The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, situated on the Horn of Africa, is the most heavily-populated country in the world without a coastline. It is also the second most populous country on the entire African continent. The Oromia region is one of Ethiopia's nine regional states. Now, you can get Oromia news.
The history of Oromo, as it is sometimes called, is very interesting. This is as true for recent history as it is for ancient times. Until the beginning of the 21st century, Oromia's capital was Addis Ababa, also known as Finfinne. At this time, the government moved the capital to Adama. The rationale behind this change was that it was more suitable for the cultural growth of the region. Opponents of the switch blamed it on the government wanting to diminish the influence of Addis Ababa. By 2005, the capital was moved back to Finfinne by the People's Democratic Organization of Oromo.
The fact that the news of the region is now available to the rest of the world should be heralded as a welcome change. Until recently, the Ethiopian government prided itself on its ability to hold its cards close to its chest as far as the rest of the world was concerned. The fact that we can now read about repression of the media is a huge step.
Oromo is also known as Finfinne. The Finfinne Tribune writes about the supposed origins of the Abyssinian Solomonic dynasty. In the Old Testament, we read about King Solomon hosting a visit from the Queen of Sheba. What we do not read about in the books of Kings and 2 Chronicles is the birth of Minilik I, the product of a romantic union between the two monarchs. This baby grew up to become a king of Ethiopia/Abyssinia.
It is not necessarily weird that the Bible doesn't mention Minilik. The Bible is a story of Creation, of God's promise to Abraham and about the world's long road to salvation via Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of King David. King Solomon himself was illegitimate in conventional eyes, the product of an adulterous union between his father, King David, and Bathsheba, the wife of one of the king's soldiers. So, while Minilik certainly has a very prestigious nth cousin, he himself was not part of the main story line and his omission does not rule out his provenance.
It was not unusual in ancient times for rulers to claim some form of divine, mystical ancestry. They believed this would set them above their subjects and gave them the ability to reign with unlimited power.
The notion that kings were demigods persisted right up until the overthrow of Emperor Haile Sillaasee in 1974. Sillaasee, too, was a member of the Solomonic dynasty. Born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, he served as regent of Ethiopia between 1916 and 1930 before taking over as Emperor until 1974.
It is exciting to be exposed to new stories about old countries that never seem to have a big role on the world stage, at least from a western point of view. It is unfortunate that records of the Solomonic Dynasty, kept by the Christian monks of the Ethiopian orthodoxy, were demolished when Judith I destroyed the monasteries. Following the revolution in 1974, most of the Ethiopian royal family were put in prison, later to be released and entered into exile. Today, many members of the royal family have been allowed to come back and life in Ethiopia.
The history of Oromo, as it is sometimes called, is very interesting. This is as true for recent history as it is for ancient times. Until the beginning of the 21st century, Oromia's capital was Addis Ababa, also known as Finfinne. At this time, the government moved the capital to Adama. The rationale behind this change was that it was more suitable for the cultural growth of the region. Opponents of the switch blamed it on the government wanting to diminish the influence of Addis Ababa. By 2005, the capital was moved back to Finfinne by the People's Democratic Organization of Oromo.
The fact that the news of the region is now available to the rest of the world should be heralded as a welcome change. Until recently, the Ethiopian government prided itself on its ability to hold its cards close to its chest as far as the rest of the world was concerned. The fact that we can now read about repression of the media is a huge step.
Oromo is also known as Finfinne. The Finfinne Tribune writes about the supposed origins of the Abyssinian Solomonic dynasty. In the Old Testament, we read about King Solomon hosting a visit from the Queen of Sheba. What we do not read about in the books of Kings and 2 Chronicles is the birth of Minilik I, the product of a romantic union between the two monarchs. This baby grew up to become a king of Ethiopia/Abyssinia.
It is not necessarily weird that the Bible doesn't mention Minilik. The Bible is a story of Creation, of God's promise to Abraham and about the world's long road to salvation via Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of King David. King Solomon himself was illegitimate in conventional eyes, the product of an adulterous union between his father, King David, and Bathsheba, the wife of one of the king's soldiers. So, while Minilik certainly has a very prestigious nth cousin, he himself was not part of the main story line and his omission does not rule out his provenance.
It was not unusual in ancient times for rulers to claim some form of divine, mystical ancestry. They believed this would set them above their subjects and gave them the ability to reign with unlimited power.
The notion that kings were demigods persisted right up until the overthrow of Emperor Haile Sillaasee in 1974. Sillaasee, too, was a member of the Solomonic dynasty. Born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, he served as regent of Ethiopia between 1916 and 1930 before taking over as Emperor until 1974.
It is exciting to be exposed to new stories about old countries that never seem to have a big role on the world stage, at least from a western point of view. It is unfortunate that records of the Solomonic Dynasty, kept by the Christian monks of the Ethiopian orthodoxy, were demolished when Judith I destroyed the monasteries. Following the revolution in 1974, most of the Ethiopian royal family were put in prison, later to be released and entered into exile. Today, many members of the royal family have been allowed to come back and life in Ethiopia.
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