아프리카ㆍ중동

The current study aims to predict the future of the Gadaa system, byexamining its significance, the main factors of its decline, and local people’srecognition of it. The primary data used for this study was were collectedfrom fieldwork, which I carried out between 29 July and 19 August of 2013in Dera Town, Doddota District, Oromia Region. The major findings of this study are summarized as follows: First, themain principles of the Gadaa system are democracy, equality, and checks andbalances. Second, both age-sets and generation-sets are crucial inunderstanding the system. Third, the functions of the Gadaa system are verycomplex: political, judicial, social, economic, cultural and religious. Fourth,its decline has been chiefly resulted from both the dominance of theAmhara-Tigray on the Oromo and modernization. Fifth, many of myinformants have a positive response to the system itself and its survival orrevival. Finally, different recognition of it is also found among generations,sexes and religious groups. Just like many members of any other Oromo societies, the majority of myinformants also consider the Gadaa system as their tradition and culturalheritage, which express their identity, values and norms. Hence, it is naturalthat they hope the survival of the system. However, it seems that, thepossibility, which their hope will come true, is low. This is because of thefollowing three reasons: First, the Oromo have almost lost their culturalidentity and uniqueness due to the Amhara-Tigray dominance on them over several centuries. Second, the Gadaa system based on tradition has beenweakened owing to modernization. Finally, even though nationalists havemade efforts to reconstruct and revive Oromo culture since the 1960s, it isnever easy that their endeavor gains a substantial achievement, consideringthe recent social and political terrain of Ethiopian society. In short, the Gadaa system will continuously atrophy because of theinternal differentiation in Oromo society and the external environmentsurrounding it. Hence, it can be assumed that, eventually, the system willremain as not a real type of institution but an ideal type of institution, whichcharacterizes Oromo society. Nonetheless, many members of Oromo societymay want that they hold the system in their memories forever.