Developing a common narrative for the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is indeed a profoundly complex and sensitive task—perhaps one of the most critical undertakings the movement can pursue at this juncture. It requires navigating a rich but painful history, a diverse and global diaspora, internal political differences, and the ongoing realities inside Oromia and Ethiopia.

The framework outlined below builds upon the strategic approach detailed in your prompt, offering a comprehensive vision for how the OLF can develop a narrative that unifies, guides, and inspires action toward commonly held goals.

Introduction: Why Narrative Matters Now

The Oromo people stand at a crossroads. Decades of struggle have yielded both gains and setbacks. The global attention on Oromia has never been greater, yet the path forward remains contested and unclear. In this moment, a common narrative is not a luxury—it is a necessity.

A shared story serves multiple essential functions:

• It unifies diverse constituencies around a common understanding of who they are and what they seek
• It guides strategic decision-making by providing a framework for evaluating choices
• It inspires continued sacrifice and commitment by connecting daily struggle to a larger purpose
• It communicates to the world the justice of the Oromo cause in terms that resonate across cultures
• It heals the wounds of internal division by acknowledging complexity while affirming shared destiny

The process of developing this narrative is as important as the product. A narrative imposed from above will fail. One co-created through genuine listening and dialogue can transform the movement.

Phase 1: The Foundation — A Deep and Inclusive Listening Tour

The goal here is not to confirm a single party line, but to understand the full, lived experience of the Oromo people and the OLF’s place within that story.

1. Acknowledge the Complexity and Create Safe Spaces

The Challenge: The OLF’s narrative is intertwined with decades of armed struggle, political exile, diaspora life, internal divisions, and a peace process that has generated both hope and disappointment. Trust is fractured—both within the organization and between the organization and the broader Oromo community. Different generations carry different memories. Different regions hold different perspectives. Different political tendencies offer different analyses.

The Approach: The process must be led by or heavily facilitated by individuals or a team that is seen as credible, empathetic, and as neutral as possible regarding current internal factions. This could be a council of respected elders (Jaarsolii), a committee of trusted academics, or a dedicated narrative project team with representation from various constituencies but independence from current leadership structures.

The absolute priority is creating psychological safety—spaces where people can speak honestly about their experiences, including disagreements with OLF policy, disappointments with the movement, and critiques of leadership, without fear of reprisal or marginalization. This requires explicit ground rules, skilled facilitation, and a commitment to confidentiality where requested.

2. Map and Engage All Constituencies

A common narrative for the OLF cannot be written in Addis Ababa, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, or Melbourne alone. It must actively seek out the voices of every segment of the Oromo world:

Current Leadership and Cadres:

• Military commanders operating inside Oromia
• Political leadership in various international offices
• Mid-level organizers and frontline fighters
• Those engaged in clandestine work inside Ethiopia

Former Fighters and Veterans:

• Those who served in the armed struggle from the 1970s through the present
• Veterans who remain with the OLF and those who have since demobilized
• Fighters who joined other organizations or went independent
• Wounded veterans and families of fallen fighters

The Diaspora:

• Major hubs: United States (Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington D.C.), Europe (Germany, UK, Norway, Sweden), Australia (Melbourne), Middle East (UAE, Qatar)
• Different generational cohorts: those who fled the Derg, those who left during the EPRDF years, those born in the diaspora
• Professional associations, student groups, women’s organizations, cultural associations
• Wealthy contributors and grassroots donors

Civilians and Civil Society Inside Oromia:

• Farmers and agricultural workers across different regions
• Urban professionals in Finfinne/Addis Ababa and regional cities
• Teachers, healthcare workers, and civil servants
• Business owners and market vendors
• Religious leaders from all faith communities
• Artists, musicians, poets, and cultural practitioners
• Journalists and human rights defenders

Women and Youth:

• The Qarree movement and young women activists
• The Qeerroo generation that led the 2014-2018 protests
• Elders of the Siinqee tradition
• Women who have experienced gender-based violence in the conflict
• Young professionals navigating identity in urban Ethiopia
• Diaspora youth negotiating dual identities

Regional Diversity:

• Wallaga (with its distinctive history and culture)
• Hararghe (eastern Oromia, with its Islamic traditions)
• Shewa (central Oromia, closest to the seat of power)
• Bale (with its revolutionary history)
• Borana (with its pastoralist traditions and border dynamics)
• Guji, Arsi, Jimma, Illubabor, and all other zones

3. Methods for Gathering the Story

The listening process must employ diverse methods appropriate to different constituencies:

Oral History Projects:
Conduct structured, long-form interviews with elders and veterans to capture the history of the struggle as lived experience. These should be video-recorded where possible, transcribed, and archived for future generations. The goal is not only information gathering but honoring those who carried the struggle.

