their languages. However, traditional music has also been a way for ethnic groups to maintain their cultural and political identities. There is no law that explicitly censors Oromo expression, but there is a large preference for music written in the Amharic language in music shops. This is often considered to be an underhanded way of preventing Oromo music from reaching a wider audience. Most music shops are willing pay large amounts to artists who produces music in Amharic rather than in the Oromo dialect. While a revival of Oromo arts, literature, and drama took place during the transitional period in 1991, Oromo artists continued to experience widespread repression. Oromo artists, athletes, and other professionals have been targeted because of their public image and perceived links to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). The Advocates for Human Rights have recorded stories where Oromos have shared their experience of persecution. One individual describes being caught, beaten, and threatened by soldiers when she joined ten other Oromo singers to record cassettes about Oromo freedom in 1996. Folk singer Elfinesh Kano was arrested on December 31, 1993, after protesting the trial of OLF leaders. It was reported that the prisoners were mistreated while being detained, and received a one-month jail sentence after trial. The court alleged that they were investigating Kano's music in order to determine if it contained anti-government sentiments, and as a result Kano was held past her sentence. Notable Oromo musicians Bashir Dabiy Bashir Dabiy is a female Oromo singer who is currently living in asylum in Norway. Dabiy allegedly angered the Ethiopian government by performing a girasa, a type of music Oromos use to express nationalist sentiments. She was arrested, imprisoned, and allegedly beaten and shaved. Dabiy's choice to sing girasa also allegedly displeased her community, as it defied traditional gender traditions. Haacaaluu Hundeessaa In 2015, Oromo artist Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, known for his songs of political activism, released "Maalan Jiraa" ("What fate is mine?"). Hundeessaa was arrested at age 17 for political activism, and at the time of the song's release he had spent five years in prison, where he reportedly became increasingly politicized. "Malaan Jiraa" attempts to relate the strugglees of the Oromo people, and once released it became a rallying anthem for their cause. Hundeessaa followed by releasing “Jirra” ("We Are Here”) in 2017, and that same year, he performed at a concert in the capital to raise money