http://www.wfsj.org/mesha/?d=2
11-24-2010
By Martha NyamburaIsiolo, January 14, 2011-Philippides
an army man in ancient Greek empire was ordered to run over 300miles to
report of victory against the Persians. When he reached Athens, he
gasped: nenikikamen,”We have won”, he collapsed and died from
exhaustion. To this day the modern marathon is held in commemoration of
his extraordinaire athletic abilities.
Luckily communication has
developed over the centuries: no longer does one need to run a mile,
send a smoke signal or beat drums. At the touch of an, I phone, twitter
or face book, you post your status and the whole world knows what you
had for breakfast. But even as we floury in modern technology, it is the
use of traditional methods of communication and innovation in southern
Isiolo that has ushered in peace.
We are miles away from the
capital city of Nairobi, as we approach the Meru National Park; we are
awed at how the green canopy of fodder covers the ground lavishly as the
leafy tree branches compliment it graciously. One would hardly guess
that this open evidence of richness has been a major source of conflict
among the group sipping tea and holding conversation. Its five years
down the line since the Turbi Massacre, that left over 100 men, women
and children dead with thousands in the Kenya- Ethiopia border
displaced.
Adan Saro remembers this day all too well, while many
Kenyans in the country were battling the cold July weather, his people
were in a battle of their own kind. The weather was a great contributor,
Isiolo County is mainly dry throughout the year with rainfall being
scarce and unreliable; this translates to limited pasture and water
resources. It is while his son was helping to dig a dam for the
community that he met his fate, his own kinsman would spill his blood
because he was not’ pure borana’.
Since then Adan, was appointed
as a peace ambassador by his people, he had walked in the shoes of loss
and only he would understand the urgency for peace and have the agility
to carry this message throughout the region. He is among the over 50
pastoralists from Ethiopia and Kenya gathered here at the Malka Bisan
Adi cultural group, Kiina division a few kilometers from the Meru
National park gates to discuss the peace progress and innovation for
pastoralists.
Achieving peace has come with its own tag of loss
not only for the community but also the nation. Almost five years ago
the government lost its ministers through a plane crush as they
travelled to broker peace in the region. Five years later peace is
slowly trickling in, through the use of traditional system of
governance.
The Borana Gadda system is the oldest traditional
democracy of modern times. It is over three centuries older than the
independent American government system. The current Abba Gadda is Guyo
Gobba Bulle Dabassa appointed to reign for the next eight years that is
from 2009 to 2016. He is the 70th Abba Gadda since re-introduction of
the Gadda system by Gadao Galgallo Yaaya (1456 - 1463), which means
since re-introduced the Gadda system is over 560 years old.
The mode
of communicating this peace is via messengers, sent by the customary
councils to remind the people of the ancient laws in relation to peace.
The messages are delivered through a telephone type of system that is
from the council - spiritual leaders – judges - clan leaders (jaalaba)
to the community.
The messages move from one person to another in
the form of daimto (information exchange) and like in any form of
dissemination the problem of the broken telephone emerges, making the
community doubt the existence of peace.
The message is relayed in the
form of a conversation asking, “Do we have peace?” The aim is to remind
the people on the need to have peace and how to go about bringing the
peace. The messages are taken seriously as the community believes that
failure to adhere can lead to a curse.
The culmination of this
peace messages was in the signing of the ‘Maikona Declaration’, at
Maikona by the gabra and borana 18months ago. The treaty aims to enforce
the existing peace and deliver justice in case of any disputes. The
people first went through a cleansing ceremony that followed in them
receiving the ebb, a blessing that allows for pardon following war.
The
women have also joined the peace caravan, although the Gadda system of
governance discriminate women from leadership positions, this is slowly
opening up as women are emerging as great instruments of spreading the
peace message.
The women would in days past be involved in pushing
the men to war by mocking their masculinity, according to Nuria Gollo
who heads MWADO- Marsabit Women Advocacy and Development Organization
that aims to tackle gender disparity in the region.
The women before
would ask the men if they had ever caused anything to bleed other than
when they came out of their mothers. They would ask them to exchange
their trousers for their skirts if they cannot revenge the killings of
their tribe’s men. Being pastoralist’s milk is dear to the borana and
the women would tell them that not every man can drink the milk of this
cow. Can you dare to drink the milk of this cow? It is from the cow my
husband brought as war bounty from that tribe. Its milk is nasty for
cowards like you to drink.
“Today though the story is different as
the women through MWADO are helping in maintaining the peace”, says
Nuria. The women go door to door to spread the peace message; they also
use songs and drama. Children are also taking part to deliver the peace
messages to their parents and by forming peace clubs where they share
issues on conflict and how it has affected them.(MESHA Features, 2011)
By Wairimu Nyambura
AfricaSTI, Nairobi
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Thursday, September 29, 2011 - Keneth Ndua wears many hats. He is a Gender Studies lecturer; he has taught women on sustainable livelihoods; and is Explo’s Kenya patron, an organisation trying to mould the youth of Kenya. He is also a husband and father.
