Ibsa Ahmed

The Eastern Oromo in the 19th and 20th Centuries: the History of Islamization and Conquest Ibsa Ahmed

The book is about the history of the Itu Oromo from 1879 to 1974. Although the main focus is on the Itu Oromo, the book includes other Eastern Oromo, like Afran, Qallo and Aniya. The Itu Oromo maintained their own political , social and economic system before the occupation of their land by the Shawans in the 1880s. The occupation was bloody and took long years and made them part of the Ethiopian empire. In addition, the conquest brought unprecedented consequences to the socio-political system of the Itu , including alien settlements, Islamization and disintegration of the gada system. The Bultum Gada and the Raba Dori systems were replaced the socio-economic system of the occupying force. In protest to the occupying force, the Itu were converted in to Islam en mass. Islam and the shawans' occupation were the major factors that shaped the history of the Eastern Oromo in the 20th century. The book may serve as an important source to those who are interested in the history of the horn of Africa in general and the Oromo in Ethiopia in particular.