About Us
- About Us
OCANA
is a non-profit community association established in 2005 with the objective to provide cultural, recreational, settlement, educational and social services to the Oromo immigrants and refugees settling in the Greater Edmonton area and around.
As an ethno-cultural immigrant community, OCANA strives to mitigate problems which affect the smooth settlement and integration of Oromo immigrants and related people in Northern Alberta.
OCANA’s core programs and services include: resource connection and referral, humanitarian support, settlement and integration, heritage language, culture and art promotion, language translation and computer literacy services, youth mentorship and empowerment, advocacy and social justice, women empowerment and Interfaith Dialogue.
As an ethno-cultural immigrant community, OCANA strives to mitigate problems which affect the smooth settlement and integration of Oromo immigrants and related people in Northern Alberta.
OCANA’s core programs and services include: resource connection and referral, humanitarian support, settlement and integration, heritage language, culture and art promotion, language translation and computer literacy services, youth mentorship and empowerment, advocacy and social justice, women empowerment and Interfaith Dialogue.
Who are OROMOS?
Oromo belongs to the Cushitic language-speaking family of peoples who are known to have inhabited the North-Eastern and Eastern Africa regions since time immemorial. Oromos call their fatherland Oromia.
Oromia is located mainly within Ethiopia and covers an area about 285,000 square kilometers wide, bigger than the size of the UK. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, with a population estimated to be over 50 million people. Oromos speak Afan Oromo, the third most widely spoken language in Africa, after Arabic and Hausa. It is the second most widely spoken Indigenous language in Africa south of the Sahara.
Oromia is located mainly within Ethiopia and covers an area about 285,000 square kilometers wide, bigger than the size of the UK. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, with a population estimated to be over 50 million people. Oromos speak Afan Oromo, the third most widely spoken language in Africa, after Arabic and Hausa. It is the second most widely spoken Indigenous language in Africa south of the Sahara.
Oromos speak Afan Oromo, the third most widely spoken language in Africa, after Arabic and Hausa. It is the second most widely spoken Indigenous language in Africa south of the Sahara.
Oromia, due to its agricultural and natural resources, is the richest region of the Horn of Africa. It is the birthplace of coffee and the “breadbasket” of the Horn of Africa Oromia is also rich in minerals such as gold, silver, platinum, marble, uranium, nickel, natural gas, and many more. It has several large and small rivers used for agriculture and producing hydroelectric power. Oromia has many tourist attractions including the Sof-Oumer cave system, Bale Mountains, wildlife, beautiful people and landscape.
Oromia, due to its agricultural and natural resources, is the richest region of the Horn of Africa. It is the birthplace of coffee and the “breadbasket” of the Horn of Africa Oromia is also rich in minerals such as gold, silver, platinum, marble, uranium, nickel, natural gas, and many more. It has several large and small rivers used for agriculture and producing hydroelectric power. Oromia has many tourist attractions including the Sof-Oumer cave system, Bale Mountains, wildlife, beautiful people and landscape.
Oromo-Canadians in Edmonton
The Edmonton Oromo community is one of the largest Oromo communities in Canada. Approximately 9,000 Oromo Canadians live in Northern Alberta. As well, Oromo Canadians live in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Brooks, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Brooks, Ottawa, Winnipeg & Halifax. There are also a number of smaller Oromo communities in other cities, including Ktchener, Fort McMurray , London, Kitchener, Hamilton, St. John, Grande Prairie and other Provincial Towns and Territories with an active social and cultural life.
The majority of Oromos in Canada fled their home country due to recurrent social subjugation, economic marginalization and political oppression by successive Ethiopian governments hitherto. Oromos in Edmonton established Oromian Community Association of Northern Alberta (OCANA) to help each other with settlement and integration in their new country, Canada.
OUR OBJECTIVES
1
Promote Unity, Friendliness, Brotherhood, and Sisterhood Among Oromos in the Greater Edmonton Area.
2
Facilitate the Welcome or Reception and Settlement of Newcomer Oromian Refugees and Immigrants from Africa and Other Parts of the World to Northern Alberta.
3
Inform Oromian Newcomers of Social Services Available in Canada in General and in Edmonton, in Particular, To Help Them Integrate Smoothly Into Canadian Society In Order To Enhance Their Understanding of Multiculturalism and Diversity.
4
Provide a Platform for the Opportunity To Retain, Develop, and Promote the Oromo Cultural Heritage, Language, and Traditional Values and Pass Them On to the Oromo Children.
5
Organize and Coordinate Social Events and Cultural Activities To Promote Get-Togetherness and Mitigate Isolation.
6
Cooperate and Work Closely with the Mainstream Communities and Organizations in Northern Alberta to Seek Local Solutions to Different Economic and Social Challenges by Increasing the Participation of Members in the Community Development Programs.
7
Create an Atmosphere for Oromo Youth That Helps Them to Stay Away From Wrongdoings.
8
Provide Language Translation Services and Organize Workshops on Issues Benefiting Families, Youth, and Other Members of the Community.
9
Coordinate and Facilitate Humanitarian and Economic Support to Oromian Refugees and Survivors of Torture.
10
Function as a Link Between Oromos in Alberta and Their Compatriots at Home and Abroad.
11
Assist Members of the Association Who May Encounter a Calamity or Unforeseen Financial Difficulties.
- Abbootii Gadaa (Gadaa Elders)
Unique People with history & culture
Oromos are known for their egalitarian socio-political system known as Gadaa. Their governance structure and system made them one of the strongest nations in the Horn of Africa between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. Gadaa is a form of constitutional government and also a socio-political system. Gadaa allows political leaders to be democratically elected by the men of the community every eight years. Corrupt or dictatorial leaders would be removed from power through buqqisuu (recall) before the official end of their term.
Oromo women had a parallel institution known as siiqqee. This institution promoted gender equality in Oromo society. in 2016, the Gadaa system of traditional governance was inscribed in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the world.
