BY NAOL GIRMA
The importance of peace is overemphasized because; it is the avenue we pursue for bringing growth and affluence to society. If we do not have peace and harmony, achieving political strength, economic stability and cultural growth will be impossible.
Moreover, before we transmit the notion of peace to others, it is vital for us to possess peace within. As Martin Luther King Jr. said about peace “we will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we will not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the repercussions of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace”
The importance of peace for any society is obvious. Without peace no nation and no individual can move forward. Only in a peaceful atmosphere mankind can secure greater heights. A society without peace is like life in the state of nature- brutish, barbaric, short, dull and nasty as Thomas Hobbes pointed out. Especially for a country like Ethiopia, which is culturally diversified and boasting heterogeneous society, living together achieving peace and stability are not options. They are must dos.
Last Tuesday Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahimed appeared in the House of peoples Representatives (HPR) and emphasized the paramount importance of peace and stability within the country. In his statement he indicated that “As war presupposes heroism and courage ensuring peace also obligates the same courage and heroism, no less work than war, it requires an effort.
If you have seen a duck swimming in the water, it doesn’t seem to expend an enormous amount of energy, it seems it is moving in a comfortable and peaceful way but if you go inside and see, it does a lot of work with its feet to surf the sea and pose a peaceful gesture. Calm and peaceful things do not come for free, they come with hard work. In particular, positive peace is not guaranteed by coercive force alone. Everyone should play his/her part to ensure lasting and complete peace.
He also said that politics in Ethiopia for past 50 and 60 years was a politics of conspiracy, conflict and dictatorship. Establishing peace requires being at the forefront not only in words but also in action and the real goal of the Ethiopian government is to build a strong nation so that the government will take necessary steps to solve the occasional security problems in the country.
He also emphasized about the recent peaceful resolution of the conflict in the northern part of the country .He noted practicing different homegrown conflict resolution mechanism such as Gumaa has been playing a huge role in ensuring peace and stability among the various nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia. The intended target of this writer is to deepen the awareness of our esteemed readers with well-known alternative ways of indigenous dispute settlement of Gumaa system among Oromo people.
Gumaa can be defined as a mechanism to settle disputes among different Oromo clans as well as those arising within clans and families who entered into conflicts against one another particularly when dear life is lost. It is a mechanism which restores peace and stability based on justice and truth. The Oromo Gadaa system has a great role in peace-building.
It embraces amicable peace-building values and approaches useful to maintain durable, lasting, and sustainable peace in society. Africans in general and Ethiopians, in particular, are suffering from multiple conflicts and lack of peace. Conflict destroys not only physical property and resources, but also psychological and social capital. Whether it is interpersonal or intergroup, conflict leaves a history of mistrust and animosity among nations.
Approached by EPA journalist Abba Gadaa Gariba Galgalu said that the Guma law applies to all Oromo and other ethnic groups, as well as foreign citizens in our territorial jurisdiction. Whether non Oromo ethnic groups offend an Oromo ethnic group or if Oromo offends other ethnic group, as this Gumaa law was enacted long ago and does not work for one and contradicts the other; it works for everyone. That is why it is said that the Oromo knows how to embrace, assimilate and prove democratic.
In relationships, one person could accidentally kill another individual, even intentionally. In such a case, the Oromo people have a Gumaa culture to prevent the relative or family of the victim from causing harm to another group in a form of revenge. They brought this tradition into life to prevent further loss of life. Gumaa is one of the methods of reconciliation included in the Gada system to resolve problems between people or clans.
Guma is the price paid for the loss of life and reconciliation, said Alamaayyoo Hayilee, a historian at the Oromo Cultural Centre. Guma means the restitution price of life in short. Guma means reconciliation with man and God for the loss of a soul. “It means washing away sins. It is to prevent sins from happening to their families and prevent their people from dying in this way,” he said. After the sacrifice is made, the two groups do not seek each other as enemies, which means that there is a full reconciliation. Among the Gada components after a century of Ethiopian ruling system, Guma indigenous conflict resolution practices have remained thanks to their oral tradition.
According to Abba Gadaa Gariba Galgalu, Guma resolution is mandatory to make peace even after modern law of courts has been formulated. If someone commits murder intentionally or unintentionally Guma purification ritual should be conducted. There are also traditional experts or elders with great wisdom in the community who resolve Gumaa from the ground. Gumaa resolution is a procedural activity. In Gumaa system decision is not passed with the intention of taking compensation but to ensure that the perpetrator turns away from destruction and the perpetrator knows that the consequences will be severe.
The case of a person who has committed murder is considered in two ways. Whether the act of murder was accidental or planned will be considered. Once this is determined, the Gumaa punishment system is carried out. If the family or the clan doesn’t pay the Gumaa, they will be shunned or they will be behind the scenes, and if they are behind the scenes, they cannot live with the community peacefully. They are sanctioned because they are found to be against the gumaa system of governance they refuse to obey. This leads to ouster from the social life of the area.
Whether crime is intentional or otherwise, the killer immediately goes in and tells to his family about the crime he committed. His family immediately informs the Gada leaders about the felony, and then they ask the criminal things in detail. They inform the chiefs that the criminal has enough assets to be finned. The murderer flees to the house of one of the Gadaa leaders and stays with them so that he will not be paid in kind true to an eye for an eye and secondly, to prevent the spread of fighting. Reconciliation would come through the Gadaa leaders.
The Gadaa leaders go to the relatives of the deceased and tell them that “the person who killed your relative has surrendered to the elders of Abba Gadaa.” From that time onwards, the family of the deceased relative cannot escape. They are obliged to wait for the decision of the elders as the attempt to escape is behind the scenes.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 1 APRIL 2023
