(A4O, 1 October 2013) The Australian Oromo Community in Melbourne celebrated its indigenous Oromo-African Thanksgiving Day , Irreechaa, at the Footscray Park river bank on 29  of September.

The Melbournians Oromo gather together at riverbanks and thank the Creator for past rains and ask for sustained weather and crops, for children to grow, for the sick to heal and for fraternity to prevail among human beings.

Melbourne based blogger of Far.From.Africa, Marion Cabanes, writes on her facebook timeline, “…I was invited by the Oromo Community (from present-day Ethiopia) to celebrate Ireechaa (‘Thanksgiving’) where Muslims and Catholics gathered to pay tribute to their god living in all parts of nature. Men explained how their women are powerful and respected in the community.”

A Melbourne-based human rights activist and freelance writer, Siinqee Wesho, reports the event to Opride.com.

As seen elsewhere, on Sep. 29, the Australian Oromo Community in Melbourne gathered at the Footscray Park and river to celebrate Irreecha. Their heart raced as if to catch the moving wind, their face radiated as if to outshine the sun, they all smiled and greeted each other from distances until they meet and hugged each other tightly and fondly. Nostalgia about the serenity and calmness of home set in.

At the Footscray Park, slightly damp green and evenly trimmed grass rose an inch above the ground. The morning’s mild wind propelled the leaves of various trees from left to right graciously. The Ixora and Bogenia shone brightly to reflect the onset of spring and the Footscray River stayed calm as if unaware of the activities around it.

South American drummers beat their drums uninterrupted, a group of Africans fried tender BBQ, and others simply basked in the sun while a curious few joined in the Irreecha festivities. Much of the park’s cosmos maintained its disorganized balance but the hearts of Oromo Melbournians beat erotically with excitement – as if the auspicious day was a therapy for their trauma for the loss of home, culture, and ways of being.

The green park was covered by the rainbow color of Oromia’s dress codes. Children run around showing off their Qoloo and Callee while women’s beads sparkled from their necks and foreheads. Men superbly dressed in Kumaala andBullukko (top wears) holding Bokkuu decorated in the colors of Faajjii Walaabuu.

Women holding their Siinqee and Coqorsaa (a bunch of thick untrimmed grass) led the crowd to the riverbank whilst chanting songs of prayers and thanksgiving. The crowd followed by repeating the chorus slowly behind. Once at the pointed creek, the elders explained the official Irreefanna procedure.

This involved elders from the Borana tribe; the Angafaas led the awaiting crowd with Eebba or blessings. Everyone dipped the Irreessa inside the water as the prayers went on.

The elders later explained, while dipping this grass in the water, one’s heart and mind has to forget worldly evil and focus on the good. This was a tender moment of forgiveness, thanksgiving, and gratitude for the bounties of Waaqa.

Once this was done, the public joyously exchanged greetings more as follows:

“Baga furdaa (bacaqii) gannaa baatanii booqaa birraa argitan, akkasuma kan hortanii horattan mara wajjiin saddeetni sadeetattii isiniif haa naannawu .” This roughly translates to Merry Spring and thanksgiving. May Waaqa bless your wealth and belongings throughout the Gadaa cycle.

Once Irreefannaa was done, the Oromo traditional banquet such as miciirra/shakaka, caccabsaa, marmaree, Daadhii (homemade honey wine) were shared.

The BBQ chops replaced the sheep that would be slaughtered in Oromo homes or festival places such asHulluqqoo in Borana and Hora Arsadi. Freshly roasted coffee filled the air and ushered in the Ragadaa, Shaggooyyee, Tirrii and Dhiichisa songs from around Oromia.

Young and old, men and women were drunk in celebration. A small group huddled together to recall something of Irreessa back home while others listened dreamily and intently.

As the sun sat over Melbourne, elders gave the final blessing to conclude the festivities on this significant day. For the first time in Melbourne, an aftermath party that was hosted by the Melbourne Oromo youth and notable musicians like Jawe Bora entertained the crowd till late night.

Far away from Oromia, the Oromo diaspora community eagerly expressed their longing for home in the best way possible. This was their way of saying: Aadaa bareeda qabna hin jiru ka keenna gituu, seenaa bareeda qabna hin jiru ka keenna gituu…yaa Oromoo kumnillee hin bitu.

(A4O, 28 Fulbaana 2013) Ayyaanni Irreechaa ayyaana galateeffannaa waggaatti altokko Oromoon yeroo birraa walitti dhufee kan darbee itti galateeffatu; ka dhufu immoo itti kadhatuu dha.

