Ethiopianism Is a Political Ideology—Not a Primordial Identity

 Transcription (Quote by Dr. Gamachu Magarsa)

“Ethiopia is not the name of a country, ethnic group, or anything else; rather, it is the name of a political ideology. That is why we have Kenya, but not Kenyanism; we have Uganda, but not Ugandanism; and we have Ethiopia, but its Ethiopianism. This indicates that Ethiopia is essentially a political philosophy rather than a territorial state as we know it now.”

— Dr. Gamachu Magarsa (OSA 2021)

 Ethiopianism Is a Political Ideology—Not a Primordial Identity

By: Habtamu Nini Abino 

Location: Ottawa, Canada

Clarity is revolutionary in a world where the boundaries between statehood, ethnicity, and ideology are often blurred. Dr. Gamachu Magarsa, one of our time's most thoughtful Oromo scholars, offered such clarity in his 2021 address to the Oromo Studies Association. His words strike at the heart of a century-old confusion: “Ethiopia is not the name of a country, ethnic group, or anything else; rather, it is the name of a political ideology.”

This statement demands our attention because it exposes a truth long buried under imperial narratives: Ethiopianism is not a natural identity. It is a state-sponsored, historically constructed ideology of assimilation.

The Fabrication of “Ethiopianism”

Unlike other African nations whose names reflect geographic or historic consensus—Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal—Ethiopia carries a mythical, constructed aura. We do not speak of “Kenyanism” or “Ugandanism” because these countries are political territories, not ideologies. But “Ethiopianism” exists—and not by accident.

It was deliberately manufactured by successive regimes, from Menelik II to Haile Selassie, and later sustained by military and post-military governments, to serve one purpose: to assimilate and erase the identities of subjugated nations, especially the Oromo, through linguistic, religious, and cultural hegemony.

Ethiopianism elevated the Amharic language as a unifying national tool while criminalising and marginalising others. It elevated Orthodox Christianity as the “civilising faith” while branding indigenous beliefs like Waaqeffannaa as backwards. It glorified Abyssinian history while silencing the histories of the Oromo, Sidama, Somali, and others.

It is therefore not a surprise that those who opposed this ideology—those who dared to speak Afaan Oromo, preserve their customs, or honour their ancestors—were called “anti-Ethiopian.” In truth, they were anti-assimilation, anti-erasure, and above all, pro-freedom.

A Warning to Oromo Politicians

Yet in a bitter twist of irony, some Oromo politicians today, perhaps out of ignorance or political expediency, champion Ethiopianism as if it were a virtue. They speak of unity without truth, of peace without justice, and of “Ethiopian identity” without recognising the blood and chains that constructed it.

In rejecting Oromummaa (Oromo identity and values), these politicians believe they are building bridges. In reality, they reinforce the walls that once imprisoned their own people. They forget that Ethiopianism was never meant to include the Oromo—it was designed to absorb and erase them.

Identity Is Not the Enemy of Unity

Some argue that asserting Oromummaa threatens national unity. This is false. The Oromo are not against unity—they are against uniformity through coercion. True unity can only be built upon mutual respect, self-determination, and constitutional equality.

Ethiopia must become a home of nations and nationalities, not a prison of forced sameness. That requires rejecting Ethiopianism not as geography, but as ideology.

Conclusion: From Assimilation to Authenticity

Dr. Gamachu Magarsa’s insight invites us to rethink everything we know about Ethiopia. It invites us to distinguish between a people’s land and an empire’s project. Between Oromummaa and the imposed “Ethiopian identity.”

To the Oromo, today's call is clear: never confuse the chains with your character. Never accept an ideology that demands your silence as a condition of citizenship.

Let us build a future where diversity is constitutional, not conditional, where identity is celebrated, not assimilated, and where Ethiopia, if it is to survive, must finally confront the political fiction of Ethiopianism and choose truth over myth.