Peace-keeping with Indigenous Participatory Democracy: The Gadaa system of the Oromo People

The Oromo people in Ethiopia use the Gadaa system, a participatory and democratic approach, to keep peace in their communities and self-govern their political, economic, social, and religious systems. The Gadaa system helps them deal with issues including conflict resolution, reparation and the protection of women’s rights. Africa as a region as well as Ethiopia as a country face hurdles to democratization and many folks who have studied the Gadaa system believe that wisdom from an indigenous participatory system such as Gadaa system could help.

The Gadaa system is a complex and holistic system that occupies the political, social and economic aspects of the Oromo people’s lives and organizes them into groups that assume different responsibilities. Anyone can attend a Gadaa assembly, which takes place under a sycamore tree to symbolically represent open dialogue and consensus. Gadaa involves a unique style of deliberation [1] that prioritizes consensus, mutual respect, human dignity, and equality in which every assemblyman is required to take part. Each speaker is required to repeat the fundamental moral values before proceeding to the discussion before voicing their opinion on the issue at hand. The assembly has legislative power (to write and enact laws), to review existing laws, to impeach men in power, to settle disputes that cannot be settled at lower levels, etc. One sub-assembly called the Jaarsummaa assembly handles conflict resolution. In general, the Gadaa system is a participatory democracy - in contrast to the many modern representative democracies. It is based on consensus in which all members are equally involved. In this way, the leader, Abbaa Gadaa (who is elected every 8 years), and his councils take time to deal with differences until consensus is reached with opposing parties. The 5 political parties within the system rotate their power every 8 years, promoting differences of opinion and finding equal ground across ideological lines. There is also a women’s assembly dedicated to promoting equal rights for women.