Dr. Tilahun Gamta (One of the Pioneers of Afan Oromo Linguistics)
We feature Afan-Oromo Linguistic Expert Dr. Tilahun Gamta and Poet Extraordinaire Dhufeeraa Birraasaa as our focus on the 23rd Anniversary of the adoption of Qubee continues.
Dr. Tilahun Gamta used Qubee to publish his book, “Oromo-English Dictionary,” in 1989; the dictionary was published in Finfinne itself. Though Qubee had been started to be used by Oromos widely since the 1970’s, the Amhara-centric Derg military regime banned it right after it came to power; thus, Qubee was used only clandestinely until its November 3, 1991 official adoption for use as the alphabet of Afan-Oromo. The 1989 publication of Dr. Tilahun Gamta’s “Oromo-English Dictionary” using Qubee was therefore a revolutionary act.
The 1989 “Oromo-English Dictionary” was then revised in 2004 as the “Comprehensive Oromo-English Dictionary.” This latest dictionary is available on Amazon.com with limited edition – and can be a good reference book on your own bookshelf, or a great companion or gift idea for Oromo and non-Oromo aspiring students of Afan-Oromo.
“The Comprehensive Oromo-English dictionary written entirely in Qubee, (Oromo Alphabet) is designed primarily for those who wish to learn English through Oromo and vise-versa. The author, Dr. Tilahun Gamta is a prominent scholar and educator who has dedicated his professional life to the development and advancement of the Oromo language. His seminal work in this area culminated in the publication of Oromo-English Dictionary (1989) and the subsequent Comprehensive Oromo-English Dictionary (2004). The first dictionary was a 630-pages long, the only one of its kind by a native speaker of the Oromo language. The second publication is an even more comprehensive 863-page dictionary which builds upon the first publication. Dr. Gamta also published Seera Afaan Oromo in 1995, a study of Oromo grammar and a guide for grammatical principles in the Oromo language.”
——————-
Poet Extraordinaire Dhufeeraa Birraasaa
Dhufeeraa Birraasaa is a few generations younger than Dr. Tilahun Gamta, one of the Afan-Oromo linguistic pioneers; however, he’s a pioneer on his own right. At a younger age, he’s already proven to be a Poet Extraordinaire and is breaking new grounds in Afan Oromo arts.
Radio Afuura Biyyaa wrote the following about Dhufeeraa Birraasaa:
“Poet Extraordinaire Dhufeeraa Birraasaa is, undoubtedly, one of the rising stars in contemporary Oromo Poetry. This trained poet and highly gifted artist started poetry at a very young age. He has written countless poems on different issues. His poems are deeply philosophical and send powerful messages. However, the vast majority of his works has never reached the wider audiences. Recently, he has published some of his works on audio CD: ‘Waan Harka Namaa Keessaa,’ ‘Dhiiga Saree,’ ‘Waamicha Moo Saamichaa?’ are among the poems on the audio CD.”
Back in September 2014, when Radio Afuura Biyyaa interviewed Poet Extraordinaire Dhufeeraa Birraasaa, listeners of the interview were wondering where and how to get his poetry anthology. Since then, Dhufeeraa Birraasaa has worked with producers to release his audio CD in Digital Music Stores (such as iTunes/App Store, Android/Google-Play, Amazon.com and so on). Dhufeeraa Birraasaa’s moving and thought-provoking poetry anthology can be a good addition to your digital media library on your Smart Phones or MP3 players.
Here are a sample of some of the poems included in Dhufeeraa Birraasaa’s anthology from Amazon.com:
Poet Extraordinaire Dhufeeraa Birraasaa was recently featured on Oromo media outlets; here are his interviews with OMN and Radio Afuura Biyyaa.
OMN (September 2014):
Radio Afuura Biyyaa (September 2014):