Ireecha is a traditional holiday celebrated by the Oromo people towards the end of September or the start of October. It is meant to mark the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the harvest season. This transition is significant because in Ethiopia generally the winter, which occurs during the U.S. summer season, is thought of as a difficult time for the people. One main reason is that families are unable to see one another during the rainy and winter season because it is challenging to travel internally. Therefore, Ireecha is meant to be a time when the Oromo people thank the Creator, Waaqa in Afaan Oromo, for getting them past this arduous time and allowing them to see the bright days that await them ahead. However, the people also use Ireecha to thank the Creator for the blessings of the rainy season, which brings new life to the land and sustains their crops and livestock. Although I knew about the holiday before, I learned more deeply about it after getting closer with my cousin who is a yearly adamant celebrator of the holiday. He showed me videos of all the times he has celebrated and it was beautiful to see the holiday come to life via his phone screen. The holiday is celebrated in outdoor locations such as rivers, lakes, and mountains, which are considered sacred by the Oromo people. The celebration involves various rituals and activities, including prayers, songs, dances, and the offering of grass and flowers as a symbol of gratitude to Waaqaa. The community also engages in communal feasting, where they share food and drink as a way of promoting unity and solidarity. As you can see in the pictures below, millions of people gather at a lake, hora in Afaan Oromo, and engage in celebratory practices there. Interestingly, one of the main places this festival is celebrated is in the town my mother was born and raised and where my grandparents still live in. I hope to one day attend. Furthermore, this act of prioritizing nature, God’s unaltered creation, is an effort to strengthen their bond with the Creator Waaqa and their ancestors. Tragically, in the 2016 Bishofto festival, a result of ineffective security forces, up to 300 festivalgoers were killed in a stampede. All in all, I believe that Ireecha serves as a reminder of the value of traditional practices and the need to preserve cultural heritage in the face of modernization and globalization. As we continue to advance technologically and socially, it is essential to remember the traditions and customs that have sustained our communities for generations.
Melale Hailu's Posts (11)
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This has been such an amazing experience. I’ve never had a language experience like this one before. In my podcast interview, I express immense happiness for taking a class like this. I had never heard of it until last semester and it wasn’t until I had extra space in my schedule that I went searching for a class like this. To my delight, I came across a course that would allow me to learn a language outside of the often-taught romance languages while simultaneously working at my own pace and tending to my own needs. One of my favorite aspects of the class was definitely the final cultural presentations and generally, the classes focus on the integral relationship between culture and language. Our final presentations made that vigorously discussed topics come to life in different parts of the world. On the other hand, I wished the class incorporated our individual languages more seamlessly into the topics we discussed. Rather than summarizing what the articles we read argued, it would have been both helpful and insightful to relate them to one another personal language journey. This experience has in some ways reinforced what I knew about myself as a language learner while awakening me to others. For instance, as I predicted I learn language best when it is personalized to me. Unfortunately, learning language in a classroom at school doesn’t allow for this, and obviously, it would be silly to expect it to. However, this class facilitated a semester-long interaction between a native speaker and a student which allowed for this personalized language learning to take place. As I’ve mentioned in my language journals, my classes with my teacher were personalized to me; for instance, the sentences and vocabulary I learned were seldom random, they reflected my life, the people in it, what things constitute my days, etc. The most challenging aspect for me was, although cliche, overcoming the fear of making mistakes and feeling self-conscious. It can be uncomfortable to speak a language you're not completely fluent in, and it's easy to feel embarrassed or frustrated when you don't understand something. However, I've found that the more I practice and make mistakes, the more confident and comfortable I become. This class has granted me the opportunity to practice, informally and without pressure. Frankly, I feel a little discouraged with the prospects of my language journey after the completion of this class and more importantly after my time with my language partner ends. Although I have native Oromo speakers literally in my household, I am scared that my practice with the language will stop when my time with her does because I have garnered the confidence throughout the semester to actually speak in Oromo despite countless mistakes. I am unsure if I can develop this confidence and discipline independently of my language partner. But on the bright side, I know that my genuine innate motivation for acquiring fluency in Afaan Oromo will push me past this difficulty and unsureness.
