Gadaa Journal

Interculturality in African Political Philosophy

Professor Bekele Gutema (PhD) — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Intercultural philosophy as a new orientation in philosophy wants to ascertain the plurality of
philosophy. Its main purpose is the critique of the monologue of Western philosophy to enrich
philosophical reflection on the different issues of philosophical concern. African political discourse and
practice has been an uprooted activity. The pre-colonial African cultures were undermined by
colonialism. Despite the attempts by some of Africa’s post-independence leaders to ground the political
orientations of their countries in indigenous political ideas, they are the Western ideas that were
implemented, although they could not take roots. It is necessary to understand the predicament of Africa
as an outcome of the political practice. Africa is in a situation where it could not use its indigenous
ideas. On the other hand despite the attempts to use them the Western ideas of democracy and others
could not take roots. They could not take roots and probably cannot also take roots in the future as they
are, since they were not meant for Africa .However, there is a wide-spread interculturality in terms of
politics, philosophy, education, and so on as a result of the fact that we have taken a lot from outside and
also given certain things to the rest of the world. This creates a favorable condition for intercultural
philosophy in Africa with regards to political orientation and practice. It can create a new situation to
create a political culture of reappropriating our own African political philosophies and appropriating
European political philosophies. The article discusses intercultural philosophy and tries to show that its
principles and methods can be used to propose a political philosophy that can better address African
issues. It tries to achieve this by critically reviewing and analyzing the available literature in the realms
of political and intercultural philosophy.

Orality, power and Resistance: Reconstructing the Social History of Hararge Tenants, Ethiopia (1887-1975)

Mohammed Hassen (PhD) — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Hararge was one of the regions where tenancy was predominantly practiced as a form of rural
production relation during 1887-1975.Since the hardship of tenancy was difficult to bear, tenants were
resisting the landlords and the state who sought to extract meager products from their labor, rent, food
and taxes in different ways. One of the mechanisms through which opposition against the system
articulated through oral poetry was ‘weapon of the weak’. This paper deals with the resistance of
Hararge peasants against the exploitative landlords by employing oral songs, sayings and proverbs in
the form of verse and prose. Taking oral poetry as a resistance weapon performed mainly in the form of
songs by Hararge tenants during social gatherings and cooperative works, this paper argues that
Hararge tenants have been constantly expressing their grudging and oppositions against their
landlords’ insatiable appetite for resources. The paper privileges tenants as historical actors having
their own power and oppositional culture and identity rather than mere victims of historical processes.
Data for this work is generated through an extensive interview conducted with Hararge peasants, most
of them are former tenants. These oral data are crosschecked and validated with available literature
collected from different libraries. It argues that topical and political songs with authorship being
associated with the mass are one arena through which the weak express their resistance and defiance to
the system.

Key Terms: Exploitation, landlord, oral poetry, power, resistance, tenant, weapon of the weak

Waamicha Araaraafi Waloomaa: Xiinxala Ergaawwaniifi Fakkoommii Sirba Galaanaa Gaaromsaa- “Duraanuu”

