Ethiopia: Oromos celebrate their formerly oppressed traditions

In the rising heat of the early morning, tens of thousands of Oromos flock to a lake about 50 km from Addis Ababa to celebrate Irreecha, an ancestral religious and cultural festival, but also a sounding board for long-stifled identity and political demands.

A white tide of dresses, tunics or costumes, often adorned with the black-red-white colors of the Oromo flag, children, women and men of all ages, converged on Sunday, on foot, to…