For this cultural post, I will be talking about the Gada System, the indigenous democratic socio-cultural system of the Oromo people. The Gada system is very important because it is the core of Oromo culture- the Gada system is the foundation of Oromo culture, the root, and it holds up the different branches of Oromo culture. As a Global Studies major, I think the importance of the Gada system also lies in something bigger than Oromo culture. There is often a prevailing belief that democracy is not compatible with African culture and people because it is a Western conception therefore it would be in the best interest of African people to stop trying to implement democratic systems in their countries because it will inherently never work. The Gada system is particularly important because it disproves this widely-held belief-that democracy is the brainchild of the West. The Gada system was created and used by the Oromo since approximately in the 1400s (but it can go back even further than this). The tree (Odaa in Afaan Oromo), is culturally significant in Oromo culture because it is under a sycamore tree that the Gada Assembly takes place. It is during the Gada Assembly that the community gathers together and engages in healthy dialogue and reaches a consensus about their community. The system has many functions but generally, it regulates political, economic, social, and religious activities of the community dealing with issues such as conflict resolution, reparation and protecting women’s rights, enforcing moral conduct, building social cohesion, and expressing forms of community culture. The making and reviewing of laws are also integral to the system's functions. The way the system is structured is also indicative of its emphasis on collaboration, community, and the rule of law. So firstly there are five permanent parties and unlike the Western system of democracy where a party can lead consecutively, these 5 parties are never in competition with each other. Every party is in power, taking turns. These turns are 8 years long. So over the course of 40 years, all 5 parties would have had a chance to lead & serve the people. Life under the Gada system is also separated into stages, each lasting 8 years. This means that every member of society has specified roles based on what stage of life they are in. It’s in the 5th stage that a member has the chance to be elected leader, the “Abba Gaada”. Abba means father and “gada” means era. Very interestingly, as I mentioned earlier when talking about the system's functions, one of the system's major tenants, known as “Sinquee”, is the safeguarding of women's rights. So although, of course, it is evidently a male-centered system, women have historically had a large participatory role in it, especially when it comes to this tenant of “Sinquee”. In fact, if the Abba Gaada dies during his 8-year term, his wife who is known as “Hadha Gada” (mother of the era), takes his place-not a male successor. There is actually a surprising amount of academic scholarship that studies the role of women in the Gada system arguing that without their significant role again especially in upholding this major tenant, the system would be fruitless.
When I was completing my first cultural post on music and Oromo culture, I was in the comments of the youtube song that I wrote about and one of the top comments was that Oromo artists are the heart of the Oromo people. Therefore, I wanted to focus this cultural post on Haachalu Hundessa, an Oromo-Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist who was assassinated three years ago. I doubt that you would ever come across something in regard to the Oromo people without coming across Haachalu Hundessa. Despite being a charismatic hero in the eyes of many (mine included), Haachalu carried a voice that literally would bring people to tears. When I traveled to Ethiopia this past summer, I would not go a day without seeing a three-wheeler taxi (bajaj), which has taken over the country (they are everywhere), without Haachaluu’s face plastered inside and/or outside the taxi. In the Oromia region, in particular, his music would persistently play from stores and restaurants at every corner. Haachalu Hundessa was born in Ambo, a growing town in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. At the age of 17, he was arrested for five years for taking part in protests. This was in 2003, just a year before Ethiopia's then administration engaged in violent human rights abuses in an effort to consolidate their power and corrupt the ‘elections’ they said would take place Haachaluu’s entire first album was composed and written during his time in prison. This album was titled Sanyii Mootii, translating into the royal lineage/race. His second album titled Waa’ee Keenyaa, meaning ‘About Us’ received never before seen recognition reaching the #1 best-selling African music album, suggesting that his music transcended beyond the Oromo or Ethiopian people. Unfortunately, Haachalu was not able to finish his final album titled Maal Mallissa (What is ought to be done) nor see the reaction it garnered across the globe as he was killed a week after revealing that he was working on it. The album was then released on the one-year anniversary of his death, inciting an emotional response from the people. I remember the day of his death as if it was yesterday. I remember my father calling my mother to deliver the news, quietly wiping away tears. On the other side of the ocean, my grandmother and her neighbors all left their house, wailing on the streets as if someone they personally knew had passed. This all is a testament to Haachalu’s revolutionary impact and influence. Hachalu’s life and work illustrated his courage, passion, and talent. He was not just a singer, but also a cultural icon and a political activist. His music inspired and mobilized people across Ethiopia and beyond, and his death was seen as a major blow to the Oromo movement and the struggle for democracy and human rights in Ethiopia. In just about anything he did he was able to capture his people's aspirations, fears, plight, culture, and values. Hachalu Hundessa was a remarkable individual who used his music to champion the cause of the Oromo people and to demand justice and equality in Ethiopia. His life and legacy are a testament to the power of music as a tool for social change, and to the resilience and creativity of the Oromo people in the face of adversity. While his death was a tragedy, his memory lives on in his music and in the hearts of those who continue to fight for a more just and inclusive society in Ethiopia and beyond.
