Invocation of Abbaa Gadaas as part of Irreechaa Festival in Addis Ababa today.
Inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, Gada is a traditional system of governance used by the Oromo people in Ethiopia developed from knowledge gained by community experience over generations.
The system is led by Abbaa Gadaa to regulate political, economic, social and religious activities of the community dealing with issues such as conflict resolution, reparation and protecting women’s rights.
It serves as a mechanism for enforcing moral conduct, building social cohesion, and expressing forms of community culture. Gada is organized into five classes with one of these functioning as the ruling class consisting of a chairperson, officials and an assembly.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency