Below is an article published by Gadaa :

A number of new books were published in the last year on subjects related to the Oromo nation. Here are a few of them available now on Amazon.com.

• Hawecha. A Woman for all Time (Paperback)

by Rhodia Mann (Author)

Description

Two hundred years ago, a girl was born into the Oromo tribe, which occupies land in southern Ethiopia as well as in the far north of Kenya. At a time when men ruled the world and young women had no authority whatsoever, Hawecha gradually rose to a position of unprecedented leadership and power. She became the most famous Prophetess of the Oromo people, saving them from famine, pestilence, war and death. Eventually, she became a part of their oral history. In 1986, a Catholic Mission near the Kenya/Ethiopia border founded the first school for Oromo girls in Kenya, using the story of Hawecha as their inspiration. Rhodia Mann was born in Kenya and studied Oromo culture under a highly-respected oral historian and mystic. She attended major Oromo ceremonies in northern Kenya, and also visited the Oromo in southern Ethiopia. Presented as a historical novel, the legend of Hawecha is used as a means to bring a fascinating and little-known culture to the wider world.

• A Contextual Study of The Social Functions of Guji-Oromo Proverbs: The Savor and Rhetoric Power of Verbal Arts in Everyday Communications of African Peoples (Paperback)

by Tadesse Jaleta Jirata (Author)

Description

Proverbs are the significant aspects of everyday communications of African peoples. However, these social and cultural treasures of the various ethnic groups of the continent have not been studied and publicized properly. This work is a contribution to the attempt to develop research and publication of African folklore. It is based on the data collected through fieldwork carried in Guji-Oromo Society in southern Ethiopian from where materials of proverbs were recorded along with the active social and cultural contexts of interactions. What makes the contents of this work different from other publications in folklore is that it embodies the functions and meanings of proverbs in particular contexts of social interactions among people with rich oral traditions. The communicative power of proverbs and the relevance of their meaning in regulating the established norms and values as well as knowledge and philosophy of the Guji-Oromo society are well demonstrated. The work is significant for researchers, students and readers in Folklore, Social Anthropology, Literature, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Sociolinguistics, philosophy and Social psychology.

About the Author

Tadesse Jaleta Jirata graduated with MA in Literature from Addis Ababa University and worked as Lecturer and Researcher at Dilla University in Ethiopia. Currently, he is a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Child Research at NTNU in Norway with his research focus on Guji-Oromo Oral Narratives.

• Tone in Oromo: A multi-tier Analysis (Paperback)

by Habte Bulti (Author)

Description

This book presents a good insight into tone in Oromo language which has rarely been dealt with. This significant work provides an ample evidence to show the tonal nature of the language. In such language, where tonal variations cause lexical and grammatical variations, the tonemes are equally important as are the phonemes of the language. Thus, this book fills the gap that is previously left in dealing with this important feature of the phonology of the language. The importance of tone in the language is indicated by providing lexical and grammatical contrasts. It also provides tonal representation by using multi-linear approach. Furthermore, it presents the possible tonal processes in the language. This book will have significant appeal for people interested in research in the area of linguistics as well as students of linguistics in general and phonology in particular. Generally, this book is one of the very few works that sufficiently deal with an important element of phonology, but usually treated in a marginalizing manner.

About the Author

Habte Bulti received his bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature in 1997 and a master’s degree in Linguistics in 2003 from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He taught English language courses and linguistics courses in private and government colleges and a university. He also worked as assistant speech and language therapist.

• Oromo Ritual and Religion: The Politics of God in East Africa (Paperback)

by Mario I. Aguilar (Author)

Description

This volume, with a preface by Paul Baxter, outlines some of the central themes of the study of the Boorana, the central ritual group of the Oromo in East Africa. The aim of this work is to highlight the importance, variety and richness of Oromo ritual through essays that cover history, initiation, knowledge, identity, divination, intention, ritual performance, dance, memories, post-coloniality, the role of children, and the particular social life of the Oromo in the towns of Garba Tulla and Isiolo in eastern Kenya.

• Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Gender Perspectives in East Africa: Understanding the Oromo Culture (Paperback)

by Ibrahim Elemo (Author)

Description

This book is a result of a ground breaking research conducted in Oromiya, Ethiopia to understand the socio-cultural underpinnings of the salient cultural practices feared to fuel the spread of HIV epidemic and affect sexual and reproductive health among the world’s most studied pastoralist community. The Oromo people in East Africa are one of the three largest ethno-national groups and possess a unique and more than five century old indigenous African Democracy-the Gada System. The author’s research on RH, HIV/AIDS and Gender perspectives was preceded by an award winning research to explore the roles of traditional Oromo leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, promotion of RH and Gender empowerments. Understanding the sexual and reproductive health philosophies that necessitated the existence of practices such as polygamy, widow inheritance and culturally tolerated extramarital sexual partnership would greatly contribute to the endeavors of all stakeholders and actors working to tackle HIV, RH and Gender related problems in similar pastoralist communities such as the Somali & Afar people.

About the Author

A Medical Doctor and a Professor at Harry Truman College and NWIHT in Chicago, USA . Dr. Elemo authored a book entitled “HIV/AIDS, Gender and RH Promotion: The Role of Traditional Institutions among the Borana Oromo”. He is the recipient of the 2005 Ethiopian Medical Association’s Award for best scientific paper of the year.

• Food Security in Pastoralist Areas of Ethiopia (Paperback)

by Mette Ravn, Royal Norwegian Embassy Addis Ababa (Foreword)

Description

This is a book about food security in the harsh and fragile lowlands of eastern and southern Ethiopia. It describes how local people and development organizations ensure food security in such an environment. It documents the experiences of over 30 development organizations and projects in the Afar and Somali Regions, and the Boorana Zone of Oromiya Region. This book also offers a series of suggestions that government, donors and development organizations can consider when designing and implementing food security interventions in the region. The book covers the following areas: • Water • Livestock • Rangeland and resource management • Crops • Alternative foods • Income diversification • Institutions • Services • Conflicts • Policies and advocacy This book is not exhaustive, either geographically or in terms of topics. It is written with the hope that it is sufficiently broad to give ideas and lessons for developing food security interventions and strategies in pastoralist and dry areas of Ethiopia.