A Thematic Analysis of Arsi Oromo Oral Lyric Poetry
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Oromo oral lyric poetry has been less exhaustively recorded and studied. This paper attempts to
provide the thematic analysis of the lyric poems of the Oromo people in West Arsi zone. So, the
general objective of the present study is to investigate thematic aspects of some selected pieces of oral
lyric poems (weelluu love songs and the baye-bayee bridal parting songs). Specifically, the study
focuses on collecting West Arsi oral lyric poems, describing the context of their performance,
identifying the major themes in the poems and identifying the social function of the poems.
The qualitative method is employed in analyzing the west Arsi oral lyric songs (weelluu and bayebayee).
Interview and focus group discussion were the main tools used to collect the data. The
guiding sampling principles and procedures employed here are based on the availability; accessibility
and purposive selection of the required data were the basis for selecting the two genres from two most
conventional west Arsi districts namely, from Kofale and Shashamanne. From the two genres, 12
pieces of weelluu poems and 15 pieces of baye-bayee poems, were selected, transcribed, translated
and interpreted for their ultimate thematic analysis accordingly.
The result or findings of the analysis of both the weelluu and the baye-bayee lyric songs show various
crosscutting themes. Hence, the overall finding can generally be stated as more grievance of the
feminine voice rotating around male dominance, isolation from parents as a result of forced marriage
and suppressed outcry (lamentation) of deeply secretive love and its need for expression despite the
implicit cultural disapproval of the transparency of love affairs. To see the findings genre by genre,
the weelluu lyric poem expressed views and feelings of the composers as follows: depth and pain in
love, endured stress in loving, mysterious nature of love, emotional needs of the lovers, praising and
commenting about their beloved one, obstacles and solutions of enduring love are some of the
identified major themes. Similarly ,the baye-bayee reveals disappointment, loneliness, separation,
ambition, advice, rebuking, alienation, blaming, oppression, violation, fear, vision, admitting
superiority, insulation, criticism, encouragement and the like as articulated by the bride portrayed as
major and minor themes of this particular genre.
This study also reveals sub-findings constituting the strong expressive role of figurative language or
linguistic devices that the poet (poetess) used such as analogy, metaphor, simile, imagery, etc. to
suggest the theme of the poems and to convey extended meaning of the poems when composing the
songs. More tertiary thematic results other than the specified here were also discovered through the
analysis including and recommended points
Finally, conclusive statements have also been provided to point out the overall results of the research.
In addition, based on the reviewed literature the analysis and the conclusion, some recommendations
have also been given to direct the research problem towards its future development. The researcher
recommends that the two genres need an immediate focus as they are at the verge of extinction due to
factors like today's technological experience, urbanization, modern education and political
movements. Other recommendations were also given in the paper.
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Keywords
Thematic Analysis