Ashannaafii Balaay (PhD, Lachiisaa Fayyeeraa — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Qorannoon kun humna sirboonni Oromoo dhimmoota hawaas-siyaasaa sabichaa dhiyeessuu
keessatti qaban xiinxaluu irratti fuulleffata. Kaayyoon ijoo qorannichaas ergaawwan gama
waloomaafi araaraa sirba Galaanaa Gaaromsaa „Duraanuu‟tiin dabarfaman xiinxaluufi
akkaataa isaan ittiin dhiyaatan ibsuudha. Kaayyoo kana galmaan gahuuf mala qorannoo
akkamtaa saxaxa addeessaatti dhimma bahame. Ragaaleen qabiyyee walaloofi suursagalee
irraa walitti qabaman hiika aadaa, galumsa hiika dubbisaafi hiika kallattii jecha irraa
fudhatamuun gadifageenyaan dubbisuun hiikkoon itti kenname. Kanaafuu, sirbichis ta‟e hafeen
sirbichaa akkaataa kaayyoo qorannoo galmaan ga‟anitti fudhataman. Xiinxala ragaalee
taasisuufis galumsa hafeetti dhimma bahamee jira. Haala kanaan yaaxxinnoonni sadii: qeeqa
haaraa, galumsa hawaasummaafi deebii dubbistootaa waloon xiinxala ragaaleef dhimmi itti
bahamee jira. Xiinxala taasifame irraas argannoon adda baafames atakaroon hooggantoota
Oromoo walooma Oromootti danqaa ta‟us, egeree Oromoof falli araaraafi tokkummaa ta‟uu
akeeka. Waamichi waloomaa dhiyaate dammaqiinsa ofiifi warra biroo adda baasuu (nuyiifi
isaan) bu‟uureffata. Miidhamni waloo yaadannoo waloo uumee diddaan kaleessaa akka
hindagatamne taasise. Kun immoo tokkummaan dhaloota egeree cichooma sabaa ta‟uu ergaan
sirba kanaa akeeka. Sirbi kun kaayyoon Oromoo sirna ganamaatti deebi‟uun ijaaruufi bakki
handhuura Oromoo ta‟e, Finfinneen, iddoo walgeettii ta‟uu ibsee jira. Karaa suursagaleenis,
fakkoommii bineensotaan walganuufi walhudhuu irra iftoominaan rakkoo waloo hiikkachuun
akka barbaachisu akeeka. Walumaagalatti, sirbi kun akkaatummaan fakkoomii aadaan
dabaalamee, qabiyyeen immoo quuqama sabaa wiirteffatee fedhii sabni waloomaafi araaraaf
qabu dhiheessa. Kanarratti hundaa‟uun qorattoonni hedduminni sagalee sirboota Oromoo
keessaa dhagahamanii dhimma qorannoo dirree qorannoo garagaraa ta‟uu akeeku.
Jechoota Ijoo: Araara, Finfinnee, Oromoo, sirba, yaadannoo waloo, walooma

Arroollee Fiichee: The Symbol of Resistance and Heroism among the Karrayyuu Oromoo

Ginbar Negera (PhD candidate), Samuel Negash (PhD) — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Karrayyuu have long been varyingly described as a confronting group, a marginalized and drought
affected people, consequently what they accrued for humanities have become the subject of distortions
and the dearth of research access. This paper is an exposition of the vivid images and portrayals of
Arroollee Fiichee, a hero fighter and a protagonist of Oromoo patriotic, who represented the figurine of
resistance and heroism among Karrayyuu. Arroollee is said to have been born in the early 1890s and
died in 1976. The study was conducted by undertaking a historical methodology of analytical narrative
and interpretative approaches. Findings of the study indicate that Arroollee initially started his military
life in the 1920s as a lolee (common fighter) and assumed important positions in the military wing of the
Gadaa system throughout his life. After being raised into a special class of warriors, Leencota
Karrayyuu (the Lions of Karrayyuu), he was then promoted to qondaalaa (trophy owner) and earned the
highest military title, Abbaa bitawoo in the 1950s. In his marital life career, Arroollee has served at
different military offices and roles in the Karrayyuu gadaa system such as abbaa waraanaa (commanderin-chief), abbaa jajjabii (head of peace and security), warra toomaa (head of the gadaa governance
center) and top counselor. Results of the study indicate Arroollee was special superman, who had
engaged in several battles, scored many victories over the enemies and collected more numerous boots
than his contemporaries. Subsequently, he is a renowned hero for whom a memorial kaabaa (paved
graveyard) was built in honor of his bravery on Karrayyuuland at a place called Ilaala Qaraarii. He is
also recalled in songs, and yet a rite of slaughtering goats dedicated to his heroism around his
graveyard. The paper concludes that Arroollee was the greatest unrivalled hero who is praised as the
symbol of resentment against subjugation. The researchers recommend that exposition of such heroic
men like Arroollee enable us to acclaim and sing for whom, history has never yet sung.
K

Taateewwan Qoricha Aadaa Biqiltootarraa Hojjetaman irratti Miidhaa Geessisan: Godina Qellam Wallaggaa

