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Oromiyaan Athletes: Oromiyaan Skin without the Abyssinian Mask

August 5, 2012 at 11:31 pm · Gadaa.com

By Gadaa.com Commentator

Lately, there’s a debate about photoshopping and Oromiyaan Olympians. It turns out a few Oromo nationalist graphic artists removed the superimposed oppressive colonial Ethiopian nationality from the photos of Oromiyaan Olympians (such as Tirunesh Dibaba and Xiqi Gelana, see below); these graphic artists deleted the oppressive colonial masks of Ethiopianism from the photos of Oromiyaan Olympians. And, this has triggered accusations of “photoshopping” from some corners, even Oromo.

Which nationality was the “photoshopped” version? The athletes’ Oromiyaan nationality or the Ethiopian colonial nationality?

This could be taken as a very clever social experiment emulating Frantz Fanon’s “Black Skin, White Mask” – in which he argued about the divided self-perception of the Black Subject, who has lost his/her cultural originality and embraced the culture of the mother country – in this case, Oromiyaan nationals embracing the Abyssinian colonial national identities, such as flag, language, culture and history, as their own.

Over the last 120 years, Abyssinianism/Ethiopianism has been photoshopped (i.e. superimposed) over Oromiyaans while the colonial forces photoshopped out Oromummaa from Oromiyaa through state-terrorism. The Oromo nationalist graphic artists simply removed this photoshopped colonial Ethiopian nationality from the Oromiyaan Olympians – i.e. showed the Oromiyaan Skin without the Abyssinian Mask.

An article with a similar theme can be found here: National Liberation and Culture

Here are the images of Oromiyaan athletes, embracing Oromiyaan nationality, without the colonially-photoshopped (i.e. superimposed by force) Ethiopian nationality.

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RELATED:
The following video shows how Oromo nationalists are celebrating Oromiyaan Olympians in social media outlets, such as Facebook. The song is by Saliha Sami.

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14 Comments

  1. Viva said,

    August 6, 2012 @ 12:51 am

    ??? ??????!!! ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ??? ??!

  2. obsaa said,

    August 6, 2012 @ 12:55 am

    We have to do more work to make our athletes proud Oromos. It seems some of them are somehow influenced by the overdose of Ethiopinism/Abysiniasim.

  3. Bekele said,

    August 6, 2012 @ 2:14 am

    ***

    Sorry for this bad news our tribalist friends, but i always see myself ETHIOPIAN first, african and black second and “oromian” last lol

    Stop rewritting 200 yr old history about “colonialism”
    Get over it racists!

  4. Driba Ali said,

    August 6, 2012 @ 3:54 am

    Wherevere u born respect every human being
    Respect who u r i am realy proud of our precious gold medalist for ethiopia > God bless ethiopia forever
    Driba Ali
    Finfine
    Ehiopia

  5. jaallataa said,

    August 6, 2012 @ 7:58 am

    @Viva, ???? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????:: ??? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ????:: That is why the writer stated about abyssinian colonialism. We will be in power whether u believe it or not. But, we’ll be in power over and for our own people not like the Tigrians or Amaharas who always want to colonize other people. It is only a matter of time. Oromo and other oppressed people will be in power for their own right, because this is right and fair.

    @Bekele, I don’t know whether ur Oromo or not. Whatever you are, I want you to know that being concerned about your identity doesn’t make you racist, okay. You can shout racist 1000 times, no one listens to you. Every body with a normal thinking is concerned with identity specially when people attack him or hate him because of his identity. This is not specific to Oromo, all over the world oppressed people struggle for their identity, freedom, right, … Ofcourse, those who are the oppressors fight back and the one with truth wins at the end.

  6. tolla said,

    August 6, 2012 @ 9:13 am

    Bravo great OROMO female patriots!

    You have upheld the name of our great name and proclaimed the OROMO NATION! Yes, brave nationals of the OROMO NATION – well done and congratulation.

    In the same token, we will be victorious in the SELF DETERMINATION of the Oromo Nation and declare our independence from Abyssinia.

