Sagalee Qeerroo Oromiyaa

Ali Mohammed Musa grew up in Dire Dawa, Eastern Oromia, at a time when, according to Oromo historian Mohammed Hassan, “writing, teaching, preaching and broadcasting in the Oromo language was banned in Ethiopia.” It was also an era where speaking Afan Oromo was ridiculed, and Oromos were still called by derogatory names like Galla and Qottu Rest in power my legend 😭😭😭

As with all things “Oromo,” Oromo music still does not get the recognition it deserves in Ethiopia. During his career, Ali has performed alongside Amharic music legends such as Bizunesh Bekele, Tilahun Gessesse, and Mahmoud Ahmed. However, while they are nationally celebrated, the promoters of Ethiopian music are yet to embrace an Oromo singer, even one as accomplished as Ali Birra. Despite the systemic hurdles Ali had to overcome to find his voice, without a doubt, he is among Africa’s musical greats like Femi Kuti of Nigeria, South Africa’s Mariam Makeba, DRC’s Kanda Bongo Man, and Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour, to name but few. Ali has inspired a long list of talented Oromo musicians but as Addis Rumble’s Andreas Hansen observed last year, “none of them have carved out a sound as unique as the one that characterizes many of Ali’s recordings from the 60’s and 70’s: the one of a guitar tuned as an oud.” Ali, who studied Music Theory at Santa Monica College in California, told Hansen, “I believe in small incremental changes to my music while staying faithful to its origins. I have tried to use new technological means while respecting the past.” In addition to the gift of his music, Birra also supports local schools and children in disadvantaged communities in Oromia through Birra Children’s Education Fund, a non-profit he created in 2011. After his retirement from music, Birra and his wife Lily are committed to developing innovative and sustainable solutions to improve access to quality education in Ethiopia. On the evening of the Fourth of July, Oromo communities from around the world will gather in Minneapolis, Minnesota to pay homage to a man idolized by an entire generation of Oromo. Ali Birra’s Golden Jubilee will feature a star-studded concert, tributes by those who have known and worked with him, and the release of a short biographical book with contextual analysis of his songs. He is also expected to mark the milestone by unveiling what would be his final album. Rest in peace my hero.

Ali Mohammed Musa grew up in Dire Dawa, Eastern Oromia, at a time when, according to Oromo historian Mohammed Hassan, “writing, teaching, preaching and broadcasting in the Oromo language was banned in Ethiopia.” It was also an era where speaking Afan Oromo was ridiculed, and Oromos were still called by derogatory names like Galla and Qottu. At fourteen, Ali joined a group of youngsters from his neighborhood to form the Hiriyaa Jaalala band. Shortly thereafter, he received an unexpected invitation from the Afran Qallo Band, the first modern Afan Oromo band, to perform before a live audience during the 1963 celebration of Eid al-Fitr. This event forever altered the trajectory of Ali’s life. In his first public musical act, Ali sang “Birraa dhaa Barihe” roughly translated as ‘the break of dawn’ from which he received the much-adored last name: Birra. Though the Afran Qallo Band struggled under the repressive Abyssinian regime which eventually disbanded them, the exposure was irreversibly uplifting and lit an indistinguishable spark in Ali’s heart. In a forthcoming book, A Fifty Year Journey for the Love of Music and His People, Oromo scholar Mohammed Hassan describes Ali as “a great gift to the Oromo people and to the world of music.”Birra’s extraordinary voice elevated Oromo music to the world stage, raised Oromo national consciousness, and created a space for connection to “home” for those forced into exile. A fluent speaker of Swedish, Arabic, Amharic, Oromo, Harari, English, and Somali languages, Birra is a rare talent who sings in six different world languages – a feat no other Ethiopian singer has achieved. alibirra bookWidely held as the greatest and most successful singer in Oromo history, Birra is – as sociologist Gammachu Magarsa writes – “an embodiment of our national aspiration for freedom, equality and unity.” During his 50 year musical career, Birra produced more than 260 first-rate songs. He began staring at Haile Selassie’s Imperial Body Guard Orchestra and played countless times at local nightclubs around Addis Ababa. Finding more opportunities abroad, Ali left Ethiopia and has since performed concerts across six continents. In many ways, Birra did not escape the hardships endured by ordinary Oromos under successive oppressive Abyssinian regimes in Ethiopia. A year into his new life as a singer, Birra was detained for allegedly ridiculing emperor Haile Selassie during a short visit to Djibouti in 1964. As his wife Lily Marcos-Birra noted in a book chapter she had written about his life, Ali was later forced out of the Imperial Orchestra for refusing to vow for the despot emperor and referring to him as a “human being.” While Birra broke no official law, in those days, singing in Afan Oromo itself was still considered a political act and an illegal one at that. Yet, Birra always fought back through his music. As his singing style matured, Birra’s lyrics became more political addressing such landmark political events as feudal landlordism, the introduction of socialism, an artificial division in the Oromo camp after the 1974 revolution, Oromo emancipation, exile, and dispossession of the peasantry. Today, for the vast majority of the Oromo diaspora, Birra’s tender and nostalgic tunes serve as an emotional link to a distant homeland and loved ones left behind. Ali’s music inspires people to dance, reminiscence, and feel a sense of belonging. His beautifully haunting voice, often recorded only with a guitar, laments Oromos ongoing quest for freedom and dignity; with the same voice, he sings Bareedni Uuma – natural beauty. In recognition of his unmistakable influence and talent, Birra has received over 30 awards from Oromo communities around the world – most for Lifetime Achievement. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of music degree from Jimma University, the first by any Oromo as Dr. Hassan observes in the book.

