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)
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