This year’s Iricha festival was again politicized and tightly controlled by the security forces.
Over the weekend of October 1-2, Oromo people celebrated Ilecha, a festival of thanksgiving that marks the end of winter, in Addis Ababa and Bishoftu.
Illiecher is usually celebrated The weekend following the Meskel holiday. The festival can be seen in many parts of Oromia, but at the national level, it attracts millions of Oromo people from all over Oromia and non-Oromo visitors from other parts of Ethiopia at Hora (Lake Arsadi). Gathered on the lakeshore, as of 2019, in Holla Finney, the royal capital.
Annual ceremonies are characteristic of The ancient traditional Oromo religion, Wakehannaa, is today attended by more Christians and Muslims than Wakehanna devotees.
For many, Iricha is a secular festival. A symbol of cultural identity and a manifestation of Oromo national unity, it attracts Oromo people from all walks of life, religious backgrounds and political affiliations.
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The Oromo are Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group with an estimated 40 million people, but historically alienated Cultural symbols such as the Afarn Oromo language and the Gadda system of indigenous democracy attacked and despised by the country.
As a response to this legacy, in recent years the celebration has been used to issue statements of protest against former and current federal governments. more and more has a political dimension.
This year’s festivities were no exception, as the elders’ prayers, traditional songs, slogans and protests were embedded with public sentiment regarding the current political situation.
celebration of the past
It’s common to hear political sentiment at the Iricha Festival, but the slogan changes each year as the political climate changes.
Since Oromia’s conquest and incorporation into the Ethiopian Empire by Emperor Menelik II in the late 19th century, Oromo’s religious and cultural practices have been subject to state repression.
Since 1974, the Derg junta Labeled Cultural practices such as Irreechaa were seen as backward and an obstacle to development, national unity and its revolutionary spirit.
After the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) came to power, the Ilecha festival resumed in Hora Alsadi in the mid-1990s. Despite defending the Ethiopian nation and people’s ability to exercise their culture, language and religion, such practices challenged his EPRDF’s dominance, and since 2003, the EPRDF has held the Iricha festival to its advantage. operated to
The prayers of the elders at the 2014 Iricha ceremony are: quite sad For Oromo students brutally murdered by regime for protesting in Addis Ababa master plansketched the de facto Expansion of the capital and further expropriation of local Oromo farmers.
Iricha was the site of the biggest protests in the Oromo from 2014 to 2017 and played a major role in ending the EPRDF coalition government with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) at its core.
But the platforming of political statements at festivals is not without retaliation. 2016 massacre This is an example of how a peaceful demonstration was met with a brutal response by the state. At that year’s festival, a stampede occurred as security forces used tear gas and fired firearms in response to statements of protest, killing hundreds.
Since 2018, the messages echoed by young people have shifted from supporting much-needed political and economic reforms to denouncing the new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.
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For specific requests, release Leader of the two largest Oromo opposition parties, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federal Congress (OFC). Jawar Mohammed, Bekele Gerba and other his OFC leaders said he was arrested in July 2020 and release Last January, OLF leader Dawud Ibssa house arrest From May 2021 to March 2022.
Support for the armed resistance movement led by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) is also common at the celebrations. The agreement between the OLF and the Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) Violated 2018, OLA rebellion Active in western and southern Oromia. Since then, the government has quelled the rebellion and has taken the following actions: extrajudicial killing When mass arrest.
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Given Irreechaa’s growing political importance, celebrations are now regularly held under military presence, and reports of arrests and casualties are common.
Anti-government protests erupted last year at the Iricha Hora Finfini celebrations in the capital, arrest Many, including journalists. This year, witnesses reported that dozens of people were arrested during the two-day celebration and two were killed in uncertain circumstances.
Finney’s Celebration
there were some State-sponsored event Held in the capital in the days leading up to this year’s celebration, Saturday was the first day of the two-day celebration.
