◆Speaker: Yasuo Matsunami

◆Date: September 14, 2018

◆Presentation at UP-TUFSセミナー held at University of Pretoria

◆Presentation Title: Oromo Nationalism and the "Heritagisation" in Ethiopia

◆Abstract:
Gada has become the accepted name for the cyclical generation-set system in traditional Oromo societies in Ethiopia. It has been an orderly way to transmit most non-inheritable rituals and social responsibilities for the next generations. Local Gada system has developed varying organisations, but the essential principles and values have remained constant. Gada system has become one of the key words of Oromo culture, which though it cannot be given a univocal interpretation, stands for several related ideas and a whole way of life. In December 2016, the Gada system was inscribed in United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intangible World Heritage List. 2016 was also the year that massive protests by the Oromo and other ethnic groups resisted the government. The protests was considered as a part of resurgent of the Oromo nationalism, which has been a major potential threat to successive Ethiopian regimes. This presentation is intended to investigate how the "heritagisation" of Gada system relates to the movement of the Oromo nationalism.

◆Keywords: Ethiopia, Gada system, Oromo nationalism, UNESCO World Heritage