Translocations of affirmation : mediascapes and cultural flows among the stateless Oromo

This article concerns the media cultures of anticolonial stateless groups. The discussion is based upon the case of the Oromo, an ethno-national group within Ethiopia. The translocal dimensions of media and cultural flows among the Oromo are investigated, with a focus upon the important interlocutory roles of artists, media and cultural workers in diaspora contexts. The article indicates how Oromo people performatively conjoin with and chaotically produce their own mediascapes ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ at the various sites called the loci of affirmation ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ in the process of imagining themselves to be members of a global diaspora. An important theme is efforts by consecutive Ethiopian regimes to curb the influence of diaspora mediascapes within their borders.