TAMIRAT WEBPAGE

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Sirna Gadaa(Gada System)

The Gada system is a political, economic and social system with a long history
with which the people of Oromo have been governing themselves in a
democratic way. This comprehensive system reflects the ways of living of the
people and it has ensured the values and principles such as equality of
mankind. It incorporates the values and principles towards which the whole
world has been striving such as: the respecting of the rights of women and
children, conservation of environment, peaceful conflict resolution, mutual
assistance, and the provision of asylum to seekers .The values and principles
which the people of Oromo have been putting into practice have contributed
significantly to the efforts of ensuring unity and solidarity of the people.
Moreover, the system has played great role in enabling the flourishing of the
language and culture of the Oromo people for so long to the present. With the
provision of due care to it as a valuable heritage, it would not be over
exaggerated to state that the Gada system would serve as an inexhaustible
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fountain of knowledge and wisdom to the contemporary generation. The
practice and experience of the Oromo people as manifested in the Gada system
is surely very beneficial to the future generation. In particular, we firmly believe
that the democratic practices of the Oromo people as manifested in the Gada
system would provide an exemplary system of social functioning to the world;
and, it is with this conviction that we are bringing forward our request for the
registration of the Gada system as an intangible world heritage.