Wayyituu Itichaa — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Qorannoon kun Godina Qellam Wallaggaatti taateewwan qoricha aadaa irratti miidhaa fidan
xiinxaluu irratti kan xiyyeeffateedha. Oromoon Qellam Wallaggaa bara dheeraaf qoricha aadaatti
fayyadamuun dhukkuboota garaa garaa irraa hanga dhukkuboota haala salphaan hinfayyamnetti
ittiin of fayyisaa turaniiru. Haa ta’u malee, yeroo ammaa kana keessatti haalli itti fayyadama qoricha
aadaa isa durii irraa haphachaa dhufuun badiisaaf saaxilamaa jira. Osooo kana ta’ee jiruu kallattii
kanaan qorannoon ga’aan kanirratti adeemsifame hinjiru. Kanaafuu, kaayyoon qorannoo kanaa
gochaalee qorichi aadaa akka badiisaaf saaxilaman addaan baasanii xiinxaluun dhalootaaf haala
kamiin darbuu akka danda’u hawaasaaf hubannoo qooduudha. Malli qorannoon kun ittiin
adeemsifame mala akkamtaati. Qorannoo kana keessatti maddi ragaa maanguddoota ogeessota
qoricha aadaa qopheessuun beekaman, namoota 20 hawaasa keessaa muuxannoofi hubannaa
dhimma kana irratti qaban iddattoo kaayyeffataatiin filachuun, afgaaffii waliin taasisuuni.
Akkasumas, barruulee bifa barreeffamaan dhimma qorannoo kanatti dhihaatan gargaarameera.
Qorannoo kanaan dhiibbaaleen amantii, mootummoota darbanii, mancaatiin biqoloota irratti
raawwatan, ogeessoti qoricha aadaa dhaloota dhufuuf ogummaa kana qooduuf fedhii gahaa
dhabuu, hawaasi ilaalcha gaarii qoricha aadaaf dhabuun isaan ijoodha. Rakkoowwan kanneeniifis
hawaasi ammayyummaa duukaa bu’ee qoricha aadaaf ilaalcha badaa sirreeffachuu akka qabu
hubannoo kennuun barsiisuu, ogeessoti fedhii isaanii guutuun dhalootaaf oguma kana akka dabrsan
hubachiisuun yaadi akka furmaataatti kaa’ameera.
Jechoota Ijoo: Aadaa, biqilaa, fayyaa, ogeessa, qoricha
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Sabboonummaa Aadaa Akka Mil’uu Kaleessaatti: Walooma, Diddaa Aadaafi Ce’umsa Hawaasaa, Asoosamoota Oromoo Filataman Keessatti

Lachiisaa Fayyeeraa, Ashannaafii Balaayi, Ayyalaa Kabbadaa — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Kaayyoon qorannoo kanaa asoosamoota Oromoo filataman keessatti sabboonummaan aadaa
akkamitti akka calaqqisu xiinxaluudha. Kaayyoo kana galmaan gahuuf mala qorannoo akkamtaan
ragaaleen madda jalqabaa qabiyyee hafeef seenessama asoosamootaa (Godaannisa, Yoomi Laataa?
Burreen Bifa Tokko Mitifi Dibaa)fi kan lammaffaa immoo ragaalee qabatamoo bu‟uura yaaxxinaa
qabaniifi dhimmoota siyaas-hawaasummaaf oolan dhimma itti ba‟amaniiru. Ragaaleen iddatteessuu
miticarraa-akkayyoon asoosamoota filataman irraa meeshaa funaansa ragaa sakatta‟a
dookimeentiin walitti qabamuun galumsa hafeen xiinxalaman. Xiinxalli taasifame Caayaa Yaaxxina
„Fakkoommii Dachee-Dubartii‟ kan bu‟uureffate yoo ta‟u, sabboonummaan aadaa dhiyaate
asoosamoota keessatti waltarrummaa dhiiraa-dubartiifi namaa-lafaa, akkasumas, eenyummaa waloo
Oromoo hangam akka mul‟isu xiinxaluuf hojiirra ooleera. Argannoon qorannichaas asoosamoota
filataman keessatti sabboonummaan aadaa mul‟istuu „nuyiifi isaanii‟fi, moggeeffamuu eenyummaa
Oromoos kan ittiin falmame ta‟ee dhiyaatee jira. Karaa biraa, dhiyaatinni sabboonummaa kun aadaa
waloo tiksee dhaloota dhaalchisuu irratti kan fuulleffate ta'uu adda baafameera. Dabalataanis
xiinxala taasifameen sabboonummaan aadaa safuufi safeeffannaa namfakkiileen hordofaniin,
carraaqqiiwwan isaan dhugaa ganamaafi nagaa tiksuuf taasisaniifi hariiroo akka malee (namaanamaafi,
namaa-lafaa) safuun Oromoofi kan isarraa gore mul'ifameera. Walumaagalatti,
asoosamoonni filataman sabboonummaa aadaan kan ijaaramaniifi mil'uu duudhaa kaleessaa irratti
hundaa'uun sabboonummaa kan qajeelchan yoo ta'an, raawwilee jilaan eenyummaa waloo ijaaruu,
aadaa tursiisuu, falmii diddaa aadaa taasisuufi ce'umsa hawaasaa mirkaneessuu irratti kan
xiyyeeffatan ta‟uu hubatameera. Argannoo kanarraa ka‟uunis dhimmi sabboonummaa aadaa
ogbarruu Oromoo keessatti dhiyaatu kallattii xiyyeeffannoo qorannoo akka ta‟uu qabu qorannoon
kun akeekeera.

