Professor Asmerom Legesse in Abbaa Gadaa cloth

Gadaa ( om, Gadaa; literally: era) is the indigenous democratic system of governance used by the

Oromos The Oromo (pron. Oromo: ''Oromoo'') are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya, who speak the Oromo language (also called ''Afaan Oromoo'' or ''Oromiffa''), which is part of the Cushitic br ...

in Ethiopia and northern Kenya. It is also practiced by the

Konso Konso (also known as Karati) is a town on the Sagan River in south-western Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Konso special woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and ...

and

Gedeo people The Gedeo are an ethnic group in southern Ethiopia. The Gedeo Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR) is named for this people. They speak the Gedeo language, which is one of the Cushitic languages. Overview A ...

of southern Ethiopia. The system regulates political, economic, social and religious activities of the community. Under Gadaa, every eight years, the Oromo would choose by consensus nine leaders known as (the nine Borana assemblies). A leader elected by the gadaa system remains in power only for 8 years, with an election taking place at the end of those 8 years. Whenever an dies while exercising his functions, (the symbol of power) passes to his wife and she keeps the bokkuu and proclaims the laws. The Gada system has been inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2016. It is the brainchild of Oromo from the Madda Walabu

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Oromia Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Be ...

. Oromo people regarded the system as their common heritage and as a major part of their cultural identity. It is the system with which the Oromo people have been governing themselves in a democratic way for centuries. The Oromo governed themselves in accordance with the Gadaa system long before the 16th century, when major three party wars commenced between them and the Ethiopian Empire to their north and

Adal Sultanate The Adal Sultanate, or the Adal Empire or the ʿAdal or the Bar Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling ''Adel Sultanate, ''Adal ''Sultanate'') () was a medieval Sunni Muslim Empire which was located in the Horn of Africa. It was founded by Sabr ad-Din II ...

to their east and south. The result was that Oromo absorbed of the Christian and Islam religions. The Borana and Guji groups near the Ethiopian-Kenyan border were able to practice Gadaa without interruption. In the state of

under the Federal system of Ethiopia, the Gadaa system started a renaissance across Oromia. In 2015, the Gadaa Center at Odaa Bultum was inaugurated and in 2018, the Gadaa Center at Odaa Hullee reinstalled after two centuries of interruption. In 2019, Bule Hora University launched a master's degree program in Gadaa studies.

Characteristics

Luba

The Gadaa society was structured into peer groups based on chronological age or genealogical generation called . Each consists of all of the sons in another particular class. The entire grade progresses through eleven different grades, each based on an eight-year cycle, and each with its own set of rights and responsibilities. The grade passes from one stage of development to the next every eight years.

Baallii

is a process of transferring power from one Gadaa party to the next.

Gadaa Party ()

There are five Gadaa parties known as . These parties follow the five world views of the Oromo people. The five Gadaa parties orderly come to power. A party come to power once every forty years. Hence, there would not be direct competition among the five Gadaa parties, rather the competition would be among individuals within a party. The five Gadaa parties have different names among Boorana, Maccaa-Tuulama, Arsii, Gujii and Ituu-Humbannaa.

Research

A number of scholars have studied Gadaa. Legesse has written that Gadaa is "one of the most astonishing and instructive turns the evolution of human society has taken". In addition to his Harvard PhD dissertation, Legesse has published a book positioning Gadaa as an African democracy that could inform constitutional thinkers. The late Donald Levine has said that Gadaa is "one of the most complex systems of social organization ever devised by the human imagination". For Jalata, Gadaa represents "the totality of Oromo civilization".

Role of women

Primarily, ''Gadaa'' system is an ancient philosophy of socio-political system that responsible for regulating Political stability, Economic growth, social services, Cultural commitments, Ethical contract the of religious order of the Oromo society and practice Gadaa Democracy that require equal participation of both male and female. Still academically debatable as Oromo women have no influences throughout the age of ''Gadaa'' decree or clan leadership structure but the wife of designated ''Abbaa Gadaa'' is equitably treated like the ''Abbaa Gadaa'' himself. ''Siinqee'' feminist represent women in the gadaa system.

Current status

Considering the symbolic significance of Gadaa for the Oromo, as well as its structural innovations, researchers in law, indigenous studies, and pan-Africanism are exploring how the system could be utilized in the 21st century. For example, a thesis by Z. Sirna entitled "Ethiopia: When the Gadaa Democracy Rules in a Federal State" explores how the system could be integrated with the contemporary federal structure of Ethiopia, serving as a governance mechanism for the Oromia Regional National State. Sirna has analysed the Gadaa system in relation to deliberative forms of political participation used in Western contexts. He concludes that the Gadaa systems' technique of 'consensus through dialogue' is unique but firmly rooted in Western democratic norms, and thus well suited to adoption within Ethiopia's federally structured democracy. A political party known as GSAP (Gadaa System Advancement Party) bases its ideology on the principles of Gadaa. A futuristic, governance 2.0 project called BitGadaa draws inspiration from the principles and structure of Gadaa.

References

Bibliography

* Ulrich Braukämper, ''Layers Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia'' (2003) * Joseph Van de Loo, "Guji Oromo Culture in Southern Ethiopia." Berlin: Reimer, 1991. * Asmarom Legesse, "Gadaa: Three Approaches to the Study of African Society", 1973 * Donald Levine, "Greater Ethiopia: The Evolution of a Multiethnic Society", 1974 * Asmarom Legesse, "Oromo Democracy: an Indigenous African Political System", 2006 * Asafa Jalata, Gadaa (Oromo Democracy): An Example of Classical African Civilization, Journal of Pan-African Studies (2012) * Tenna Dewo. 2008. The Concept of Peace in the Oromo Gadaa System: Its Mechanisms and Moral Dimension. ''Journal of Oromo Studies'' 15.1: 139-180
Web access
* Z. Sirna, "Ethiopia: When the Gadaa Democracy Rules in a Federal State", 2012 * Participedia Contributors, "The Gadaa System of the Oromo People," last modified September 7, 2018, Retrieved from https://participedia.xyz/method/4865 {{authority control Oromo people Ethiopian culture Kenyan culture Society of Kenya Accountability Leadership Policy Political philosophy African traditional governments Politics of Africa