A New Book: Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS, and Gender Perspectives in East Africa: Understanding an Oromo Culture

By Ibrahim A. Elemo (M.D., MPH)*

In Eastern African countries, in the so-called the Horn of Africa, there are several ethno-national groups whose populations are estimated in millions. Some of these large ethnic groups were scrambled by their colonizers and, therefore, are indigenous inhabitants of some regions in two or more than two sovereign countries with internationally recognized boundaries. The Somalis, the Oromo, and the Afar people occupy the vast majority of the lowlands and the mid-highlands in what are today’s Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Eritrea and Djibouti. Although there are some disparities in the customs and values of these peoples of Cushitic heritage, undeniably, there are conspicuous shared cultural and social entities, which form the foundation of their societal fabric. Common to these indigenous people of the horn of Africa is not only the linguistic similarity or customs but also their traditional way of life-nomadic pastoralism.

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A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE ABBA GADAA HIDDOO GALGALOO

The former Oromo traditional leader, Abba Gadaa Hiddoo Galgaloo of the Hawattu Assembly, was killed in a car accident on May 27th, 2009.

By Ibrahim A. Elemo (M.D., MPH)*

The Borana Oromo has a very prominent traditional system of governance-the Gada System. This system is not only well developed and well preserved among the Borana Oromo but also a viable socio-political system to date, comparable to no other region in Oromiya. It is an indigenous system of government where leaders are elected to position of authority through the will and active participation of the people they represent. For people who have studied the system and worked with the Gada Councilors, it is absolutely clear that Gada is a functioning democracy. Leaders are not only elected to position of authority to maintain the laws and the rules of the land but also made accountable for every decision they make during their tenure as councilors of their own constituency and leaders of the society. I had the opportunity to work with Gada leaders of the Borana, Guji, and Gabra Oromo during my years of service as a community physician and coordinator of HIV/AIDS Programs and Projects some five years ago. Because of inadvertent interest in understanding the functions of the system to effectively mainstream HIV prevention programs through traditional Oromo institutions, I had to develop a very close working relationship with some of the Gada leaders from regions of Oromiya, where Gada is still an active system with commanding respect and loyalty from traditional Oromo communities.

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