A History of Domination and the Arts of Resistance: An Experience from Oromo Artists, 1962-1991

Abstract

The period from 1962 to 1991 witnessed the development of resistance songs by the Oromo artists against the severe and long-ranged imperial domination in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study is to show how the Oromo artists used songs to mould the Oromo struggle against this domination from 1962 to 1991. It argues that Afaan Oromo song (music) was used as the most powerful form of chimerical power in speaking across age, class, region, sex, power, and even ideology in resisting the domination of Imperial rule while striving to sustain common Oromo unity. However, the roles of Afaan Oromo songs in maintaining Oromo national identity cohesively and how they were boldly maintained in the contested national question of the 1960s and 1970s have not been investigated from a historical point of view. For the study, extensive available but pertinent data were collected from the areas where the activities of these artists were predominantly undertaken and were interpreted and analysed qualitatively based on historical research methods. The analysed and interpreted data show that the lyrics, melodies, and contents of the Oromo songs were artistically organised, with every word and line of satirical poems affecting emotion. The contents were checked for messages that could have the power to covertly express the idea of advancing self-awareness, social cohesion, and group solidarity. The study reveals that a lifetime of degradation of serfdom cannot be overcome without the high costs of unwavering commitments and sacrifices. The Oromo artists themselves have been characterised as dissident opponents and threats to the unity of Ethiopia. Their struggles for the transformation of imperial and dictatorial rules into the essence of democracy were portrayed as narrow nationalists, and consequently, they were thrown into jail, and their songs were locked into drawers. The efforts combined together and contributed a lion’s share to the development of Oromo consciousness and the resistance movement against the Imperial domination.