Females’ Voice through Oral Poetry among Limmuu Oromo, Ethiopia

Megersa Regassa Tolasa

doi:10.29333/ejecs/72

Authors

Megersa Regassa Tolasa Jimma University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/72

Keywords:

Females’ voice, oral poetry, oral creativity, Oromo, Ethiopia

Abstract

This article discusses about the role of Oromo oral poetry in helping girls[1] and women[2]to express their idea in their social life. It also aims to illustrate the talent of girls and women in creating and poeticizing oral poetry to display their opinion on social occurrences such as marriage ceremony, birth rite and at work place. During data collection, ethnographic methods such as observation, focus group discussions and semi-structured interview were employed. I interpreted data collected from the field through these methods. The analyzed data shows that oral poetry has a crucial role to help girls and women to express their idea in pre and post marriage respectively. Before marriage, it helps girls to display their feeling, thought and emotion concerning their future life and their friend’s social life. By using oral poetry, they advise their friends and show their devotion for each other. In post marriage, through oral poetry, women pray Waaqaa (Oromo God) for a woman who unable to bear child. The paper concludes that, oral poetry helps girls and women to express their opinion in every aspect of their life such as marriage, spiritual, and reproduction issues. Therefore, it helps them to make their voice heard in the community and enhances their creativity.

[1] Is durba in Oromo and are unmarried virgin girl.

[2] Is dubartii in Oromo and are married women.

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Author Biography

Megersa Regassa Tolasa, Jimma University

Lecturer at Oromo Folklore and Literature Department, Jimma University

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