In a move straight out of the first Hunger Games, when Katnis Everdeen did the famous three finger salute, and started a rebellion, something similar happened to the Ethiopian marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa.
After winning the Olympic marathon and securing the prestigious silver medal, Lilesa is apparently in danger of either being killed or imprisoned for making an anti-government signal on international television.
When Feyisa Lilesa crossed the finished line of the Olympic marathon, he raised his hands and crossed them above his head in the shape of an X. The sign turned out be an act of protest against the Ethiopian government, who has come under fire for killing the ethnic minority called Oromo.
Although this has not been majorly covered, but the Oromo people have for long been marginalized and repressed by the government of Ethiopia.
This was quite and big and public step for Lilesa to take, and he is already suffering the consequences to calling out the government on such a platform.
But he has stood strong even amidst all the threats and danger of being killed or put in prison if he returns to his home country. He believes that his people are being locked up and even being killed without a good enough reason.
Lilesa felt this was an important enough cause and if his life was in danger, he thought that it was essential that he show a sign of support and comradeship to his people. The people who are experiencing such tyranny and repression from their government.
As an outsider who has had no prior knowledge on this topic, I feel that this act of Feyisa Lilesa was quite brave and has worked wonders in bringing the attention of the world to this subject.
Where we are pretty easily given information on the more popular areas and their troubles, the media tends to overlook these issues deeming them as not important.
I believe that just like me, there are many more people out there who were till yet unaware of what is going on in Ethipoia.
Hopefully, after this display, more people will come to know about the situation at hand and the Oromo people will get some kind of safety from this brutality.
Signing off, I would just like to say that, Lilesa should not have to fear his life after being strong enough to make such a public display of protest.
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