Tesfaye Gebreab: The man who created the first Oromo main character in the history of the vast Amharic literature

By Hunde Dhugassa*

Tesfaye Gebreab

October 5, 2013 (Advocacy for Oromia) — Many individuals, journalists, politicians, historians, academicians and leaders; from Ethiopia, neighbouring countries and from different corners of the world have written about the Oromo. This includes its history, politics, ability, value and nature. The time, objective, nature and fact differ from person to person. The objective of this brief note is not to give analysis on the subject matter but rather to summarize an hour presentation of one of the most famous and controversial writer on the issue of the Oromo.

Any ordinary Oromo from Ethiopia can without difficulty name two important non Oromo authors from its neighbours, having a positive contribution on the history and visibility of the Oromo nation: Professor Asmerom Legesse and Tesfaye Gebreab. Both are Eritrean by birth, but hardly know the effort of one another until recently. The work of Professor Asmerom started almost half a century ago in the Borana region of Oromiya, while that of Tesfaye started after the fall of the Derg military junta. It is by chance that the professor started the most celebrated research on Gadaa Democracy of the Oromo people, but Tesfaye’s historical and artistic contribution has grown up in and with him in the beautiful city of Bishoftu. Read more…