Attention Elsewhere

The Volunteers of Death | Michael Barron Baalu Girma exposed the vulnerability of the Ethiopian military dictatorship while serving as its mouthpiece, his afterlife as complicated as that of Elvis.

Baalu Girma’s 1982 novel “Oromay” spilled the secrets of Ethiopia’s military dictatorship—and cost the author his life. @michaelbarron.bsky.social reviews the long overdue English reissue.

@davidwrites1.bsky.social was also kind enough to draw our attention to Estelle Shirbon's review in the Times Literary Supplement which provides an excellent overview of the relevant history, including that of the novel's publication.

Oromay by Baalu Girma review – an Ethiopian classic This political satire of propaganda during the civil war, which is thought to have cost the author his life, gets an English translation at last

In our research for episode 2, we came across several informative reviews of the English translation of Oromay, including this one by Aida Edemariam:

We appreciate everyone who's been kind enough to give us a listen so far, and we'd love it if you would share this with anyone else who might enjoy it!

Thanks!

Welcome to Attention Elsewhere!

We are your hosts: Alasdair & Eli, and in each episode, we'll draw upon our own interests and research to discuss and spotlight overlooked, underappreciated, and/or up-and-coming entertainment media.

No medium is off limits. And everything is worth our attention.

We'd love any background info or supplemental reading to better understand this era of Ethiopian history, so if there's anywhere you might direct us, that would be amazing!

That, and I wanted to ask: What is it about Oromay, beyond its historical importance, that made you want to translate it?

I, at least, assumed that the Red Star Campaign was part of the Red Terror given the immensity of the psychological and physical violence inflicted by the Derg on Eritrea, but it's a specific campaign, right? That the Derg carried out against political dissidents when they first came to power.

Hey - thank you so much for your comment, and, of course, for the wonderful translation of Oromay! We've really enjoyed our time with it, and can't wait to talk about it more.

To that end, the review from the TLS has somewhat cleared up our confusion, but not completely:

Another cover of "Oromay," this time showing the silhouettes of a two people in front of a tall peak.

Now, in 2026, we finally have a complete English translation of "Oromay" by David DeGusta and Mesfin Felleke Yirgu, and in just a few weeks, we'll tell you all about it!

"Oromay" was an instant hit, but was quickly confiscated, and soon, Baalu Girma himself disappeared - likely abducted and killed by the Derg for his portrayal of their leadership and their failure in Eritrea.

Photo of Oromay's author, Baalu Girma.

While a compelling narrative in its own right, "Oromay" is also historically significant: Like Tsegaye, Baalu Girma was the propaganda chief for the Derg, and with the cataclysmic failure of the campaign, he similarly became disillusioned, choosing to stay in Eritrea, rather than return to Ethiopia.

The cover of the first, official English translation of Baalu Girma's "Oromay." It shows a woman posed in front of the silhouette of a soldier.

In the next episode of Attention Elsewhere, we'll be covering Baalu Girma's "Oromay" (1983), which follows journalist and minister of propaganda, Tsegaye Hailemaryam, and his role in, and eventual disillusionment from, the Derg's 'Red Star Campaign' (better known now as the Red Terror) in Eritrea.

YouTube video by Attention Elsewhere Attention Elsewhere 1: Baby's (Second) Visual Novel

To learn more about how HWBM has reinterpreted this important element of the mech genre, check out the first episode of our new podcast, Attention Elsewhere:

YouTube video by Pyramid Inu Gundam and the Ideology of Newtypes

Though often written off or altogether ignored by fans of Gundam, newtypes are an integral part of the Universal Century (the setting of the mainline entries), and Pyramid Inu's video offers both an excellent starting place for the subject, and the groundwork for some of our discussion in Ep. 1:

Heaven Will Be Mine's setting and core conceit (that of the relationships that form between pilots as they operate their ship-selves in the vastness of space) draw, pretty explicitly, from elements of the mecha genre. But what's most fascinating, perhaps, is it's interpretation of the "Newtype."

YouTube video by Uh Yeah We Know The Devil OST - Summer Scouts

That, and the OST by Alec Lambert (while perhaps a little more subtle) is just as much of an earworm: youtu.be/C7DMdRsxf_g?...

We Know the Devil on Steam WE KNOW THE DEVIL is a visual novel about teens reluctantly fighting the devil at summer camp. Follow meangirl Neptune, tomboy Jupiter, and shy shy Venus as they get to know each other--but one always...

I (Alasdair) had intended to play "We Know the Devil" (also by Worst Girl Games) before we recorded Ep. 1. But having finished it now, I can safely say it makes a great companion piece to "Heaven Will Be Mine": store.steampowered.com/app/435300/W...

YouTube video by Attention Elsewhere Attention Elsewhere 1: Baby's (Second) Visual Novel

While we're both big fans of how queer identity is depicted in HWBM, we found it difficult to ignore some of the traps and pitfalls the game falls prey to when its metaphors run headfirst into reality. To hear more, check out our debut episode below: youtu.be/by72lywP-NY?...

As preparation for Ep. 1, we read, watched, and listened to a wealth of critique, analysis, and fan theory of Heaven Will Be Mine, including Niamh Timmons' fantastic essay, "Gravity = Culture: Trans Liberatory Potentials and Limitations in [HWBM]": gamestudies.org/2404/article...

Check out our debut episode!

We're diving right in with a discussion on New Age spirituality, Cold War tensions, and ongoing imperial projects as they relate to the visual novel Heaven Will Be Mine.

If you're a speculative fiction fan (a la Gundam, Star Trek, etc.), this one's for you!

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Attention Elsewhere 1: Baby's (Second) Visual Novel

Please direct your attention towards Ep 1: Baby's (Second) Visual Novel, in which we center Heaven Will Be Mine—a 2018 visual novel developed by Worst Girl Games—and discuss the Cold War, genocide, and furries.

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