  7. Waqjiraa G. said,

    August 6, 2012 @ 3:34 pm

    KAI OROMO!!,
    Like our Oromian heros:our Dibaba,Gelana, Bakala and other to end Abyssinian photoshopping by the Oromiyaan skin as our guru nationalist graphic artists did the historical job by removing the superimosed oppressive colonial Ethiopian nationality to the Athletes Oromiyaan Nationality as the historical fact. Thanks to our artists such Oromiyaan Skin without the abyssinian mask touched every Oromos’ heart and mind which became the symbol of the Oromo nation. To watch the amazing of such images of Oromiyaan athletes, embracing Oromiyaan Nationality is to be a witness to history. It is an absolute “Sensational” for the Oromos around the globe in standing with their national for the Oromiyaan Identity by heart including our winners whom to they belong. As I was in Dubai by the time it was incredible events how Oromo businessmen were jumping like a kid and screaming go on Oromtitti/Oromiticha!! expressing Oromummaa. Tears running down our cheeks.
    It is irrelevant what the chuavinists make a noise by any form, the Oromos never ever accept the Ethiopian colonial nationality and it is a high time to fire up struggle for Oromiyaan Nationality .
    Thanks our graphic artists and Gadaa.com for a historical presentation.

  8. Sanyii said,

    August 7, 2012 @ 10:09 am

    VIVa you better shut up your big mouth, time has come for OROMO to rule OROMIA we don’t want your damn Ethiopianism which was given to us by your garnd parents wake up this is 21st century. make use of your brain before you give comments, Oromo is a great nation who has a bright futre, OROMIA SHALL BE FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!

  9. Bafiqaaddu said,

    August 8, 2012 @ 4:15 pm

    I want Oromo to rule over Ethiopia!! writting about Gobena…Gobena.Gobena…Gobena.Gobena…Gobena.Gobena…Gobena.Gobena…Gobena.Gobena…Gobena.Gobena…Gobena.Gobena…Gobena. Minilik…Minilik Minilik…Minilik Minilik…Minilik Minilik…Minilik Minilik…Minilik Minilik…Minilik ..nafxanyaa nafxanyaa nafxanyaa nafxanyaa nafxanyaa nafxanyaa…………..is so boring and obsolete…..there is no country called Oromia ..only a cultural administration.
    Oromo will rule Dthiopia that’s for sure.

  10. Albojid dina said,

    August 9, 2012 @ 10:50 pm

    Vv That’s what tigrian do for alot two decade. They rule ethiopia and @ the same time they exprience how to rule, how to judge imorally, how to build their nation economy, how to marginalise the power of Amhara.

    We are all took place in order to marginalise the power of discrimination, in order to build and encourage national consencus. We are in order to remove those history that discriminate southern nation, somalia, harari, gambella, afar and the others. That is why oromo is the big nation of the horn it have to think about those peoples. Beleive me we are rather that talking about Minilik, naftegna, we are talking about equality/individual and groups/, equity/econmic distribution, justice/humanity, human and democratic right, and etc

  11. AY said,

    August 11, 2012 @ 6:12 pm

    This can easily be done on photoshop. It just shows the narrowmindedness of you guys. ABysinianism, ethiopianiism, Minelik, Gobena Blah blah blah. I will tell you one thing. If you know your history Gobena was the most skilled military general to probably come out of showa. You never mention his victories and achievements but you denegrate him so much just to suit your political ambitions by laballeing him a collaborator and all sorts. I will tell you a famous saying by the showa oromo “When Gobena calls, thousands gather”. Guess what the people who gathered were oromos too.

    This pic just shows you need to grow up and just come out of the hate you have for the country you all came out of – ETHIOPIA. Whether you like it or not.

  12. katabe said,

    August 13, 2012 @ 5:15 am

    to all Oromoos

    please write the word “Oromiyaa” when you write in english, or other languages. To stress “Y” we need to write like this Oromiyaa

    thanks

  13. Qorii Bunaa said,

    August 13, 2012 @ 7:26 am

    In my humble opinion you do not have to photoshop the achievemnets of these star athlets but instead all of you divided politicians need to work as hard as these Oromo athlets and demonistrate to the Abesha thieves that they need not keep stealing Oromo talents and oromo identities.

    Additionally oromo politicians of all varities must form alliances and through that build believable, viable and powerful majority democratic positive forces for positive changes to be reckoned with by all meanses so that both the Oromo athlets and the general Oromo people and beyond will follow the example even with out saying anything or photoshoping. Oromos are the majority with long standing democratic cultural values and democracy means majority rule with minority rights. Stability, security, sustainable developments and solid national and regional viability comes from solid and balanced majority democratic rule but not from minority tyrany and brutal dictatorship. :)

    Qorii Bunaati

  14. Magarsa Oromo said,

    August 21, 2012 @ 8:28 am

    Oromiyaa <3