The Story of the Musician | (Nov. 23, 2020) Human of Oromia

On July 29, 2020 Oromos lost a voice that projected and demanded their stories be heard. They lost not only an Oromo musician, but they lost an activist that advocated for Oromos globally. Hachalu Hundessa will forever be remembered for his bravery, love, ambition, and most importantly his pride in being Oromo. At a time where Oromos thought they were transitioning to a better Ethiopia, Hundessa was murdered by military forces for brazenly sharing his views on PM Abiy Ahmed. Oromos globally cried, protested and demanded justice, Jafar Yusuuf was amongst the many. The murder of Hundessa struck a lot deeper for Yusuf, he shared a commonality with Hundessa many did not have.

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Jafar Yusuf was born and raised in Kelem, Welega in 1992. He attended Gidami Elementary School, then furthered his education at Dambeedollo Secondary School until Grade 10, before being expelled for protesting the rights and freedom of Oromos. Rather than furthering his education, Yusuf found love in illustrating the Oromo struggle, love, and culture into music. He produced, wrote, and directed his first song “Danuu Jecha Namaa” in 2013 and realized he was in love with production just as much as music. “Danuu Jecha Namaa” is one of very few songs Yusuf wrote about love, majority of his music targeted the Oromo struggle and fighting for Oromos rights and freedom. Yusuf utilized his music to spread awareness, but felt as though more needed to be done. He made the brave decision to train with Oromo freedom fighters in the out skirts of Ethiopia until 2015, before moving to South Africa to continue his music career. While in South Africa, Yusuf was given the opportunity to star in an Oromo Film called “Sibirii” that translates to “Bitter”. The film depicted the hardships Oromos were experiencing under PM Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe and his plan to colonize the Oromia Regine. Shortly after “Sibirii” premiered in 2018, Yusuf along with many other Oromo’s globally travelled back to Ethiopia. Newly appointed PM Abiy Ahmed had promised a democratic Ethiopia, and a space where Oromos could be heard in a free and fair election. That all end when military forces murdered Hundessa, and followed his assassination with jailing many political party members, Oromo activist and peaceful protesters.

After months of protests flooding the streets of Ethiopia, Yusuf knew his people needed something empowering, so he released the song “Of-Qopheessi” that translates to “get yourself ready”. The visual for the song was enduring and brave, it was what Oromos needed to see and hear to continue carrying out this fight for freedom. Shortly after the music video aired, Yusuf was arrested in Adama, Central Oromia Region, for simply producing music that gave his people the life they need to continue protesting. Yusuf was jailed and brutally beaten before being dropped on the side of the road for dead. Local’s came to his rescue and was taken to the nearest hospital. Two weeks after being admitted into the hospital, Yusuf is still severely suffering from his wounds, with no guarantee of his fate with military forces. At any time, they could come to the hospital and drag him back to jail with no probable cause, warrant, or charge.

This is the horrific reality of Jafar Yusuf.

Humans of Oromia are being brutally beaten, raped, murdered and held in detention centers for just simply being Oromo. Follow us as we take you on a journey through their untold horror stories – Written by Nadiya Boru