(OLF News, September 16, 2008) A report we received from Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) confirmed that the Ethiopian Woyane/TPLF government has shut down the Afan Oromo TV program of ETV that is used to transmit to the general audience of the empire as of September 12, 2008, once again revealing the at most hatred and contempt the regime has for the Oromo people and their language Afan Oromo, which is spoken by over 50% of the entire population of the empire. About 60 Afan Oromo journalists who were used to be working in these programs for a long time are reported to have been fired from their duties.
Although Afan Oromo is the single largest language in the Ethiopian Empire, which is a house for about 80 or so different languages, it is also the single most suppressed language during all the Ethiopian successive regimes in the empire. During the Hailesillasie monarchic regime there was no radio or TV program in Afan Oromo. The military junta of Mengistu Haile mariam opened a two hour radio program in Afan Oromo, but there was no TV program in the Oromo language during this regime. When the current TPLF/EPRDF regime came to power in 1991, OLF became part of the government forming the then called “Transitional Government of Ethiopia”. As a result of the pressure from the Oromo people in general and the OLF in particular, the regime opened a one hour TV program for Afan Oromo as a gesture of attempting to restore freedom and justice for the suppressed Oromo nation. Although this was seen as one positive step forward when compared to the previous Ethiopian regimes, it was clear for the Oromo people that this was no justice yet since the same amount of air time was given to the Tigre language which is spoken by less than 7% of the population of the empire simply because the current rulers come from Tigrai region. A real justice for the Oromo people is to give the maximum air time for Afan Oromo, radio or TV, than any other language, including Amharic, which is spoken by only about a third of the population of the empire but unjustly designated as the “official language” of the regime on power.
Despite the fact that all government controlled media in Ethiopia are propaganda outlets for the TPLF-Woyane regime, some of the Afan Oromo TV programs related to culture, recreation, education, linguistics, and international news are loved by millions of Oromos and non-Oromos who can understand the Afan Oromo language. These programs are now eliminated as of Semptember 12, 2008 and replaced by a local program known as STVO, completely prepared by unprofessional OPDO cadres and used by the regime for propaganda purpose. The Oromo people are now denied access to information and international news and are forced to listen and watch only the propaganda of the OPDO, which is a puppet Oromo organization completely controlled by Meles Zenawi and the TPLF. It is clear that the decision to shut down the Afan Oromo TV program from the federal level ETV programs is made to limit the growth and radius of influence of Afan Oromo making it inaccessible to non-Oromos and Oromos living outside of Oromia, once again an attempt to reduce or eliminate the Oromo people and their language Afan Oromo from the empire and the face of the earth.
It is reported that the 60 Afan Oromo TV journalists, who are expelled from job and are denied entrance to the office of the Ethiopian Television Station, are opposed to the unjust decision and appealed to PM Meles Zenawi’s office, to the Ethiopian Parliament, to the OPDO office and to the so called Oromian president Minasse Woldegiorgis for the reversal of the decision. Disappointed by the appeal of these Oromo journalists, the regime is reportedly following these journalists denying them movement outside of Finfinnee due to the fear that they may incite resentment on the regimes’ decision to shut down the TV program.
The expelled journalists also appealed to the Oromo people at home and abroad to stand on their side and oppose this unjust decision and restore freedom, justice and equality through a liberation struggle
