Ethiopia’s Largest Ethnicity Group Deprived of Linguistic
and Cultural Sensitive Media Outlets
The Oromos are the largest single ethnic group in Ethiopia, comprising approximately
40 percent of the country’s 77 million people. Yet, they are severely sidelined
in the country’s politics and media representation - by means of cultural
and linguistic differences - is gravely imbalanced in the fractured country.
Ethnic tension has been part of Ethiopian reality for over one hundred years, however,
pressure and harassment from the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic
Front (EPRDF) party on the Oromos has exacerbated since Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
took office in 1991.
“The current Ethiopian state can only be compared to apartheid South Africa,
where similar unjust practices happened,” said a refugee Oromo journalist
abroad, who wanted to remain anonymous, to RAP 21.
“As opposed to South Africa [today], our country does not have any respect
for the linguistic and cultural diversity of the people. The ruling languages (Amharic
and Tigre), which really are minority languages, are imposed on almost 80 percent
of the country’s population, including Oromos,” he claimed. The implications
on the media, he said, are “Vast and intimidating.”
The journalist spoke of the government as “a debilitating cancer for the Oromo
media,” as evidenced with the closure of Wanchif and Seifa Nebelbal Urji newspapers,
Tomar magazine and Oromo Television [among a number of other smaller and uncountable
publications and broadcasts]. The employees of such media outlets have been forced
into exile or have been put behind bars. “There are more Oromo journalists
in the Diaspora than there are at home because of the exodus,” he said.
In recent years, the fall of Oromo media houses has especially followed major humanitarian
crises including famine, wars and prior to and after major and national and local
elections that had confirmed the EPRDF’s power.
“It is hard to keep track of these numbers. It became a big problem to the
extent that some media watch groups have been overwhelmed with cases of journalists
from Ethiopia and declined to assist them. There is a growing fatigue and passivity
both on the part of Oromo/Ethiopian journalists and on the part of the international
community. It is a nerve-racking issue to deal with,” he said. Furthermore,
many of the attacks are enigmatic - the government tries to conceal them and media
professionals who fear exposure will endanger their lives and people close to them
remain in silence.