Recognizing the Truth, Rejecting the Erasure of History

By Maatii Sabaa

Finfinne was not created as a city disconnected from the Oromo people. It was built on Oromo land, rooted in Oromo history, and shaped by Oromo identity. To deny this truth is not just a distortion of history—it is a continuation of the very injustice that has defined the relationship between the Oromo people and the Ethiopian state for over a century.

The Historical Reality That Cannot Be Erased

Finfinne is not a city that was separated from the Oromo people by accident or through natural progression. It was systematically taken through conquest, dispossession, and the deliberate erasure of Oromo identity.

For generations, the Oromo people have been subjected to:

• Land dispossession — The systematic removal of Oromo communities from their ancestral lands.
• Identity suppression — The denial of Oromo language, culture, and heritage.
• Political marginalization — The exclusion of Oromo voices from decisions that affect their lives.
• Systematic oppression — The use of state power to displace and silence the Oromo people.

These historical processes cannot be ignored. To present Finfinne as a city with no historical connection to Oromia is to erase the painful reality of what the Oromo people have endured.

Covering Historical Injustice with Political Decisions

The attempt to separate Finfinne from Oromia through political maneuvering is not a solution—it is an attempt to legitimize a historical wrong. Time does not make injustice just. Oppression does not become acceptable simply because it has been sustained over generations.

To separate Finfinne from Oromia today is to:

• Validate the displacement of Oromo communities from their ancestral land.
• Legitimize the erasure of Oromo identity and history.
• Deny the sacrifices of those who fought for justice.
• Perpetuate the cycle of marginalization and exclusion.

This is not justice. This is the continuation of a historical crime dressed in new political language.

The Cost of Injustice: Sacrifice and Struggle

The Oromo people have paid an immeasurable price for their connection to Finfinne. Countless lives have been lost. Generations have been imprisoned, exiled, and displaced. The struggle for justice has been marked by:

• Martyrs who gave their lives for the land.
• Political prisoners who endured torture and imprisonment.
• Refugees who were forced to flee their homeland.
• Communities that were systematically broken and scattered.

The central goal of this struggle has always been the restoration of rights, dignity, and justice. To ignore this sacrifice is to dishonor the memory of those who fought and died for what is rightfully Oromo.

A Call to Reject Historical Revisionism

The separation of Finfinne from Oromia is not a neutral administrative decision. It is an act of historical revisionism—an attempt to rewrite the past to serve political interests in the present.

Finfinne cannot be understood without Oromia. The city’s history, culture, and identity are inseparable from the Oromo people. To deny this is to deny the truth of history itself.

The Oromo people will not accept the erasure of their history. They will not accept the legitimization of their dispossession. They will not accept the rewriting of the past to serve the interests of the powerful.

The Truth Will Endure

History cannot be erased by political decisions. Sacrifice cannot be silenced by administrative decrees. Justice cannot be measured by bureaucratic convenience.

Finfinne is Oromo.

The truth of its history will endure.

The struggle for justice will continue.

Injifannoon Ummata Oromoo!

Finfinne haa jabaattu!

Seenaan Oromoo hin dagatamu!

This feature article is dedicated to all those who have sacrificed for the truth and justice of the Oromo people.