One of my favorite aspects of Oromo culture is its music. I knew that I had to learn the language because when listening to its music even without understanding what was being said, the music was still able to invite an emotional reaction from me. I thought if I love Oromo music even without understanding the lyrics, I can’t imagine what kind of feeling it would invite when I do. Before diving deep into an actual authentic artifact, I think it’s important to discuss the significant and integral role music plays in Oromo culture. Music has been used as a source of social commentary for the Oromo people for quite some time. For instance, in 2018 Ethiopia was going through a politically transformative period where the Oromo youth along with the youth of other ethnic groups were on the streets protesting against the federal government, particularly its mass urban expansion project and consequently displacement of Oromo farmers from their land. During that time the Oromo music industry experienced a massive boom with artists from nearly every locale putting out intricate music videos and captivating lyrics commenting on these issues. Interestingly however, what I find personally most beautiful about these songs is that at first glance one would not assume that it is politically motivated music, rather it is when you listen closely and look for metaphors, symbolism, etc that you see the social commentary it is making. For instance, let’s explore an Oromo song that came out relatively recently and played at nearly every Ethiopian function, in nearly every Ethiopian household garnering more than 20 million views on YouTube in just one year. Funnily, its top comment reads “I’m from Mozambique, I didn’t understand a single word but I love this song”. The song is by Yosan Getahun and it’s titled 3OBsa. The music video vividly captures people, old and young, dancing and wearing beautiful traditional clothing-its exciting and makes you get up on your feet. Behind the repetitive lyrics and enticing melody is the artist's intricate and intentional use of Afaan Oromo to metaphorically convey a very important message. Yosan speaks on the struggle of the Oromo people, specifically seeking justice for the fallen people who have spoken out against oppression. In the music video, we see a caged-up white horse, a metaphor that is used to call out the government and its imprisonment of political prisoners that are imprisoned merely for opposing the regime. The chorus of the song goes “Fardi Qofaan Kaatum, maa qofaa kaata…Didee garbuu nyaachuu luugama nyaata, Buloon garmaamu tola mana”. This translates into something along the lines of this “The horse is running alone, why is it running alone, he refuses to eat, the beauty of the horse is when it’s rolling around, why stay caged up”.
It is so crazy that this is my last learning journal. Throughout my time with my language partner Genet, we have developed a really nice relationship. Our interactions transformed from initially very formal, structured conversations to now often having to hold ourselves accountable to retreat back to language learning because our conversations get sidetracked into so many other things. However, although it might not directly seem so, even these conversations that are seemingly off-topic have been paramount to my language learning journey. These conversations have exposed me to intellectually captivating topics awakening interests I didn’t think I had while simountnsouly fostering a good personal connection with someone part of my target language community. Our personal conversations have also open the gate for language learning topics. For instance, Genet is getting married soon and our conversation about that paved the way for a language learning activity about this topic; learning sentences and vocabulary in Afaan Oromo about weddings, event foods, music and dancing, preparations for events, clothing, etc. I have noticed that from my second learning journal to now Genet and I spend a lot more time conversing in Afaan Oromo outside of the lesson plan for that day. I am far more confident when greeting her and asking her about her day/week, school, and work and likewise understanding and answering her questions for me. With Graduation coming up, this has also informed the tasks we have focused on/done during our lessons. This is perfect and immensely beneficial because I am able to use what I learned right away which consequently reinforces it in my mind and makes it far less likely that I forget what I learned after class. What I have struggled with however is having this same confidence when I speak with natives apart from my language partner. My father is also a native speaker and when he talks to me in Afaan Oromo, my confidence vanishes and I am not able to respond with the content that I have learned, which is a lot. As both Genet and my father keep reiterating to me, the only way to continue learning is to speak! I must remember this especially after my time with Genet is done. I think the happiest moment in my language-learning journey was speaking to my grandmother on the phone during Easter and hearing her pure happiness when I spoke to her in Afaan Oromo. I think that conversation really allowed me to contextualize the progress I have made.