From Friday evening, the road leading to Meskel Square was blocked within a five-kilometer radius, but by 4 a.m. local time on Saturday, thousands of people had already flocked to Meskel Square, forming long lines at checkpoints. was made.
Heavily armed security forces wore some traditional costumes and Thinkydecorated A stick held by a woman after marriage as a sign of fertility, productivity and reconciliation. Gadar Ritual.
Such behavior indicated a lack of cultural sensitivity. “There is no point in banning the passage of literal peace symbols,” said one attendee.
Traditional spiritual leaders representing various communities arrived at dawn to offer prayers. .
As the population began to grow, so did the slogans and folk songs carrying the message of support for the Oromo-led armed resistance movement. Kumsa Dillibaaka “Jaal Maarroo”.
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Protests calling for an end to widespread violence Oromia When TigraySee recent massacre by militants in the Amhara region at Wollega.Late Hachar Hundessa The event was also commemorated with a t-shirt and banner featuring his face.
The event was attended not only by non-Oromo Ethiopians, but also by the Oromo community living in Kenya. Representatives of the Sidama, Kembata, Gamo, Konso, and Burji communities were seen mingling with their Oromo compatriots. Attendance is often a sign of solidarity and sometimes a reflection of political alliances.
Participants at the Irrecha celebration from the Wolayita community of Siyanne Mekonnen, Addis Ababa, October 1, 2022.
However, many residents of Oromia were unable to travel to Addis Ababa or Bishoftu to observe the holidays. Banned from traveling to the capital, he said, others were being held in unclear circumstances.
A source said, “They gave no explanation other than that the arrest was made for security reasons.”
Another resident of Gimbi, the capital of the West Worega Zone, said, “Yes, the authorities tried to stop us. .
Authorities imposed restrictions on attendance, but a sizeable crowd nevertheless turned up at Iricher Park to celebrate with the Hora Finfinee. The walkway from the park to Meskel Square, which people usually go to after the ceremony, was closed, forcing people to circle the grounds of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Jachar Hundessa Park.
The road, which had been closed since Friday afternoon, reopened a few minutes after 10 a.m. local time on Sunday, forcing most of the remaining crowd at Meskel Square to disperse.
Bishoftu celebration
Celebrations in Bishoftu were no different from those in the capital.
Vehicles leaving the Holla Finfinnie event for Bishoftu were unable to enter the town on Saturday. This has become commonplace in the last two years due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Many people abandoned trips to Bishoftu, as in previous years, for fear of having to return. Some went home on Saturday as hotel rooms were all booked.others It took about 2 hours on foot from the towns of Mojo and Duquem.
On Saturday afternoon, the streets of Bishoftu were already bustling with thousands of people.the group continued to crowd Hora Arsadi until the next day. On Sundays, cars were prohibited from entering until after 10:00 am.
Slogans and songs in support of armed resistance continued. Like Hora Finfinee, there were no sightings of his OLF flag, a symbol of resistance and common at Oromo rallies.The day before the holiday, the authorities warned Carrying items that convey political messages at ceremonies.
Arrests were also made in Hora Al-Sadi as calls for an end to the killings and anti-government protests in Wollega continued.
Joint Peace and Security Task Force Said The statement arrested 166 people accused of attempting to commit terror at the Meskel and Iricha celebrations. The suspect was accused of being a member of the TPLF, OLA, and Islamic State.
Prayers at Sunday’s ceremony also echoed pleas for an end to the bloodshed and mass arrests, as well as the maintenance of the Gada system and unity.
As usual, the celebration concluded with traditional dances and songs at Bishoftu and Duquem. Hotels, bars and cafes were packed with people returning from the celebrations on Sunday afternoon.
As such, this year’s Iricha in Addis Ababa and Bishoftu were heavily patrolled and thwarted by security forces as they continued a trend of Iricha that reflected the existing political climate rather than simply celebrating Oromo culture.
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Featured photo: Celebration of the Irrecha Finfinne Festival in Addis Ababa on October 1, 2022.
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