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By: Kulani Jalata  Across this planet, people have used music in diverse ways. For many, music is not only an expression of merely one's culture; it is also a vehicle for vocalizing social and political outcries. Music has been used to artistically protest against unacceptable conditions and treatment, such as oppression and state repression, to communicate, to relieve psychological or physical stress and strain, and to relay significant political messages to the general masses. From the "We Shall Overcome" musical outcry of the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. to the music of anti-Apartheid movements in South Africa, music has become a vital mode of social relief and political expression.
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The Oromo Project
The Advocates of Human Rights based in Minneapolis has just released a report telling the Oromo Story. Please take the time to read it and circulate it amongst your networks. Here is an introduction to the project as posted on their website: "The Advocates for Human Rights' report, Human Rights in Ethiopia: Through the Eyes of the Oromo Diaspora, documents the experiences in Ethiopia of members of the Oromo diaspora throughout three successive political regimes. The long arm of human rights violations reaches directly into diaspora communities, including the Oromo, who reported a widespread belief that e-mail communication to Ethiopia is read by the Ethiopian government, that telephone conversations are overheard, and that the Ethiopian government monitors the activities of diaspora members in the United States. Oromos interviewed for the report also described decades of human rights violations in Ethiopia, including arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, torture, and extra-judicial executions. Reports of widespread surveillance and interference with rights to freedom of association, assembly, expression, conscience, and the press were pervasive. Oromos reported that the current Ethiopian government’s federal system has served to isolate ethnic communities, including the Oromo, leaving them even more vulnerable to human rights violations."
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