I have covered a plethora of topics with my language partner throughout the course of the semester. A strategy that has been working for us and one we have used thus far is starting our sessions by reviewing what we discussed the class before. Rather than expecting me to memorize the sentences we learn word for word, Genet asks me what I remember learning last class and I respond in Afaan Oromo with the concepts/sentences we learned. The fact that there is no expectation to know the sentences word for word is so helpful to my language learning in the long run because then I don’t merely focus on memorizing before and rather thinking in my target language during it. I have found this strategy also useful because it allows my language partner to catch my mistakes early on whereas without reviewing, the ‘incorrect’ way would be ingrained in my speech making it incredibly difficult to unlearn. Additionally, while the structure of our tasks remained relatively the same, we covered many tasks. I have grown a large word bank through my learning of sentences that narrate my trip home, explain what moment in my life I love, introduce me (where I was born, where my parents are from, my siblings and what they do, my friends, etc), how I spent the holidays, etc. Aside from learning sentences that mirror those topics, Genet and I have also returned to the basics and reviewed numbers, days of the week, and months of the year in Afaan Oromo. A testament to the notion that practice makes perfect, I often forget the Afaan Oromo word for a lot of the days of the week besides the ones I use often (weirdly Monday and Friday). That has been a learning curve because it made me realize that my personal language learning journey can be beneficially supplemented with memorization of some things. In the same vein, I have come to notice that my deliberate use of other resources did diminish once I got in contact with a language partner. Granted of course a lot of that has to do with the amount of time I can allocate to using other resources to increase my knowledge of the language outside of the 3hr/week I meet with her. Nonetheless, my goals moving forward would definitely be to engage in intentional language contact through medians outside of speaking with my partner-watching movie, reading articles, using the book more, etc. Additionally, I want to bring up the possibility of going over some basic grammar rules with my language partner just because this will help me form my own sentences outside of the ones we talk about/practice. I often use the sentences we do practice to notice any conversational grammar patterns but actually understanding these patterns rather than inferring would certainly push my skills further in the direction I hope to be.
I am very excited that I have found a language partner. Her name is Genet, she is so multifaceted in terms of what she does that it is difficult to distinctly say what she does. However, it is clear she is incredibly knowledgeable about linguistics as so much of her research throughout her life in academia has been centered around it. She is a native Afaan Oromo speaker though she does also speak Amharic, which is what we also communicate in as a basic language. As a first task, Genet and I focused on learning the Afaan Oromo alphabet, called qubee. We did this by going through the alphabet and practicing the pronunciation of each letter as well as the pronunciation of the combination of letters, often sounds that are not popular in English or any other language for that matter. In order to contextualize the pronunciation, Genet would give me an example of an Oromo word that begins with that letter and ask me to pronounce it. This strategy of pronouncing words helped significantly more than just pronouncing the letter on its own. While many of the letters were not difficult to pronounce, most likely because of Afaan Oromo’s use of the familiar Latin alphabet, it was quite difficult to pronounce the combination letters that were specific to Oromo. For example, the sound created by the letters ‘dh’ presented quite a challenge for me. However, Genet’s reassurance that native speakers will be able to understand me despite my not-perfect pronunciation of these combo letters calmed the frustrations certainly. Upon securing a language partner I hoped to begin by learning common native-speaker greetings. Although the book I used included these phrases, there was some variation and more specificity when learning this with my language partner. For example, the book evidently presented far more formal greeting phrases. When learning with Genet I was able to hear what native speakers say in response to greeting phrases, and what phrases are common in what context. This for sure increased my confidence in speaking the language because before although I knew greetings in Afaan Oromo I would seldom use it when speaking to any native speakers I interacted with because I wasn’t confident about their applicability to the manner natives interacted with one another. In addition to greetings, we talked about my daily routine through sentences. This was interesting to me because I didn’t expect to dive straight into full-on sentences because in other language learning settings I’ve been in we start off by memorizing various individual words. But according to my language partner and her time tutoring students, she found that language is learned best when it is applicable to the learner's life. A laundry list of different vocabulary words would not be applicable to my life. But my daily routine, something that I do all the time certainly is. Learning how to say what time I usually wake up, what I do (wash face, brush teeth, eat breakfast), where I go (school), what I learn, and who I see throughout my day, all expose me to vocabulary while simountnsosuly being connected to my real life and able to be used in actual conversation-my dad asks me what I did today every time I speak to him on the phone so now I am able to answer in Oromo. This kind of relates to Professor Soloway’s strategy of putting sticky notes around his house that identify things he sees every day in his target language.
