User:Tolasaa Garramaa Ejjetaa
Gadaa (older spelling: Gada; literally: era) is the indigenous democratic system of governance used by the Oromos in Ethiopia and northern Kenya.[1] It is also practiced by the Konso and Gedeo people of southern Ethiopia. The system regulates political, economic, social and religious activities of the community.[2]
Under Gadaa, every eight years, the Oromo would choose by consensus nine leaders known as Salgan ya’ii Borana (the nine Borana assemblies).[3][4] 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.[5][6][7] Whenever an Abbaa Gadaa dies while exercising his functions, the bokkuu (the symbol of power) passes to his wife and she keeps the bokkuu and proclaims the laws.[8]
The Gada system has been inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2016.[9] It is the brainchild of Oromo from the Madda Walabu district of Oromia.[10][11] Oromo people regarded the system as their common heritage and as a major part of their cultural identity.[12] It is the system with which the Oromo people have been governing themselves in a democratic way for centuries.[13][14]
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 Christian kingdom to their north and Islamic sultanates to their east and south. The result is that Oromo absorbs of the Christian and Islam religions. The Borana and Guji groups near the Ethiopian-Kenyan border able to practice Gadaa without interruption. With the creation of the regional state of Oromia under the new system of ethnic federalism in Ethiopia, the Gadaa system across Oromia started renaissance. 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.[15][16] In 2019, Bule Hora University launched a master's degree program in Gadaa studies.[17]
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- ^ "Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo". unesco.org.
- ^ "Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo". unesco.org.
- ^ Galla, Candace (2012). "Sustaining generations of Indigenous voices: Reclaiming language and integrating multimedia technology". {World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium Journal: 46–48.
- ^ Tesema Ta'a (2006). The Political Economy of an African Society in Transformation: the Case of Macca Oromo (Ethiopia). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-3-447-05419-5.
- ^ John Ralph Willis (2005). Slaves and Slavery in Africa: Volume Two: The Servile Estate. Routledge. pp. 122–127, 129–134, 137. ISBN 978-1-135-78017-3.
- ^ John Ralph Willis (2005). Slaves and Slavery in Africa: Volume Two: The Servile Estate. Routledge. pp. 128–134. ISBN 978-1-135-78016-6.
- ^ Ira M. Lapidus (2014). A History of Islamic Societies. Cambridge University Press. p. 483. ISBN 978-1-139-99150-6.
- ^ "The Gadaa System and Some of Its Institutions among the Booranaa: A Historical Perspective". ajol.info. pp. 91–92.
- ^ "Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo". unesco.org.
- ^ "A heroic send-off for Aliyi Cirri, a pioneer Oromo freedom fighter whose courage and bravery inspired generations". www.opride.com.
- ^ "Historical Background". mwu.edu.et.
- ^ "The Gada sysytem; full Dimocratical politics of Oromo;71stBorana BalliHand overing Day Febrawary 2009/20017:The Gada of Kura Jarso" (PDF). oromiatourism.gov.et.
- ^ "Gada System inscribed in UNESCO as Intangible World Heritage". ethiopianembassy.be.
- ^ "Briefing: What is Oromo's Gada system?". hornaffairs.com.
- ^ "The 2015 Commemoration of Odaa-Bultum (One of the Major Oromo Gadaa System's Administrative Centers)". Oromianeconomist.com.
- ^ "A Journey to Revitalizing Gadaa at Odaa Hullee: Tracing Jimma University's Unwavering Commitment". ju.edu.et.
- ^ "Bule Hora University Journey". bhu.edu.et.