Diaspora Town Halls:
Host facilitated meetings in major diaspora hubs with a focus on listening, not presenting. Create formats that allow both public sharing and small-group intimacy. Ensure translation where needed. Document themes without attributing individual comments.

Anonymous Digital Portals:
Create secure, encrypted, anonymous ways for people inside Oromia to share their stories, hopes, and fears without risking their safety. This could include voice messaging, written submissions, or secure apps. Publicize these through trusted channels.

Art and Cultural Gatherings:
Sponsor events where poetry (geerarsa, we’llu), music, and visual art are used to express the current mood and collective memory. This taps into the deep cultural roots of Oromo expression and reaches people who may not engage with formal political processes.

Focus Groups by Sector:
Convene small, facilitated discussions with specific groups: women farmers, diaspora youth, former prisoners, internally displaced persons, etc. The homogeneity of these groups allows for deeper sharing on specific experiences.

Written Submissions:
Invite essays, memoirs, and reflections from intellectuals, writers, and ordinary people willing to put their thoughts on paper. Create prompts that guide but do not constrain.

4. Identifying Core Themes and Tensions

After gathering this material, the facilitation team engages in systematic analysis to identify patterns, themes, and tensions. For the OLF, these might include:

Recurring Themes:

• The quest for self-determination (birmadumma) as the organizing principle of the struggle
• The pain of exile and displacement (godaanis)
• The pride of Oromo identity and the importance of Safuu (moral code)
• The memory of specific atrocities and martyrs
• The hope for a just and peaceful future
• The centrality of land (lafa) to Oromo identity
• The importance of language (Afaan Oromoo) as carrier of culture

Central Tensions:

• Armed Struggle vs. Political Negotiation: What is the most effective path to liberation? This is a core, persistent debate that divides generations and regions.
• Unity vs. Political Pluralism: How do you maintain a united front while accommodating different political opinions within the movement? Can there be unity without uniformity?
• The Diaspora vs. The “Homeland”: The experience and priorities of the diaspora—shaped by relative freedom, distance, and different stakes—can feel very different from those living under government inside Ethiopia.
• Tradition vs. Modernity: How does the struggle incorporate modern political ideas while remaining rooted in Oromo culture, the Gadaa system, and traditional values?
• The Role of the OLF: Is it a vanguard party, a broad national front, or a future governing body? The organization’s own identity is a key part of the narrative.
• Regional Differences: How do the experiences and priorities of Oromos from different regions get represented without one dominating?
• Religious Diversity: How does the narrative honor Oromos of all faiths—Muslim, Christian, and followers of Waaqeffannaa—without privileging any?
• Gender: How are women’s experiences, contributions, and aspirations fully integrated, not added as an afterthought?

Phase 2: The Crafting — Building a Story of Struggle and Hope

5. Finding the Guiding Arc

A powerful narrative for the OLF must hold its history and its internal tensions in a way that points toward a shared future. A triumphalist story—a simple “rise and triumph” arc—will feel inauthentic to those who have experienced defeat, disappointment, and internal conflict. More appropriate arcs might include:

The Long Journey (Safuu):
This arc frames the narrative as a centuries-long struggle to maintain Oromo identity, culture, and self-rule. The OLF is a key chapter in this much longer story—neither the beginning nor the end, but a crucial vessel carrying the aspirations of ancestors toward the hopes of descendants. This honors the deep history and positions the current struggle as part of an ongoing, righteous journey that precedes and will outlast any particular organization or leader.