I have still not found a learning partner; so my priority right now is to look for an Afaan Oromo language partner. The pursuit does seem promising because we discovered a platform called ‘Teacher On’ where I am able to see possible Afaan Oromo teachers available in Ethiopia. However, until I begin my communications with a native speaker on a regular basis I am interacting with the language through various medians independently. To expand my word bank, something I believe to be immensely important when learning a new language, I am studying a very useful Afaan Oromo book. This resource provides a structured approach to learning and helps me to track my progress. Additionally, I really like this book because rather than just singular words it also includes common phrases that are used in my target language. Because these phrases are relevant to everyday conversations I am also able to use them through speaking rather than just ‘studying’ in my conversations with my father or cousins in Ethiopia. In parallel, a strategy that was helpful was using flashcards to memorize vocabulary. I created my own flashcards with words and phrases that I wanted to learn and used them to practice memorization and recall. Until I find a language partner I hope to interact with the language in one way or another every day; listening to music and trying to find vocab in the lyrics that I know, reading basic things, speaking using what little I know, identifying things in my life using Oromo vocabulary, etc. This is been quite effective so far and has resulted in me finding a level of comfort in interacting with the language that I did not have before, interestingly despite evidently interacting with it before. Interestingly one of the resources that I have been using to more effectively listen to the language being used rather than just the language taking a back seat is Orthodox gospel songs in the Oromo language. Orthodox gospel songs are slower, the lyrics are more enunciated and repetitive, and because there obviously isn't a music video the videos on Youtube are displays of the lyrics, thereby allowing me to listen more intentionally, read the lyrics and see how words are pronounced and what words are being said, etc. This is all far more difficult to do when just listening to normal music in the language, especially the task of hearing distinct words because, without knowledge of the language, so many of the words seem jumbled together.
I created a PowerPoint presentation to organize my learning plan because I think that's the best way for me to stay on track and consolidate the information I wanted to be a part of my learning plan. I will try my best to transfer that information onto a blog post. Firstly, as any language learner first learns when they set out on their journey to learn a language on their own, especially, but also in the context of an externally-designed class is that setting a goal for yourself is extremely important. My main goal that I hope to work towards throughout this semester in regard to my self-directed Afaan Oromo journey is to 1) speak with a native at a conversational level and 2) understand/listen to the language at a higher level (so improve my comprehension skills). However, merely setting a goal is not enough. It's valuable to understand for yourself why the goal you set is important to you and your life, finding your "why" essentially. My "why" is to connect with my Oromo roots, foster stronger connections to my Afaan Oromo-speaking family, learn the mother tongue of my father, and become a better asset for my future career prospects (because as an International Affairs student that hopes to do a lot of work in Ethiopia knowing both the national language and the most widely spoken language of the country will increase my value and impact). In terms of technicalities, there are 12 weeks starting now in the semester~as required I will spend 2 hours/week speaking with my native partner and 3-4 hours/week engaging in other language learning activities/tasks. Additionally, outside of the two main goals I set initially, to better orient my studying, I will set bi-weekly goals that are narrower and will allow me to orient the activities/tasks I do in that week to fulfill these smaller goals. An example of these smaller goals is learning 30 new vocabulary words or being able to speak everyday pleasantries without hesitations. Thirdly onto my task-based plan. There are four language learning fields-speaking, listening, writing, and reading. For my personal learning, I have prioritized each field based on which I want to focus and improve the most by the end of the semester (1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing). So what this essentially means is that I am not going to be overly concerned with my Afaan Oromo writing skills and thus will dedicate less time working on that skill and more time working on listening and speaking. This then allows me to