The Oromo in Exile: From the Horn of Africa to the Suburbs of AustraliaThe movement of thousands of refugees from the Horn of Africa to Australia has only recently begun to attract interest among the media and general public. Perhaps the least known among these refugees are the Oromo people who have fled continued persecution in Ethiopia. By the year 2002, more than fifteen hundred Oromo had found their way to Australia. In this totally original book, Greg Gow provides a privileged insight into the values and meanings of lives that could easily be seen as marginal. Packed with insight and imageful observation, The Oromo in Exile communicates some of the vibrancy and complexity among these people from the Horn of Africa who are now living in Australia.Arising out of a series of dramatic and sometimes startling encounters, the book addresses the question of identity and place by giving voice to the pain of exile-not only among the Oromo but displaced people more generally. As Gow narrates, although now 'free' in Australia, the Oromo experience anguish and divided loyalties as the dominant values of individualism, privacy and self-advancement in mainstream Australian society conflict with their longing for cohesion and community.Gow discovers that 'home' does not necessarily exist physically, but the overriding desire to construct 'home' even away from 'home' is pervasive. The Oromo are a people committed to creatively performing 'home' while in exile-a process the book both reflects and contributes to. |
Contents
Millennial Conversations | 6 |
Startling Encounters of the Personal Kind | 20 |
MourningYearning | 44 |
Copyright | |
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The Oromo In Exile: From the Horn of Africa to the Suburbs of Australia Gow, Greg No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
Aannolee Abbaa Ibssa Abyssinian Addis Ababa afaan Oromoo Afandi affines African Ali's Amharic arrived Arsi Arsi Oromo articulation Australia back home banner Bedrya Birraa Biyya blessing bokkuu Booran Boru cassette centre colonial concert dareemoo Dawit Derg Dirree dhawaa Djibouti eastern Oromiya EPRDF Eteffa Ethiopia exile experience Fatuma Fictive Kinship Finfinnee Footscray gadaa gathering gender Gobana guduunfa Hassen Horn of Africa household Islamic kinship Kumsa living loungeroom male Melbourne Airport Melbourne's Oromo Menelik II mother Muniiraa Nairobi occasion OPDO organisers Oromiya Oromo community Oromo cultural Oromo identity Oromo in Melbourne Oromo language Oromo Liberation Front Oromo music Oromo nation Oromo nationalist Oromo society Oromo women pan-Oromo past performance political present refugees religious rite ritual role rural Semira Shantam Shubisa siiqqee singing social Sofiyaa song speak spoke struggle symbols Tigray Tofik traditional transformed ulmaa baha Urjii various Oromo woman woman/mother Yaa waaqa