Ayyaanni kun seenaa Oromoo waliin hidhata jabaa fi fulla’aa qaba. Gadaa Mormor bara 6400 caalaa fulla’ee fi Gadaa Odaa Nabee bara 1800 ol itti fufee jiru irraa adda bahee kan hin beekne, Ireechaan Oromoo, bara Oromoon nagaa fi bilisummaan jiraataa tures, bara Oromoon dhibdee fi garbummaa keessa jiraataa jirus otuu walirraa hin citiin, jabina abbootii keenyaan baroota kuma jahaa fi dhibba afurii oliif ka fulla’ee dha.

Dhalooti har’aas seenaa fi aadaa boonsaa abbootii keenya irraa dhaalan, Irreeffannaa, sadarkaa olaanaatti ol guddisuuf tattaaffii guddaatti jiran. Sababa kanaan, Irreechaan, guyyaa aadaa Oromoo ta’uun akka sabaa fi biyyaalessaatti beekamaa jira. Kana malees, Irreechaan, Oromoota eenyummaa fi aadaa saba keenyaaf quuqamaniif guyyaa galateeffannaa callaa miti; karaa itti waan aadaa fi eenyummaa Oromoo itti deebisanii guddisanii dha.

 Irreechaan guyyaa itti akka sabaatti gamtaan walarganii dhimma har’a itti jiran waliif himan, waan egeree immoo waliin qindeeffatan, guyyaa walooma Oromoo ti. Gamtaan bahanii Irreechaa irratti aadaa fi eenyummaa ofii agarsiisuunis mallattoo sabboonummaa ti.

(A4O, 11 September 2013) A story of retired farmer in Dodola, Southeast Oromia, might be the oldest living man in the world at an estimated 160 years of attracts the world media .

The news appeared on Medical Daily, Atlanta Black Star, Voice of Russia, InSiberia News, Delfi, and Zing News. 

According to Oromia Tv reporter Obbo Dhaqqaboo Eebbaa  could break the current longevity record by half a century.

At an estimated 160 years of age, the community elder is significantly older than the current Guinness World Record-holder Jeanne Clament as well as the recent challenger Carmelo Flores.

While he cannot prove his age with a birth certificate, he claims to remember the transfer of power between all five Gadaa Oromo parties in four rotations – a process that dates back to the mid-19th century.

In a recent interview, the elder spoke with Oromia TV reporters about his fascinating century-and-a-half. He remembers a time when the Ethiopian empire still conquered Oromia; when Abyssinian conquerors invaded the Oromo land, Oromia; and when it took eight days on horseback to cover the 150 miles between his village and the capital city, Finfinnee .

“When Italy invaded Ethiopia, I had two wives and my son was old enough to herd cattle,” he said, referring to Italy’s 1895 invasion of his country. “Not even one of my peers is alive today.”

The average lifespan in Oromia is 60 years. If his story is true, Eebbaa would have reached that age during World War I.

It is possible to observe from the youtube provided by Oromia TV, Ob Eebbaa speaks with a firm, articulate voice while recounting his life story. He may no longer be able to see but his memories of historical facts seem sharp.

 The Oromians like many African cultures are an oral society, ‘each time an elder dies, a library is lost.’  Mr Eebbaa  can be one of such oral and traditional library  of Oromia from which much can still be preserved.

(A4O, 24 August 2013) In his Open Letter to the UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commenwealth Affairs), Dr Trevor Trueman of the OSG clearly concludes by saying “the authoritarian regime in Ethiopia is a major cause of instability affecting the whole of the Horn of Africa. Supporting it and investing in it is a short-sighted policy.”

Dr Trevor further  states “Tesfahun Chemeda was a student activist in Ethiopia and a political activist among refugees in Kenya, where he was granted refugee status by UNHCR. He was arrested with a colleague, Mesfin Abebe, by Kenyan anti-terrorist police on 2 April 2007. Although cleared by the anti-terrorist unit and by the FBI, the men were subject to refoulement to Ethiopia at the request of the Ethiopian authorities. Tesfahun was transferred from Zeway prison to Kaliti, where he had been held in solitary confinement for nearly two years before he was killed. This is not the first time young Oromo men have been killed in detention. For example, Alemayehu Garba, partially paralysed with polio, was shot dead with 18 others in Kaliti prison in November 2005.”

More details:https://advocacy4oromia.org/our-task/advocacy/death-in-ethiopian-custody-of-tesfahun-chemeda-after-refoulement-from-kenya/