delegate/identify which activities/tasks I will be doing for each respective area/field. For Listening, I have identified 4 tasks that will allow me to investigate Afaan Oromo through an 'input' lense: children's books (YouTube 'Oromo Fairytales' Channel), Oromo music (w/ lyrics), Edpuzzle, and simple movies on YouTube. For speaking, my native language partner will be my biggest source. As well as an Oromo textbook that I have purchased which will hone my grammar skills and expose me to different phrases and vocabulary for speaking. For reading, I have found a BBC News website in Afaan Oromo. This is great because I am already invested in Ethiopian politics and such, and so this will allow me to do something I am already interested in in my target language. And lastly, for writing, I can hone these skills through text messages to my family in Afaan Oromo and answering short simple writing prompts (and increasing how much I write and the complexity of the prompt as time goes on).
I've had a number of experiences with different languages and cultures. I am originally from Ethiopia, a country in the horn of Africa where more than 100 languages are spoken. That is where I had my very first experience with language-my mother tongue of Amharic (the national language of Ethiopia). Until I was about four years old that is all I knew how to speak. Soon after my family and I moved to Russia where I began to acquire the Russian language, at least to the extent that a four-year-old attending an Indian preschool can acquire the Russian language. When I was around six years old I moved to the United States and had my fourth experience with language, the English one at that. This was the hardest language experience I've experienced, mostly because of the insane pressure put on a six-year-old to learn such a complex language in a matter of months. Additionally, American culture was also one that tolled with my perception of my identity the most, perhaps because it was the most different from all my other experiences. Lastly, starting from third grade to my junior year in high school I have been learning Spanish in the classroom; my fifth experience with language and culture. Weirdly enough, even after all those years of instruction, I still don’t know how to actually speak Spanish and most of what I do know of the language is through my Spanish-speaking friends that I’ve had for just as long, This, I believe, is a testament to the point made in the How to Successfully Learn a Language This Year blog post about the detriment of viewing language learning as an academic pursuit. My sixth experience as a language learner began here at the University of Richmond where I spent all four of my years as an undergraduate student learning the French language. I made the decision to start fresh rather than continuing my pursuit of Spanish because French is the “language of diplomacy” and as an International Affairs student, I believed learning it would serve me well in the future. It doesn’t end there. Ironically, instead of studying abroad in France during my junior year, I decided to spend three months abroad in Italy where I had my final experience as a language learner. Though the program required us to learn Italian in the context of a classroom, it was so refreshing to be able to take what we learned in the classroom and use it as soon as we stepped outside the school building. I realized there that, for me at least, that is the best way to truly acquire a language rather than merely having small unproductive encounters with multiple languages. That is how I enjoy learning a language-using it outside the context of academics, seeing the language through the people that speak it everywhere I turn. This is in alignment with the learning style that best matches me according to the survey-visual and auditory. It extracts the pressure that is associated with academics and the desire to be motivated by grades rather than learning the language even if it means failing at times. Academics doesn't provide me the comfort of failing.
I often find myself perplexed by the fact that I was able to learn English because right now I can’t imagine speaking another language at an advanced level. When I was in Ethiopia this past summer, I almost lost hope in my pursuit to learn Afaan Oromo because it felt like it could never happen without living amongst people that only spoke that for a year or more (a situation that isn’t realistic for me right now). But through this class, I think my hope will be restored. I need to speak and practice. I need to let go of the idea that I will only speak when I’m “perfect”. I will use what I know about myself as a learner to foster a language-learning environment that will best serve me. For instance, some learning activities I hope to use is listening to music in Afaan Oromo and using both the context of the music video and the words/lyrics being said to discern what story the music is telling.
