Saturday, February 21, 2015

What Everyone Is Saying About Oromia News

By Olivia Cross


The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, situated on the Horn of Africa, is the most heavily-populated country in the world without a coastline. It is also the second most populous country on the entire African continent. The Oromia region is one of Ethiopia's nine regional states. Now, you can get Oromia news.

The capital of the state of Oromia has a fascinating history and it is great to be able to read about it. Right up until the end of the second millennium, the capital city of Oromo, as it is sometimes known, was Addis Ababa. In the year 2000, the government moved it to Adama in the belief that this was more conducive to the region's development. Critics of the move regarded it is a cynical ploy to diminish Addis Ababa's influence. Eventually, in 2005, the reigns of regional power were handed back to Addis Ababa.

The fact that the news of the region is now available to the rest of the world should be heralded as a welcome change. Until recently, the Ethiopian government prided itself on its ability to hold its cards close to its chest as far as the rest of the world was concerned. The fact that we can now read about repression of the media is a huge step.

In the Finfinne Tribune, it is possible to read about the mythical origin of the Abyssinian Solomonic dynasty. The Judeo-Christian Bible tells the story of a visit to King Solomon by the Queen of Sheba. What the Bible does not mention is a child born to the Queen months after the historic meeting. This baby allegedly grew up to become King Minilik I.

It is not necessarily weird that the Bible doesn't mention Minilik. The Bible is a story of Creation, of God's promise to Abraham and about the world's long road to salvation via Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of King David. King Solomon himself was illegitimate in conventional eyes, the product of an adulterous union between his father, King David, and Bathsheba, the wife of one of the king's soldiers. So, while Minilik certainly has a very prestigious nth cousin, he himself was not part of the main story line and his omission does not rule out his provenance.

Now, rulers back in those days made a habit of claiming a mystical heritage, if only to distances themselves from their subjects. These lofty roots were used as justification to exercise limitless power over the ordinary mortals over whom they reigned.

The notion that kings were demigods persisted right up until the overthrow of Emperor Haile Sillaasee in 1974. Sillaasee, too, was a member of the Solomonic dynasty. Born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, he served as regent of Ethiopia between 1916 and 1930 before taking over as Emperor until 1974.

Ever since Ethiopia's revolution in 1974, the royal family have had a rather hard time of it. First, they were thrown into prison. Eventually, they were released but forced out of the country. Now, many have returned to live a peaceful, if no longer royal, existence. We get so caught up in events in our own western world that we neglect to take a look at the fascinating stories that emerge from the flyover countries. Now that this information is available, we should take note of it and learn from it.




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