Xiinxala Maqaalee Nama Dhuunfaa Oromoo Booranaa: Ija Xiinjecha Afaan Oromootiin

Dabalaa Tamasgeen, Alamaayyoo Faqqadaa, Aliimaa Jibriil — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Kaayyoon gooroo qorannoo kanaa, maqaalee nama dhuunfaa Oromoo Booranaa ija xiinjecha Afaan Oromootiin xiinxaluudha. Kaayyoon gooree immoo, akkaataa uumamsaafi caasaa maqaaleen nama dhuunfaa Oromoo Booranaa qaban ibsuudha. Sababni kaayyoon kun xiyyeeffatameefis, qaawwi
qorannoo jiraachuu; akkaataa uumamsaafi caasaa maqaaleen kunniin qaban qorachuun barreeffamaan olkaa’uufiidha. Malli qorannichaa akkamtaa ta’ee, akaakuun isaa ibsaadha. Maddi ragaalee, madda ragaa tokkoffaafi lammaffaati. Malli iddatteessuu, iddatteessuu mit-carraa keessaa kayyeeffataadha.
Tooftaalee ragaaleen ittiin guuraman immoo, afgaaffiifi qaaccessa dookimantiiti. Ragaaleen guuraman kunniin, yaaxxina xiinlatawaa jechootaa bu’uura taasifachuun mala ibsaatiin xiinxalaman. Ragaalee xiinxalaman irraa bu’aan argame: Maqaaleen nama dhuunfaa Oromoo Booranaa, walitti qindoomina
gareewwan jechootaafi qaamota jechoota Afaan Oromoo garagaraafi latiilee irraa kan uumamaniifi amaloota garee jechaa afaanichaa kan calaqqisiisaniidha. Innis, walitti qindoomina maqibsaafi latiilee, maqaalee biroofi latiilee, jechoota qabiyyeefi jechoota tajaajilaa, jechoota tajaajilaafi bamaqaa,
hundee jechaafi latiileerraa; maqibsii qofarraa; jechoota qabiyyee qofarraa; jechoota tajaajilaa qofarraa; adeemsa kutanii hidhuutiin kan uumamaniidha. Haalota kana keessatti latiileen /-aa/, /-a/, /ϕ/, /-cha/, /-tuu/, /-tii/, /-oo/, /-o/, /a-/, /-sa/, /-ee/, /-e/, /-lee/, /-ii/ jedhaman haala garagaraan fufamuun
tajaajila maqeessuu, murteessuufi koorniyaa agarsiisu. Caasaa maqaaleen haala kanaan uumaman qaban immoo, amala jecha salphaa, dachaa, xaxamaafi dachaa xaxamaa Afaan Oromoo calaqqisiisu. Gabaabumatti, maqaan ogumdaneessa waan ta’eef, qorattoonni yaaxxina xiinlatawaa jechootaas ta’e,
kallattii biroon uunkaafi caasaa maqaaleen nama dhuunfaa yeroo ammaa galumsa aadaa Oromoo garagaraa keessatti moggaaffamaa jiran, qorachuun ifoomsuun barbaachisaadha. Akkasumas, hayyoonni xiinqooqaa qorannoowwan gama xiinqooqa Afaan Oromootiin jiran muraasa waan ta’aniif,
osoo xiyyeeffannoo addaatiin irratti hojjetamee gaariidha.