The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes:
This arc acknowledges the devastating defeats, the periods of exile and near-extinction, and the internal fracturing that has marked the movement. The story is one of repeated resilience—of rebuilding from near destruction, drawing strength from the enduring Oromo spirit. This allows for honest discussion of failure and pain while affirming that the struggle itself is the constant.

The Tapestry of the Oromo Nation:
This arc explicitly celebrates the diversity within Oromia and the Oromo movement. It frames the different regions, political views, generations, and experiences (exile, urban life, rural life, armed struggle, civil society) as different threads that, when woven together, create a stronger, more beautiful whole. This is a direct way to address and reframe internal diversity as a strength, not a weakness.

The Unfinished Symphony:
This arc presents the Oromo struggle as a work in progress—a symphony to which each generation adds its movement. The themes are constant—freedom, dignity, self-determination—but the orchestration evolves. This honors the past while explicitly inviting the next generation to contribute their own composition.

6. Drafting the Core Narrative (A Starting Point)

Based on the listening and the chosen arc (or a combination of arcs), a drafting team creates a first version. It must be a story, not a political manifesto. It must speak to the heart as well as the head. Here is an illustrative draft:

Title: The Story We Carry: The Oromo Journey Toward Freedom

Beginning (The Source):
“Before there was an OLF, before there was an Ethiopia, there was Oromia—the land of the Oromo people. For generations beyond counting, our ancestors nurtured Gadaa, the democratic tradition that governed our lives. They lived by Safuu, the moral code that taught respect for creation, for one another, and for the dignity of every person.

This is our inheritance. This is who we are.

But our right to live freely on our own land—to speak our language, to govern ourselves, to develop our resources for our own benefit—has been a constant struggle. We have faced conquest, assimilation, and denial of our very existence as a people. Yet we have never surrendered our identity. We have never stopped being Oromo.”

Middle (The Struggle and Its Crossroads):
“In the 20th century, this ancient struggle took new forms. The Oromo Liberation Front emerged in 1973 as an expression of our collective will to resist—a vessel for the hopes of a people determined to be free.

The path since has been marked by both great sacrifice and profound hope. We have known the heroism of fighters like General Tadesse Birru, executed in 1975, whose final words affirmed his Oromo identity. We have known the pain of exile, as thousands fled to neighboring countries and distant continents. We have known the heat of battle, the long years in the forest, the clandestine work in cities.

We have also known internal division—moments when our unity fractured, when disagreements over strategy became wounds, when the movement struggled to hold together. These are not secrets to be hidden but truths to be acknowledged. A family that has known conflict can still come together. A movement that has known division can still unite.

There have been moments of profound unity as well—the mass protests of 2014-2018, when the Qeerroo and Qarree movements showed the world the power of a new generation; the gatherings of diaspora communities in every corner of the globe; the quiet solidarity of farmers and workers who sustained the struggle through decades of repression.

We have debated—and continue to debate—the best path forward: armed resistance or political negotiation, engagement with the state or refusal to recognize its legitimacy, prioritization of unity or accommodation of diversity. These debates are not signs of weakness but evidence of life. A living movement wrestles with hard questions.”

End (The Unwritten Future – The Call):
“Today, the journey continues. We stand at a new crossroads, carrying the weight of our history and the hopes of our children.

The story of the Oromo people is not yet complete. The next chapter—a chapter of peace, justice, and genuine self-determination—will be written by all of us. It is a call to every Oromo, wherever they may be, to add their voice, their strength, and their vision to this unfinished story.

Our unity is not in agreeing on every point. It is in our shared commitment to a future where the Oromo people are finally free to tell their own story, on their own land, in their own language, according to their own values.

This is the story we carry. This is the future we build. Together.”

7. The Crucial Co-Creation Loop

This draft is not the final product but a starting point for dialogue. It must then be taken back to all the constituencies through a structured, multi-stage feedback process:

Stage 1: Facilitated Small Group Discussions
Share the draft with small, facilitated groups representing different constituencies. Create structured feedback forms that ask specific questions: What resonates? What feels missing? What feels wrong? What would you add or change?

Stage 2: Regional and Diaspora Forums
Hold larger gatherings (physical where possible, virtual where necessary) to present the draft and gather feedback. Use professional facilitation to ensure all voices are heard and to manage disagreements constructively.

