A day to rise, remember, and reaffirm

By: Maatii Sabaa

Date: April 15 – Ebla 15

Location: Oromia & the world

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Prologue: A Date Written in Fire

There are dates that pass like any other Tuesday. And then there is Ebla 15 – April 15.

On this day, the Oromo people do not merely turn a page on the calendar. They turn their faces toward history. They straighten their backs. They remember.

Oromo Heroes Day is not a gift from any government. It is not a decree from any palace. It is a day carved from the bone of the people themselves – a day when the sons and daughters of Oromia pause to honor those who bled, those who fell, and those who rose again.

Ebla 15. Remember the date. Because the heroes certainly did.

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Who Is an Oromo Hero?

If you walk through the villages of Arsi, the highlands of Bale, the streets of Adama, or the neighborhoods of Minneapolis and Toronto, you will get different answers. But they all sing the same tune.

An Oromo hero is:

• The Qeerroo (youth) who stood in front of bullets so that the elderly could walk behind them.
• The Qarree (young woman) who sang resistance songs while being dragged away.
• The Gadaa father who kept the law of the Oromo alive for 500 years – without an army, without a prison – only with seera (custom) and safuu (moral order).
• The horseback warrior of the 19th century who looked a European cannon in the eye and did not blink.
• The mother who named her child Bilisummaa (Freedom) even when it was illegal.
• The farmer who painted the flag on his barn door with crushed flowers and charcoal.

Heroes are not always the ones who win. Sometimes they are the ones who refuse to lose.

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Why Ebla 15? Why April 15?

Every people have a sacred calendar. For the Oromo, time is kept not only in numbers but in spirit. Ebla is a month of transition – from dry to rain, from waiting to planting. It is a month of hope.

April 15 has become, in modern Oromo memory, a touchstone of courage. On various years across the late 20th and early 21st centuries, this date (or its nearby days) witnessed protests, uprisings, and moments when ordinary Oromo did extraordinary things – raising a flag that was forbidden, singing a song that was banned, demanding rights that were denied.

The heroes of April 15 did not have weapons. They had words. They had unity. They had the memory of their ancestors.

And for that, the powers that be feared them.

So Ebla 15 is not a random date. It is the people’s own appointment with history – made without permission, kept without apology.

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The Five Gifts the Heroes Left Us

On this Oromo Heroes Day, let us count the inheritance. The heroes did not leave gold or land. They left something more precious: five ideas that cannot be killed.

Oromo Word	Meaning	What the Hero Demanded
Nageenya	Justice / Peace / Well-being	A world where the poor are not punished for being poor.
Misooma	Development	Not skyscrapers for the rich, but clean water for the village.
Badhaadhina	Progress	Moving forward – even one step – and never backward.
Dimokiraasii	Democracy	The right to speak, to choose, and to be heard.
Nagaa	Peace / Safety / Tranquility	Sleeping without fear. Waking without dread.

These five words are the true monument to every Oromo hero who ever fell. And they are the unfinished work that falls on our shoulders today.

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How to Truly Celebrate Ebla 15

You can post a flag on social media. You can wear the colors. You can share an old photograph of a protest or a warrior. All of that is good.

But here is how to truly make this Oromo Heroes Day worthy of the name:

1. Learn one hero’s name you have never heard before.
Not the famous ones. The unknown one. The woman who fed fugitives. The teenager who wrote poetry in blood. Speak their name aloud today.

2. Forgive a fellow Oromo.
Heroes are not perfect. The struggle has sometimes been divided by clan, by region, by ideology. Today, choose unity. Send a message to an Oromo you have been angry with. Say: “Ebla 15. Let us stand together.”

3. Teach a child the five words.
Nageenya. Misooma. Badhaadhina. Dimokiraasii. Nagaa. If every Oromo child knows these five words by heart, the struggle will never die.

4. Do one brave thing.
It does not have to be big. Speak truth in a room where silence is safer. Wear the flag pin where it is frowned upon. Post the Oromo anthem. Heroes are not special. Heroes are ordinary people who decide: Today, I will not be afraid.

5. Remember the fallen – and fight for the living.
Honoring the dead is sacred. But the dead do not need our tears. They need our action. Ask yourself: What would the hero of Ebla 15 want me to finish today? Then go do it.

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A Letter From an Oromo Hero (Imagined)

Dear child of Ebla 15,

I do not know your name. But I know your face. It is the same face I saw in the river when I was young – tired, hopeful, angry, loving.

I died so that you could read these words in your language. I fell so that you could stand. I was silent so that you could speak.

Do not waste my death on grief. Waste it on action.

If you see injustice – speak.
If you see a divided Oromo – unite.
If you see the flag burned – paint another one on your heart.

I did not die to become a statue. I died to become a wind at your back.

Now go. Ebla 15 is yours.

— An Oromo Hero

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Closing: Happy Oromo Heroes Day

So today, April 15 – Ebla 15 – we say it loudly and softly, in cities and villages, in freedom and in hiding:

Happy Oromo Heroes Day.

