Na-Malee: Dogma's Grip On The Oromo and Ethiopian Politics Paperback – December 29, 2025

This book is a personal and political reflection on my journey as a co-founder of the Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Association (OLLAA) and a long-time advocate for the Oromo people. It begins in late 2019, just before my trip to Ethiopia—a moment when I stood at a crossroads in my life, one year after the failed revolution that brought the so-called Oromo government to power.I trace my involvement in the Oromo struggle back to 2017, when I became the first and only person to testify before the U.S. Congress on behalf of the Oromo. That testimony, along with years of peaceful protests, helped catalyze the political shift in 2018. But what followed was not the transformation we had hoped for.In 2019, I traveled to Ethiopia to explore whether I should join a political party and contribute more directly to the movement. I joined the Jila KFO (Oromo Federalist Congress tour) alongside leaders like Jawar Mohammed, Dr. Merera Gudina, and Abdi Ragasa. But the slow pace of progress and internal dysfunction led me back to the U.S., determined to help the Oromo political parties prepare for the 2020 election.Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and the assassination of Haacaaluu Hundessa. His death shattered the fragile hope we had built. The aftermath—mass arrests, violence, and destruction—marked a turning point for me. I committed myself fully to the cause, no longer part-time, and began advocating on a global scale.This book recounts my work with elected officials, international organizations, and media outlets across the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia. I met with U.S. Special Envoys, advisors to Presidents Biden and Trump, and countless others. We raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support our advocacy, including hiring a lobbyist at $30,000 a month—while I received only $200 a week. But with that support came internal backlash, envy, and emotional wounds from within the Oromo community itself.What I learned through this journey is that the greatest threat to the Oromo struggle—and to Ethiopia—is internal. We were raised to believe that our enemy was external, but the war in Tigray and the political infighting among Oromos revealed a painful truth: we are often our own worst enemies.This book is not just a memoir. It’s a reckoning. I challenge the narratives that have shaped our identity and politics. I argue that Oromo political elites have, knowingly or not, built a struggle that is unwinnable—one rooted in division and resentment rather than unity and democracy.I wrote this book for the next generation. I want young Oromos and Ethiopians to understand the full picture—not just the version handed down by political elites. I want them to see the cost of ethnic division and the danger of weaponized identity. I want them to know that justice must be for all, not just for some.I focus on the Oromo not because others—Amhara, Tigrayans, or others—are blameless, but because this is where I’ve spent the last 20 years of my life. I don’t want to walk away. I want to make a difference.This book is my attempt to pass on what I’ve learned, to help others avoid the mistakes I made, and to offer a new vision for justice, unity, and truth in Ethiopia. Read more