Stage 3: Digital Feedback Platforms
Create secure online platforms where individuals can provide feedback anonymously or with attribution. Publish the draft widely and invite written responses.

Stage 4: Synthesis and Revision
The facilitation team analyzes all feedback, identifying areas of consensus, persistent concerns, and suggestions for revision. They produce a revised draft with an accompanying document explaining how feedback was incorporated.

Stage 5: Leadership Endorsement and Community Launch
Present the revised draft to OLF leadership for formal endorsement, then launch the final narrative through a series of community events, publications, and digital campaigns.

Phase 3: The Living Narrative — Uniting Action and Identity

8. Weaving the Narrative into the Fabric of the Movement

A narrative that sits on a shelf serves no purpose. The final phase is about making the narrative live—embedding it in every aspect of the movement’s life.

Internal Education:
The narrative becomes the core of political education for all members and new recruits. It is taught in training sessions, discussed in study groups, and referenced in internal communications. Every member should be able to tell the story in their own words.

External Communication:
The narrative informs all public messaging—press releases, social media, speeches, interviews. It provides a consistent and authentic voice that helps external audiences understand the Oromo cause. Spokespersons are trained to communicate from within the narrative, not just deliver talking points.

Decision-Making Guide:
When faced with strategic choices—entering a peace negotiation, forming an alliance, launching a campaign—leaders can ask: “Which choice is most faithful to our common story and moves us toward our shared future?” The narrative becomes a compass, not a cage.

Cultural Production:
Encourage artists, musicians, poets, and writers to engage with and reinterpret the narrative. Commission works that explore different aspects of the story. Support cultural events that bring the narrative to life through performance and art. The narrative should sing, not just speak.

Healing and Reconciliation:
Use the narrative as a tool for healing internal divisions. Acknowledge past conflicts openly while affirming shared commitment to the future. Create spaces where former adversaries within the movement can tell their stories and find common ground.

9. Allowing the Narrative to Evolve

The story is not static. As the political situation changes, as new generations come of age, and as new chapters are written—a peace agreement, an election, a shift in strategy—the narrative must be updated.

Regular “State of the Story” Gatherings:
Hold periodic gatherings (annually or biennially) to ask: “What have we learned? What new stories need to be told? Does our narrative still guide us well? What needs to evolve?”

Generational Handoff:
Create explicit mechanisms for younger generations to shape the narrative. The story must not become the property of elders alone. Youth councils, student groups, and young professional associations should have formal roles in narrative maintenance.

Crisis Response Protocol:
When unexpected events occur—a massacre, a leadership change, a major political shift—the narrative team should convene to ask: “How does this event fit into our story? Does our narrative help people understand what just happened? Do we need to adjust our framing?”

Conclusion: Narrative as Revolutionary Act

For the OLF, developing a common narrative is not just a communications exercise. It is a fundamental act of political and social healing. It is an opportunity to move beyond a fragmented history and build a shared foundation for the future—one that is strong enough to hold the diverse experiences of the Oromo people and clear enough to guide them toward their collective aspirations.

A successful narrative will:

• Acknowledge complexity without becoming paralyzed by it
• Honor sacrifice without glorifying suffering
• Embrace diversity without losing coherence
• Guide action without rigidly prescribing it
• Inspire hope without promising easy victory
• Build unity without demanding uniformity

The work will not be easy. It will require patience, humility, and genuine commitment to listening across differences. It will require leaders who are willing to be questioned, factions willing to find common ground, and communities willing to trust the process.

But the alternative—continued fragmentation, competing narratives that divide rather than unite, a movement that cannot tell its own story coherently—is not acceptable. The Oromo people deserve better. The struggle deserves better. The future deserves better.

As the Oromo saying goes: “Dubbiin tokko, garaa tokko, yaadni tokko” — “One voice, one heart, one mind.” This is the aspiration. A common narrative is the path.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For the OLF, that step is the commitment to listen—deeply, humbly, and courageously—to the full story of the Oromo people. From that listening, a narrative can emerge that is worthy of the struggle and capable of guiding it to its just conclusion.