The Quest for Afaan Oromoo’s inclusion to the federal government working languages in Ethiopia: causes and benefits Dhimmama Afaan Oromoo Afaan hojii mootummaa federaalaa taasisuu: dhiibbaa qooddiifi faayidaa dabaluu

Abstract

This paper explores long standing demands of the Oromoo to make Afaan Oromoo, the most widely spoken language in the Horn of Africa as a mother tongue, one of the working Federal languages. The antagonism behind the linguistic policy of the consecutive Ethiopian regimes is the main reason for the
exclusion from the Federal working languages during the last three decades. Although FDRE constitution of 1995 gives equal status to all languages, the status quo has still continued marginalizing Afaan Oromoo and other major languages considering the demography of the speakers and public demands. In spite of these facts, the struggles for inclusion of Afaan and its marginalization from the Federal working language from its historical root is overlooked. The paper argues that the use of Afaan Oromoo as a Federal working language has multifaceted importance in the country’s unity and political stability. The paper considers the socio-political and historical background in relation to the promotion of Afaan Oromoo to the Federal working language. It also puts flashlights on the continuing use of the language as an expression of Oromoo identity, Oromummaa and Sabboonummaa. The main purpose of this research, therefore, is to identify the causes of exclusion, and to address the benefits of inclusion of
Afaan Oromoo to the Federal working language. To achieve this objective, qualitative research design was used and qualitative data were collected using interviews and document analysis. In the interview, informants with good knowledge of linguistic history of the country were identified. The data reveled that Afaan Oromoo was excluded from politics, business, administrative, religious, media of instruction and other public services. The study also displayed that including Afaan Oromoo in the Federal working languages of the country develops and enriches the language, and gives job opportunity to many youths in the Federal Institutions. As the language is spoken by many nations as lingua franca, its inclusion plays significant roles in stabilizing the country and cementing the unity of the nations. The study, thus, recommends that the government should keep the freedom and inclusion of all languages to enhance the legitimacy of political processes. 

Qorannoon kun gaaffii Oromoon yeroo dheeraaf Afaan Oromoo, afaan gaanfa Afriikaatti baayyina dubbattootaan beekamuufi daangaa ce’ee dubbatamu, afaan hojii Federaalaa taasisuuf carraaqaniifi bu’aa inni afaan Federaalaa yoo ta’e uummata biyyittiif buusu gadi fageenyaan ibsa. Dhiibbaa imaammata afaanii sirnoota Itoophiyaa duraanii duuba jiruun Afaan Oromoo waggoota kurnan sadan darbaniif afaanota hojii Federaalaa keessaa akka hinseenneef sababa guddaadha. Heerri FDRE bara 1995 afaanota hundaaf sadarkaa walqixa kan kennu ta’us, ammallee haalli jiru garuu Afaan Oromoofi afaanota gurguddoo biroo dimogiraafii dubbattootaafi gaaffii uummataa ilaalcha keessa galchuu dhiisuun qooddaan itti fufee jira. Dhugaan kun jiraatus, qabsoon Afaan Oromoo afaan hojii Federaalaa keessatti akka hammatamuu tasisamaa jiu ammas akkuma xiyyeeffannoo dhabetti jira. Kanarraa ka’uun, qorannoon kun kan xiyyeeffatu Afaan Oromoo akka afaan hojii Federaalaatti fayyadamuun tokkummaafi tasgabbii siyaasaa biyyattii keessatti gahee gudda qaba jechuun falma. Kana malees, Afaan Oromoo gara afaan hojii Federaalaatti guddisuu waliin walqabatee seenduubee hawaassiyaasaafi seenaa uummatichaas guddisuuf tajaajila. Akkasumas, itti fayyadama afaanichaa itti fufsiisuun akka eenyummaa Oromoo, Oromummaafi Sabboonummaan ittiin ibsachuuf fayyada. Kanaaf, kaayyoon qorannoo kanaa inni guddaan sababoota Afaan Oromoo afaan hojii Federaalaa keessatti hammatamuu dhabe adda baasuufi bu’aa keessatti hammatamuun isaa qabu xiinxaluudha. Kaayyoo kana galmaan ga’uuf, saxaxa qorannoo qulqullinaa fayyadamuun ragaaleen akkamtaa meeshaalee funaansa ragaalee af-gaaffiifi sakatta’aa dokimantiin walitti qabamaniiru. Af-gaaffii kana keessatti beektotni seenaa, afaaniifi manguddoonni muuxannoo qaban keessatti hirmaataniiru. Ragaaleen qaacceffaman kunneen akka mul’isanitti, Afaan Oromoon afaan hojii Federaalaa akka hintaane taasisuun akka inni tajaajila siyaasaa, daldalaa, bulchiinsaa, amantaa, afaan barnootaafi tajaajila mootummaa biroo keessaatti akka dubbattoonni dhimma itti ba’uu dhabuun rakkachaa jiran ibsa. Kunis, qabsoo uummatni Oromoo yeroo dheeraaf Afaan Oromoo afaan hojii Federaalaa taasisuuf qabsaa’e akka hinmilkaa’in agarsiisa. Kanaafuu, Afaan Oromoo Afaan hojii Federaalaa biyyattii keessatti hammachiisuun afaanicha akka guddatuufi badhaadhu, akkasumas dargaggootni hedduu Dhaabbilee Federaalaa keessatti carraa hojii akka argatan taasisa. Afaan kun afaan daangaa darbee dubbatamuufi saboota hedduun tajaajilamu waan ta’eef, afaan hojii Federaalaa keessatti hammatamuun isaa biyyattii tasgabbeessuufi tokkummaa sabootaa cimsuu keessatti gahee olaanaa taphachuu danda’a. Kanaarraa ka’uun, qorannoon kun, haala kanaan, mootummaan seera qabeessummaa adeemsa siyaasaa guddisuuf bilisummaafi hammatamuu afaanota hundaa eeguu akka qabu yaada furmaataa dhiheessa.