Language of the Oromo people, spoken in Northeast Africa and primarily Ethiopia and Kenya, as well as parts of Somalia and Egypt. As a macro language, it is estimated that Oromo is spoken by as many as 30,000,000 people. Oromo is the fourth most widely spoken African language after Arabic, Hausa and Swahili.

Is Oromo language banned?

The Oromo are the largest ethnic group of Ethiopia. ... Under the dictatorship of Haile Selassie in 1941, the Oromo language was banned, including from political life and schools, and the Amharic language and culture was forced upon the Oromo people.

Where did the Oromo language come from?

Oromo (/ˈɒrəmoʊ/ or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/; Oromo: Afaan Oromoo) is an Afroasiatic language that belongs to the Cushitic branch. It is native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia and spoken predominantly by the Oromo people and neighbouring ethnic groups in the Horn of Africa.