The Gadaa system has various social, economic, and political structures. The system has ways of executing the institutional structures. It involves almost all citizens. The system allows everyone to practice his/her own role in the society.
The system also has the safest way of correcting the wrong doings in the society. It rewards the good deeds and punishes the wrong. The reinforcements in both cases are effective with minimal hostility between the adversaries. This way, it keeps the social order. In implementing the system, the role of the foollee is paramount.
Alemayehu Haile, Oromo History Researcher, told The Ethiopian Herald that Gadaa has five distinctive grades. Foollee (Kuusaa) is one of the stages. It is the most important stage of the system. It is a stage where the senior gaammee, the stage before foollee, kicks into a more productive and extraordinary stage.
Alemayehu explained that foollee is the grade at which the future
Gadaa councilors have to be elected. The election takes place at the time of
the rite of passage of the senior gaammee to Kuusaa grade. The election
process is known as lallaba
(proclamation).
As to Alemayehu, to be nominated as a candidate as well as to be possibly elected as Luba, the Yuba considers the following criteria: personal qualities such as courage, patience, open-mindedness, reconciliatory, oratory skills, knowledge of cultural values; antecedents, historical achievements of his forefathers. The candidate also needs to have a positive image before his own clan and other clans and recommendation from religious institutions (Qaalluu).
At Kuusaa grade, the members have different social structure and collective responsibilities. They are also entitled to some legal rights. Thus, transition to Kuusaa is accompanied with a formal ceremony for seven consecutive days. The festivity is accompanied by beautiful rhythmic lyrics and songs. One of the famous lyrics is;
Foolliyyoo roobaa
Birbirsi daraare yaa foollee
Which literally means “Foollee, when it rains birbirsa tree blossoms” and express their wish of prosperity and blessing for the people.
The researcher said that the foollee is the police force in the Gadaa system. They work to keep the social order in the society. They hunt for criminals and bring them to the judiciary. Abbaa Bookkuu, the judge, passes decision after considering the weight of crime committed by the individual.
The expert added that foollee also serve to ensure the safety of the Luba, a title equivalent to prime-minister. They protect him from any threat that could happen to him. They shield and protect him from external threat.
The foollee have their own procedures of correcting the wrongdoing in the society. For instance, if a man is found sleeping outside of legal marriage, the foollee hooks the man and brings him to Abbaa Bookkuu after tearing the trousers of the adulterer. The judge passes decision and would oblige him pay equivalent compensation for the sin, elaborated the expert.
If a man has attempted to overtake a widow and her children illegally, the foollee takes action against this act of the man. They publicize the wrongdoing and ex-communicating the man. Consequently, gadaa guarantees the right of women and children not to be subjected to slavery, as to the expert.
Likewise, if a man found killing someone, the foollee hunts for him and brings before the court. The man would be judged impartially in an open jury. The Luba (Abbaaseeraa) hands over the issue of death penalty to Abbaa Bookkuu, the president. He is the one to ratify death penalty.
The killer, after all, needs to cross five rivers before asking for forgiveness. Crossing the rivers indicates his regret and the need for forgiveness. It specifies that the killer has admitted his mistake and genuinely seeks for forgiveness. Then, the family of the killer appears before the judge and asks for reconciliation, told Alemayehu.
Girma Nemerra, Oromo History Researcher, on his part, said that any man found committing crime or sin would settle not only with a man, but with God. He performs the ritual ceremony of reconciliation in order to earn forgiveness from God. Secondly, the man is obliged to pay the expected amount of compensation. The family of the dead also would forgive and forget the enmity between them after receiving the compensation. They would never take revenge, explained the expert.
Girma forwarded gadaa as an egalitarian leadership style. It solves problems with little cost. It only does not punish, but clears the conflict in the society. It also protects the human and democratic rights of the female and children, as to him.
He advised the contemporary foollee in the society to fulfill their responsibilities. The foollee need to discharge their legal responsibility. They need to uncover the corruption, crime, violence of human and democratic rights. They have to safeguard the moral value in the society by correcting the wrongdoings.
The Ethiopian Herald August 3/2019
BY GETAHUN LEGESSE