The Quest for Afaan Oromoo’s Inclusion to the Federal Government Working Languages in Ethiopia: Causes and Benefits

Alima) Jibril (PhD — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores long standing demands of the Oromoo to make Afaan Oromoo, the most widely
spoken language in the Horn of Africa as a mother tongue, one of the working Federal languages. The
antagonism behind the linguistic policy of the consecutive Ethiopian regimes is the main reason for the
exclusion from the Federal working languages during the last three decades. Although FDRE
constitution of 1995 gives equal status to all languages, the status quo has still continued marginalizing
Afaan Oromoo and other major languages considering the demography of the speakers and public
demands. In spite of these facts, the struggles for inclusion of Afaan and its marginalization from the
Federal working language from its historical root is overlooked. The paper argues that the use of Afaan
Oromoo as a Federal working language has multifaceted importance in the country’s unity and political
stability. The paper considers the socio-political and historical background in relation to the promotion
of Afaan Oromoo to the Federal working language. It also puts flashlights on the continuing use of the
language as an expression of Oromoo identity, Oromummaa and Sabboonummaa. The main purpose of
this research, therefore, is to identify the causes of exclusion, and to address the benefits of inclusion of
Afaan Oromoo to the Federal working language. To achieve this objective, qualitative research design
was used and qualitative data were collected using interviews and document analysis. In the interview,
informants with good knowledge of linguistic history of the country were identified. The data reveled
that Afaan Oromoo was excluded from politics, business, administrative, religious, media of instruction
and other public services. The study also displayed that including Afaan Oromoo in the Federal working
languages of the country develops and enriches the language, and gives job opportunity to many youths
in the Federal Institutions. As the language is spoken by many nations as lingua franca, its inclusion
plays significant roles in stabilizing the country and cementing the unity of the nations. The study, thus,
recommends that the government should keep the freedom and inclusion of all languages to enhance the
legitimacy of political processes.
Keywords: Afaan Oromoo, Ethiopia, exclusion, inclusion, Federal, working language

Oromoo Concept of Peace: An Exploration of its Values and Guiding Mechanisms

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It is indisputable that peace is the ultimate goal that everybody desires and hopes to maintain in all societies, both far and near. As a result, institutions, societies, and individuals make every effort to gain peace. Yet, the underlying concept of peace is not well understood, particularly when viewed from the
perspective of indigenous epistemology. The main aim of this desk review-based research is to understand how the Oromoo view nagaa (peace) from the perspectives of ensuring justice and maintaining social order, so that the existing explored knowledge can serve as a springboard for working to maintain peace and for further empirical research. Hence, a desk research method was used to collect available secondary data from different libraries. Furthermore, a total of 152 different academic works on the Oromoo concept of peace were systematically collected form internet sources including scholarly articles and online books. Then, a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works were provided. .Based on the findings, it was demonstrated that for Oromoo, peace is
comprehensive. The peace of humans is interdependent with peace of other creatures, and the value of peace lies in maintaining an overall balance of the cosmic order. Peace can maintain human relations with Waaqaa (God), nature and fellow humans. Peace is maintained and nurtured within the general principles, practices, and laws of Gadaa and other institutions, beliefs, and traditions operating under Safuu, law, and culture. Yet, dynamism is there without deviating much from core guiding principles and Safuu. However, the existing literature is not comprehensive enough, both in scope and depth. In fact, there is no single work that is exclusively devoted to examining the Oromoo concept/philosophy of peace. Besides, these studies rarely represented the data from all Oromoo areas. Hence, further work that includes all Oromoo areas is crucial as some solutions for peace of Oromia and also Ethiopia could be generated from it.