The East Side Freedom Library invites you to a conversation with

Abdul Dire about his new book

Oromo Witness: From Ethiopia to Minnesota, one man’s struggle for his people, for his family, and for his freedom

This event will premiere on ESFL’s Facebook page and YouTube channel

Join ESFL’s Co-Executive Director Peter Rachleff as he interviews Abdul Dire about his book, Oromo Witness. Dire has relied on oral history and story-telling to reconstruct the history of Arsi Oromo people in the Bale region of southern Ethiopia, from the late 19th century to the present, including their immigration to Minnesota. Abdul Dire, himself a descendant of leaders of the Bale revolts, recounts an epic saga of courage, resistance, perseverance, and sacrifice as told to him by his uncle, Hangasu Wako Lugo. Oromo Witness brings to life the history of an extraordinary struggle for justice and equality through the lens of a participant observer.

The complex struggles of the Oromo people included the navigation of transnational politics involving the governments of Italy (which invaded Ethiopia twice) and Somalia (which sought to use the Oromo people for their own purposes) and inter-ethnic politics which included Amhara, Tigre, and other Oromo groups. Their intergenerational struggles, stories, and aspirations are expressed in their motto: To root out tyranny in all of its forms in their lifetime, or, failing that, to raise a generation to finish the task.

Dire has made his uncle Hangasu the main protagonist in the book. Now in his 60s, he’s one of the few remaining living witnesses of the Bale people’s struggle. Dire has written a profile-in-courage of Hangasu and those who inspired, shaped, and molded him. Hangasu’s courage, strength, and endurance are awe-inspiring. In Minnesota, Hangasu has championed education as a tool for liberation. He now builds schools and sponsors young students. Oromo Witness can be a learning resource for all of us, as we seek to understand the experiences and aspirations of our Oromo neighbors.

Free and open to all

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