Geerarsaa: A multifaceted Genre of the Oromoo Oral Art

Abstract

Geerarsaa, isan Oromoo folksong, a repository for different kinds of emotionally charged messages, sung on different occasions to address different issues. Based on the representative samples obtained from manuscripts, the author‟s recollection and other sources, this study attempts to reveal the lyrical nature of geerarsa, its major communicational purposes and features, and the messages it conveys pertaining to praise (faaruu), ridicule (ciigoo); resentment (roorroo), delight (gammachuu); humorous (qoosaa) or non-humorous (fardii).The study employs a descriptive and analytical approach to reveal the overriding purposes of geerarsaa and the social and historical factors that shapes its purposes and its features. The analytical approach employed in this study also reveals the therapeutic role Geerarsaa played in the life of the Oromoo; victims of historical trauma due to the subjugation they suffered in the hands of armed settlers from the north; as historical documents indicate. In addition the study reveals the types of the poetic sound devices involved in the lyrical composition of geerarsaa.