By Amane Wako

Oromia Youth Association Presents ( HAWII) Hope for East Africa.

Fundraising Dinner for the Famine.

On October 8th, 2011, Oromia Youth Association is holding its annual fundraising dinner in order to bring aid to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in East Africa. Many people throughout the world know of the tremendous starvation that is killing millions, specifically in Ethiopia and Somalia.We as the youth have a responsibility to do whatever we can to aid people in desperate need of assistance. We have chosen to hold this dinner as a fundraiser to raise as much as possible, in order to help as much as we can.

By Big Z Kadir*

On Monday Sept. 26, the Oromia Student Union at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities held a successful freshman welcoming event. It is one of the many events the student club organizes to help high school and transfer students transition into college.

About 50 current students, U of M alums, faculty and guests were gathered at the Carlson School of Management around 4p.m. Biftu Khalif, the president of the Oromia Student Union, opened the event welcoming the incoming freshman class to the University of Minnesota.

The following in an excerpt from Tadesse Jaleta's thesis, A Contextual Study of Guji-Oromo Proverbs: functions in Focus, as submitted to Addis Ababa University's Department of Foreign Languages and Literature in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Art in Literature.

The Guji people belong to the Oromo ethnic group. They speak Oromo language and practice the original Oromo culture. They are, even, considered to be the ones who have sustained the original Oromo traditions. In other words, the original Oromo traditions are still active in practices of the Guji society. In their ways of life and dialect, the Guji Oromo seem to be distinct from Oromos of other parts of the country with the exception of the Borana Oromo. With the Borana Oromo, they share some ways of life and speak a relatively similar dialect (Van De Loo, 1991).

The 2011 Oromo Thanksgiving (Irreechaa) was colorfully celebrated at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Click on "Read more..." to watch videos from the event.

By Teferi Fufa and Yeshi Tolosa

Minneapolis, MN – On September 11, 2011, Irreechaa was colorfully celebrated at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Irreechaa is one of the ancient and premier holidays of the Oromo people. Oromo people, the largest ethno-national group in east Africa, inhabit most of the present day Ethiopia. Oromos are descendents of the ancient Cushitic people.

The Oromo Thanksgiving holiday is widely celebrated throughout the world by Oromo Diaspora communities and friends of the Oromo people. It is also celebrated as a National Holiday in Oromia, Ethiopia.