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The first books in the history of Oromo literature
Published in the summer of 1973, HIRMAATA DUBBII AFAAN OROMOO is the first Afaan Oromoo book written in Latin alphabet by a consortium of Oromo scholars, particularly, Dr. Haile Fida and Jaal Baro Tumsa. Another book BARA BIRRAAN BARIHE is also a political drama that developed by Dr. Haile Fida and Obbo Abdullahi Yousuf. Before these products, no book was published in qubee Afaan Oromoo by Oromo nationals, albeit there might be unpublished manuscripts like that of Dr. Mohammed Rashad’s FURAA AFAAN OROMOO. While remembering these historical publications, we should also shed light on the contemporary work of the legend Dr. Mohammed Rashad, which titled FURAA AFAAN OROMOO. Dr. Mohammed Rashad’s FURAA AFAAN OROMOO had never got the chance to be published outright due to the suppression made by Somalia’s Ziyad Barrie government. Despite all the hobbling challenges both in the naming of the book and setting the aimed contents, it was a plethora of research work which had entrenched the corner stone for the evolution of modern Qubee development.
Although the grammar in HIRMAATA DUBBII AFAAN OROMOO reflected only a few portions of the nation’s widely spoken rich language, it was, by far, a prototype research from which the equitable principles of Qubee literature have been emerged to the recent day development.
In the preface of this book, the authors expressed their concerns and foresaw the possible solutions about to come:
“Afaan Oromoo baláa dha. Afaan sooressaa dha. Garuu sabni Oromoo wal irraa fagaatee iddoo hedduutti hiramee bara baayée gatii (waan) dabarseef, kana irrattis caaffata (hogbarruu) otuu hin qabaatin waan hafeef, har’a Oromoon hundi yoo walii galuu danda’eyyuu, akki dubbii isaa sirriitti tokko miti…. Haráaf dafnee walii galuudhaaf yoo nu rakkiseyyuu, bor sooruma dhuma hin qabne ta’a…. Si’as (gaafas) hundi keenya rakkina malee walii galuu dandeenya.”