Not happy because everything is finished. But happy because we are still here.

Not happy because the struggle is over. But happy because the struggle has us.

The heroes of Ebla 15 are not in their graves. They are in the straight back of the child who raises the flag. They are in the clenched fist of the protester. They are in the quiet prayer of the mother.

Today, look at your reflection.

You are not just remembering heroes.

You are becoming one.

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Bilisummaa!
Nagaa!
Happy Oromo Heroes Day – Ebla 15, April 15!

PRESS RELEASE

Call to Honor the Fallen, Celebrate Resistance, and Reaffirm Commitment to Justice, Democracy, and Peace

[Oromia– April 15, 2026] – Today, millions of Oromo people across Oromia, Ethiopia, and diaspora communities in North America, Europe, Australia, and Africa are observing Oromo Heroes Day – known as Guyyaa Gootota Oromoo – on Ebla 15, which falls on April 15.

This annual day of remembrance honors the countless known and unknown heroes who have sacrificed their lives, liberty, and livelihoods for the rights, dignity, and freedom of the Oromo people. From 19th-century horseback warriors who fought colonialism to modern-day Qeerroo (youth) and Qarree (young women) who have led peaceful protests for justice and democracy, the day pays tribute to the enduring spirit of Oromo resistance.

A Day Rooted in Memory, Not Decree

Oromo Heroes Day is not a government-declared holiday. It is a people’s holiday – born from grassroots memory and observed with flags, songs, poetry, cultural events, and moments of silence. The date, Ebla 15 (April 15), has become a symbol of courage, particularly linked to modern uprisings where unarmed Oromo civilians raised the banned Oromo flag and demanded fundamental rights.

“We do not celebrate because the struggle is finished,” said Dhabessa Wakjira, community leader in Melbourne. “We celebrate because our heroes gave us a reason to continue. Every April 15, we remind ourselves and the world: the Oromo people have not been erased. We are here. We remember. And we will keep marching toward Nageenya (justice), Misooma (development), Badhaadhina (progress), Dimokiraasii (democracy), and Nagaa (true peace).”

Five Pillars of the Oromo Struggle

Community organizations and cultural institutions are using Oromo Heroes Day to reaffirm five core values that heroes fought and died for:

• Nageenya – Justice, peace, and well-being for all, regardless of ethnicity or social status.
• Misooma – Equitable development that reaches the most marginalized villages and families.
• Badhaadhina – Progress, both material and spiritual, moving forward without forgetting the past.
• Dimokiraasii – Genuine democracy, including free expression, assembly, and the right to self-determination.
• Nagaa – Lasting peace and safety, where no family fears a midnight knock on the door.

Events and Observances

On April 15 / Ebla 15, Oromo communities are holding:

• Flag-raising ceremonies (where permitted) and cultural gatherings.
• Virtual panels discussing the legacy of Oromo heroes and the future of the struggle.
• Poetry readings and music performances featuring traditional krar and modern resistance songs.
• Moments of silence at 12:00 PM local time to honor the fallen.
• Social media campaigns using hashtags such as #OromoHeroesDay, #Ebla15, #April15, and #Nagaa.

Calls for International Attention

Human rights organizations and Oromo advocacy groups are using the day to draw international attention to ongoing concerns, including political prisoners, restrictions on peaceful assembly, and the continued criminalization of the Oromo flag in some contexts. Supporters are urging the international community to:

• Recognize Oromo Heroes Day as a day of significance for human rights.
• Call for the release of imprisoned Oromo activists and journalists.
• Support dialogue and genuine political inclusion for the Oromo people, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group.

Statements from Community Representatives

“On Ebla 15, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Our heroes did not have social media or international platforms. They had courage. Today, we honor them by continuing their unfinished work.”
— Dhabessa Wakjira, Oromo community organizer, Melbourne, Australia.

“The Oromo struggle is not about hate. It is about Nagaa – peace with dignity. Our heroes dreamed of a day when an Oromo child could speak their language, sing their songs, and walk the earth without shame. That dream is not yet reality, but every April 15, we get closer.”
— Yaasoo Kabbabaa, Oromo cultural activist, Finfinne, Oromia.

How to Support or Participate

Members of the media, human rights defenders, and the general public are encouraged to:

• Amplify Oromo voices by sharing content directly from Oromo creators and organizations.
• Educate themselves on Oromo history, including the Gadaa democratic system and the legacy of resistance.
• Attend or cover local Oromo Heroes Day events (contact below for diaspora chapter information).
• Use respectful language – recognize that for many Oromo, this day is both a celebration and a mourning.

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About Oromo Heroes Day

Oromo Heroes Day (Ebla 15 / April 15) is an annual observance honoring Oromo historical and contemporary figures who sacrificed for the rights, identity, and freedom of the Oromo people. The day is observed globally by Oromo communities regardless of legal recognition. It is a day of cultural pride, political reflection, and intergenerational remembrance.

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“Bilisummaa! Nagaa! Happy Oromo Heroes Day – Ebla 15, April 15!”

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