Some thoughts on Oromiffa as the second federal language...

I fully support the idea that Oromiffa should become the second federal language, for various reasons. These include the relatively large number of Oromiffa speakers in Ethiopia, political events over the past few decades, including Oromo nationalism, Oromo region ensuring Amharic is not taught in Oromo schools as part of its drive towards Oromo nationalism, thereby created facts on the ground to force the issue, etc. make this seem to be the most prudent political direction. And I would add - and I would consider this the most important benefit of having Oromiffa as a federal language - that this can actually reduce ethnic nationalism and thereby ethnic conflict by increasing integration and the integrated population. I've written previously about this (https://asfawdarguemeshal.blogspot.com/2016/09/curbing-ethnic-nationalism-via_26.html and http://asfawdarguemeshal.blogspot.com/2018/07/towards-integrated-ethiopia.html). To repeat, this means that by making Oromiffa a federal language, and thereby, for example, encouraging Amhara Region to achieve full fluency in Oromiffa, we increase integration, and we reduce ethnic nationalism, which for me is one of the existential issues for Ethiopia.

However, I think there are two very important points to make here. First, the issue of Oromiffa as a federal language is often presented as one of principle, and this is done so to claim a moral high ground. I think that in order to avoid building on sand,  we have to be honest and acknowledge that this is a political issue, not one of 'principle', insofar as principle exists. By principle I mean values such as equality, restoration, fairness, etc. By principle, a Somali can demand the same for the Somali language. Why should Amharic and Oromiffa be privileged, he can rightly ask? He might even add that while before only Amharic speakers had an 'advantage' over him, now both Amharic and Oromo speakers have this 'advantage'. (I put 'advantage' in quotes because it can easily be considered a disadvantage. A Somali who is properly taught Amharic and Oromiffa in school becomes trilingual whereas the Oromo remains monolingual - the Somali is better off.) So let us not pretend this is an issue of principle, of righteousness vs unrighteousness, of morality vs immorality, of oppressed vs oppressor. Oromiffa becomes a federal language not because of the need for equality, restoration, or fairness, but for political and practical reasons, for the same reasons as Amharic remains, because it is spoken, natively or not natively, by a large number of citizens who have the political power to enforce their demand.

A second, implicit idea in all of this is the desire for many to make this a political negotiating tool vs Oromo ethnic nationalism. "If you want us to support you in making Oromiffa a federal language, then give us ... in exchange." What most are asking in return is, I think, a revision of ethnic federalism to make it less ethnic and more national - a revision of the constitution in other words. Some are also asking for culturally symbolic concessions such as changing the script to Geez. As I said above, given that the demand is political, the demand for political concessions is certainly fair, in my mind. It makes sense, and it makes sense to carry this into the negotiating room and the public discussion sphere. What will come of it, we'll see.