29/07/2022
Hachalu Hundessa’s Kuullee koo:In-depth Analysis into the Lyrics and Wollo History
Hachalu Hundessa sits in the saddle on the back of
a horse wearing the traditional headgear of Oromo
warriors. Photo by Dagi Pictures.
Hachalu Hundessa sits in the saddle on the back of
a horse, wearing traditional headgear of Oromo
warriors. Photo by Dagi Pictures.
Hachalu Hundessa’s posthumous album, “Maal
Mallisaa”, is a versatile album that is full of
euphonious tracks for music lovers. From a
numbers and promotions standpoint, the album had
truly impressive weeks on the charts, topping many
Hollywood artists’ works that were released around
the same time. “Eessa Jirta” and “Goota Koo”
tracks from the album have become part of the
musical canon for his fans and Oromo people in
general. However, the third track in the album,
“Kuullee Koo”, is a ubiquitous song that seems to
stay relevant endlessly. Besides the musical
arrangement, structure, and stunning instrumentals
used, the song is novel in its story-telling format,
purpose, and meaning of the lyrics. The track
composition is electrifying in nature, and the lyrics
condenses stories from hundreds of years ago with
a superjacent message of love, making it
fascinating not only for music lovers, but also for
historophiles like myself.
In the song, Hachalu makes references to 19th
century stories of the Oromo people in the Wollo
region specifically. The Wollo region, located to the
eastern part of the Amhara regional state, today is
one of the culturally diverse places in Ethiopia, with
its capital city at Desse(Dessie). Yet, it is one of
the places that is historically claimed by different ethnic groups such as the Amharas and the Oromos. The references Hachalu makes in the song, in return, trigger the history of the Wollo
Oromos and the political culture of Ethiopia from hundreds of years ago. The song is generally interesting, but it would be an even more commendable...
