We are delighted to announce that the 2015 Midyear Conference of the Oromo Studies Association will be held at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany on March 28-29 2015. This is the first time that OSA will hold a conference in Europe. The theme of the conference will be “Historical and Contemporary Relations between Europe and the Oromo.” The conference will also highlight the remarkable contribution that Dr. Paul Baxter and his students have made to the growth of Oromo studies.
We will explore the complex, contradictory and mutual interactions among European individuals and states and the Oromo. European travelers, missionaries and scholars have shaped the way the world looks at the Oromo, often sympathetically. Yet a number of European states provided the weapons that enabled Abyssinian kings to conquer the Oromo nation militarily. Today through ‘developmental’ intervention, European states continue to have a significant impact on Oromo affairs.
Also, Oromo have also played a proactive role in establishing European connections. From mid-19th century, when a collaborative Oromo dictionary and book about a freed Oromo slave opened the German mind to the size, resources and rich cultural heritage of the Oromo population, up to the present when many Oromo take refuge from persecution in Ethiopia, Oromos have made Europe a home away from home and have established strong socio-political ties. This conference aims to explore, shed light and deepen understanding of the historic links and contemporary relationship between Europe and Oromo.
Munich is Germany’s third largest city and is currently home to a vibrant Oromo community. It’s also conveniently located for those who will travel overseas and other European cities. OSA is pleased that they have enthusiastically agreed to host this conference and to help with logistics. We invite all those interested to come join us. For more information, please contact the president via jsm2189@columbia.edu
Jawar Mohammed
President, Oromo Studies Association
