em- phasized by Professor Bichaka Fayissa He maintains that Oromo organizations can impmve their effectiveness by articulating a clear vision which all Oromo organizations and their members share as common values 'This means that "the leadership of the Oromo organizations bears a special responsibility in communicating a vision which Oromos can support regardless of their regional or religious affiliation, professional, economic, or social status" In his article, "Some Aspects of the Oromo History That Have Been Misunderstood," Dr: Mohammed Hassen responds to the flawed arguments and gross distortions of historical fdcts by domestic and expatriate Ethiopianists who denigrate Ommo culture and dismiss their achievements He maintains that a genuine understanding between the 0t'omos and Abyssinians can only be possible by an admission of guilt of occupation and oppression rather than by denial of historical facts and continued exhibition of arrogance By tracing the efforts made to study afann Oromo (Oromo language) over a century ago (1884-1994) in the backdrop of the repressive language policies of the consecutive Ethiopian regimes, Dr Mekuria Bulcha explores the current trends in the development of afaan Oromo and the prospects of its evolution toward a national and official language in Oromia He observes that the long Oromo struggle for the right to speak, read, and write their own language has resulted in the restoration of Afaan Oromo He, however, warns that its continued development without obstacles and interferences from Abyssinian rulers requires political protection-a state umbrella Finally, we are indebted to all the contributors who painstakingly engaged in multi-faceted research to dig out of the ruins the Oromo national treasures (Gaah, the Oromo language and literature, history, and socio-political economy) We also want to extend our appreciation to all the reviewers There is no doubt that the scientific studies conducted in the past, in this issue, and future issues will concretely restore the Oromo cultural identity and guide them to liberation and development against all odds The search for truth and justice is an indestructible force which will guarantee not only the continuity of the human spirit, but also the realization of its aspira- tions The currently available studies on Oromo culture (especially, language), history, society, economy, etc are only the t~pof the iceberg Scientific studies on some aspects of the Oromo Nation present both an opportunity and a challenge for Oromos and interested non-Orornos The success of the Oromo Studies Association and JOS, therefore, depends on you Although, JOS is at its infancy, we are encouraged by the qualities of submitted articles Yet, based on the criteria set by the Board of Editors, some papers have been rejected and others have been recommended to undergo substantive revisions for acceptance However, to ensure fairness to all cont~ibutors, we have adopted the double blind review process Your contributions are certainly welcome Bichaka Fayissa April 1994 by Lemmu Baissa* Introduction As peoples in the Horn of Africa (and over the entire continent) are struggling for the democratiza- tion of their politics and striving to uproot authoritarian regimes, it is necessary to discuss the decisive role political culture plays in influencing the liberalization process While it is extreme- ly difficult for an authoritarian culture to transform, a democratic political culture has greater advantages in assisting the creation of a democratic system of government It is in this light that this article briefly examines the Oromo political culture @a&) which can serve as the basis for the creation and institutionalization of a democratic political system There have been several studies ofthe gada system's potential contribution to Oromo self govern- ment Asmarom Legesse (1987), Lemmu Baissa (1971), Bonnie Holcomb (1993), Dinsa Lepisa (19'75), Sisay Ibsa (1992) and several others have recently examined various aspects of the gada system and have reached useful conclusions The paper will identify some gada values and their possible contribution to the democratization process, Before discussing these values, it is necessary to dispel certain negative views about the gada system While the gada political culture is admired by those who have careidly studied and placed it in its historical and cultural context, there are those who attempt to minimize its role in the formation of a democratic polity In the past hundred years, most of the AmhardTigre elite who saw gada contradicting their autocratic-monarchical values and presenting an alternative political model have been critical and contemptuous For them, the Oromo without kings were stateless, uncivilized, and without worthwhile cu1tur.e After the Abyssinian conquest of the Oromo, the gada system was outlawed and suppressed, The new masters justified their conquest exaggerating disunity, inter-clan warfare and lack of a unitary monarchical government among the Ororno, Most foreign Ethiopianist scholars naively pursued the official Abyssinian line and dismissed the gada system as politically irreleyant system of rituals, just as they dismissed other rituals among the rest of African societies Some scholars dismissed the existence of a unifying gada system by referring to the exceptional case of the Hulle clan states of the Gibe region which evolved into monarchies in the mid nineteenth century Gada rule among the rest of the republican Oromo at the time of Shoan conquest was either down-played or dismissed (Clapham, 1993) As Asmarom Legesse (1987) correctly states, many European scholars since the colonial era found incomprehensible that an African nation could develop and enjoy elaborate and highly democratic institutions comparable to a Western concept of democracy For instance, Edward Ullendorff showed contempt for Oromo and cushitic cultures of Ethiopia (Ullendorff, 73 and 111-112) Even the reputed Ethiopianist scholar Eike Haberland did not conceal his doubt that the gada system