Seenaa addaa! Mucaa daa'ima amata 7 hin gahin duraa haati duute. Yeroo muraasa booda abbaan isaa jaartii biraa fuudhe. Jaartiin abbaa isaa tun haadha biddeenaa (Afaan Harargheetiin Aayyadaa) mucaa kanaaf taate.! Guyyaa tokko abbaan isaa "haadha tee taduraatii fi tan ammaa jidduu garaagarummaan jiru maali?!" Jachuun daa'ima kana gaafateen. Daa'imni kun yaaddawaa "haati tiyya taduraa nisobdi. Soba irraa baradhe. Garuu, tan ammaa tun dhugaa malee hin beeytu" jachuun deebiseef! Abbaan isaatiis deebisaa isaa akka malee Ajaa'ibee "mee akkamitti?!" Jachuun gaafateen. Yeroo kana daa'imni kun "haati tiyya tanadhalte yoo bakka akkanaa dheeyte, yoo waan akkanaa hojjatte nyaata sitti hin kennu naan jatti. Garuu, yeroon ani waan isiin irraa nadhoorkite kana hojjadhees nyaata anumaaf kenniti. Garuu, tan ammaa tun ajaja isii yoon dide akkuma jatte nyaata naaf hin kennitu. Kunoo ammaahu guyyaa lama nyaata naaf hin kennine!" Jachuun isaaf deebiseen.! Namni bakka haadhaa bu'u jiraa?! Addunyaa tanarratti Musiibaan guddoon Daa'imummaan haadha dhabuudha! Aboo kan haadha qabdu Rabbi Umrii siif haa dheereeysuun. Kan hin qabne ammoo Rabbi jannata haa kennuuf!

#Jaalala_dhugaa qulqulluu ganama kan shakkii hin qabne yoomu amanamaa Wal irraa fagaannee biyyaa biyyaas teenu jaalala malee nu wal jibbaa beeynu Akkanatti hin hafnuu obsii mee wal garaa abdiin na eeggadhu hin muraatiin garaa Jette jettee namaa gurra kee hin laatin guyyaa tokko wal garraa naa jalaa hin yaadiin😍😍😍 Fageenyi jibbaaf malee jaalala dangeessuu Rabbii uumaa malee Eenyuu adda nuu baasu Obsii gaara diiga obsaa naaf horadhu yeroo sii yaadadhu imimmaan coccoobsa Jaalalli qulqulluun maaliin madaalamtii rakkoo har'aa dhiiftee boriif kaayyeefaattii jaalala dhugaa qabaadhu Obboleessa,Obboleettii Addunyaa qofa mii Akiraaf sii taati🌹🌹 Jaalallii soba sobuma Eessaan tabba baati Osoo harkiisanuu Kufuuf shololaatti🙅🙅 Irraanfadhee mitii Fagaadheeti malee Ani anuma,atiisi isimaa Boontuu too jaalallee Warrii Jaalallee/haadha warra/abbaa warrattiin biyyaa adda addaa jirtaan ittin yaadadha

👉Garaagarummaa shamarraan durii fi kan ammaa waliin ilaala. 📃👍 1,Isheen durii humna ishee humna fardaa dha.Isheen ammaa rifeensa isheetuu eegee fardaa dha. 2,Isheen durii si raffiste morma kee jala galtee rafti.Isheem ammaa si raffistee FB galtee galtee achumaa rafti. 3,Isheen durii magaala bashannanaaf Baatani caffee yoo teessaanis callisteemaa ija abba mana ishee ilaaltii.Isheen amma gogdee teessee dhiiraa biraa ilaaltee maaliif na ilaalaa sin jattee yeroo ati irraa argituu 4,Isheen durii yoo kabalan hafuura dhookfate gola seenti.Isheen ammaa yoo kabalan nama dhiittii. 5,Isheen durii ogummaa akkam bareeduu qabdi.Isheen ammaa marqaa marquuf qullubbii kukkuttii. 6,Isheen durii utuu hojii isa manaaf bakkee hojjettuu lafti dhiha.Isheen amma utuu kaaffee irraa naannooftuu lafti dhiha. 7,Isheen durii saalfii beektii.Isheen ammaa suura selfi ka'uu qofa beekti.

For all muslim around the world happy eid, eid mubarak

Daroo koo ummata oromoof oolmaa guddaa ooltee jirta, ummata oromoo biraa galata guddaa qabda, galatoomi daroo koo❤❤🙏🙏🙏

baga rabbi si baasee bulloo koo Dhugaa qabna ammas ni injifanna