About the author: Dr. Tolesa received his PhD in folklore from Indian University, Bloomington. H has taught in Ethiopia as well as in the Afro-American Studies Department at Indiana University.
1999 0-7734-8193-1 A study of Geerarsa, a type of folksong of Ethiopia's Oromo people, who reside in Oromia and Ethiopia as well as in diaspora in the West. In exploring their verbal art it attempts to address the social base and political scope of Oromo folklore. It presents Geerarsa as an important part of the Oromo's values, attitudes, and history as they have struggled, and continue to struggle, against colonial oppression and win back their cultural and national identity.