November 12 marked the first anniversary of the Oromo Protests, a non-institutional and anti-authoritarian movement calling for an end to decades of systemic exclusion and subordination of the Oromo. The Oromo are the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and East Africa, comprising more than 35 percent of Ethiopia's 100 million people. Suddenly, the Oromo story moved from the periphery of Ethiopia's political discourse to the centre. Oromo Protests at Rio OlympicsThe protests rose to global prominence when Feyisa Lilesa, an ethnic Oromo marathon runner, crossed his wrists above his head in an "X", a gesture that came to define the Oromo protests, as he crossed the finishing line at the Rio Olympics to win the silver medal. Suddenly, the Oromo story moved from the periphery of Ethiopia's political discourse to the centre.

Source: Ethiopian News November 21, 2016 11:04 UTC