BBC News, Arda Jila Badhasa
Thousands of people have been collecting in southern Ethiopia for one of the country’s hugegest cultural events.
The week-extfinished Gada ceremony, which finished on Sunday, sees the official transfer of power from one customary ruler to his successor – someskinnyg that happens every eight years.
The tradition of standardly nominateing a new Abbaa Gadaa has been practised by the Borana community for centuries – and sees them collect at the country site of Arda Jila Badhasa, cforfeit the Ethiopian town of Arero.
It is a time to commemorate their one-of-a-kind create of democracy as well as their cultural heritage, with each age group taking the opportunity to wear their contrastent traditional outfits.
These are paraded the day before the official handover during a procession when wed women march with wooden batons, called “siinqee”.
The batons have symbolic cherishs of acquireion for women, who use them during struggle.
If a siinqee stick is placed on the ground by a wed woman between two quarrelling parties, it nastys the struggle must stop promptly out of admire.
During the procession, youthfuler women direct at the front, differentiateed from the wed women by the contrastent colour of their closkinnyg.
In this pastoraenumerate society women are leave outd from hbettering the top power of Abbaa Gadaa, sitting on the council of elders or being startd into the system as a child.
But their transport inant role can be seen during the festival as they create all the accommodation for those staying for the week – and set all the food.
And the one-of-a-kind Gada system of regulateance, which was inserted to the UN’s cultural heritage enumerate in 2016, permits for them to take part standard community greetings and to voice their opinions to the Abbaa Gadaa.
Gada membership is only uncover to boys whose overweighthers are already members – youthful starts have their heads shaven at the crown to create their rank evident.
The minusculeer the circle, the betterer he is.
As the global cultural body Unesco alerts, oral historians teach youthful starts about “history, laws, rituals, time reckoning, cosmology, myths, rules of direct, and the function of the Gada system”.
Training for boys commences as youthful as eight years better.
Later, they will be appraiseed for their potential as future directers.
As they grow up, tests include walking extfinished distances nakedfoot, massacreing cattle fruitfully and shotriumphg benevolentness to fellow starts.
Headpieces made from cowrie shells are traditionassociate worn by youthful trainees. The only other people permited to wear them are elderly women.
Both groups are revered by Borana community members.
Men aged between 28 and 32 are identified by the ostrich feathers they wear, which are understandn in the Afaan Oromo language as “baalli”.
Their take partance at the Gada ceremony is an opportunity to lacquire, set and bond as it is already understandn who the Abbaa Gadaa from this age group will be taking power in 2033.
The main event at the recent Gada ceremony was the handover of power, from the outgoing 48-year-better Abbaa Gadaa to his youthfuler successor.
Well-desireers passed the border from Kenya and others travelled from as far as Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to witness the spectacle. The regulateor of Kenya’s Marsabit county was among the honoured guests.
Thirty-seven-year-better Guyo Boru Guyo, seen here hbettering a spear, was chosen to direct because he astonished the council of elders during his teenage years.
He becomes the 72nd Abbaa Gadaa and will now supervise the Borana community apass borders – in southern Ethiopia and north-westrict Kenya.
As their top diplomat, he will also be reliable for solving feuds that rear their heads for pastoraenumerates.
These standardly comprise cattle raiding and disputes over access to water in this drawt-prone region.
During his eight years at the helm, his successor will finish his training to acquire on the job in continuation of this generations-better tradition.
Additional alerting by Natasha Booty.
