Kumsaa Boroo

This book presents the life and times of Reverend Kumsa Boro and a selection of his lifetime collection of Oromo folklore and cultural songs, compiled, organized, and edited by his children. Rev. Kumsa's life spans a tumultuous century of Oromo history in general and the reality of Sayyo Oromo in particular. As a microcosm of the broader Oromo reality, Rev. Kumsa's story is riddled with intense moments of oppression, persecution, courage, and defiance. Others have written about his religious persecution before. What makes this book special, however, is that Rev. Kumsa presents an incredible historical depth to make it clear that his faith and his Oromo identity were never separable in his experiences of persecution. This book is also special because Rev. Kumsa narrates in impassioned prose and poetry as a subject in his own right and from his own perspective. The book is bilingual in that it is written in Afaan Oromo (the Oromo language) with a synopsis of the whole book in English.