Federalism at the Margins of the Ethiopian State: The Lived Experience of the Majang People

Seyoum, Seyoum Mesfin (2015) Federalism at the Margins of the Ethiopian State: The Lived Experience of the Majang People. PhD thesis, Addis Ababa University.

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Abstract

This dissertation presents the experience of ethnic empowerment within federal political system in Ethiopia for the last two decades. It examines to what extent the new federal political order has delivered on its promises by taking Majang people who live in the Gambella regional state as a case study. The Majang, an ethnic minority, live in the southwestern part of Ethiopia in Gambella regional state about 302 kilometers to the south of the Gambella town. In both material and cultural sense, Majang way of life is closely related with their surrounding landscapes, above all the forest. They are the sole inhabitants of the forest lived for centuries making a living through bee hunting, keeping and shifting cultivation. It takes a critical look at Majang people core values and threat of extensive land acquisition in federal Ethiopia primarily based on first hand empirical data collected through observation, in-depth interviews and focused group discussions besides secondary sources. It has been already two decades since the Ethiopian federation has been instituted. The Majang are in theory the prime beneficiaries of Ethiopia’s ethnic federalism. Given that these are a people, not just historically neglected by the preceding Ethiopian regimes, but also raided as slaves, never treated as citizens in any form or shape. Thus, the EPDRF’s constitutional guarantee of ethnic self-rule, promotion/protection of minority rights and the pledge to empower ethnic minorities were naturally greeted with enthusiasm by Majang, as was the case with virtually all of the country’s ethnic munity populations. Against the background of a federal experiment that is meant to address, among other things, ethnic injustice and institute a bettersystem of governance in Ethiopia, this article examines the lived experience of the Majang people in Gambella Regional State. Results of implementation of Ethiopian ‘ethnic federalism’ are largely paradox even after this political order has been in place for two decades. The paradox of Ethiopia’s federalism is that, despite the existence of extensive self-rule based on ethnicity, land acquisition primarily by migrants but also by the domestic and foreign investors has posed a serious threat to the very survival of the Majang. Despite political empowerment, there is a deep seated insecurity. Extensive encroachment into Majang forestland, indeed, is causing Majang people to suffer greatly. Threats become more intense and Majang vulnerability are more numerous and potentially serious in consequence. Consequently, these relentless land acquisitions seriously weaken and endanger Majang culture, identity and core-values. It is argued that the people of Majang in Gambella are faced with a serious “existential threat” to their survival as a group because of the spread of land acquisition by their powerful neighbors, illegal migrant highlanders and government-backed investors. With government emphasis on policy of developmental state manifested in the form of large-scale land lease, ethnic identity and minority rights are pushed to the sideline. The implication of these finding is clear; development must take into account consent of community at local level. Persistently ignored by the state and the local government, the Majang also react to their grievances to these threats in the form of violent resistance. If land acquisition and deforestation continues like this, the Majang would irreversibly lose their cultural identity and livelihood connected to that. We need to translate the general constitutionalpolicies into concrete programs and services that respond effectively to minority peoples’ needs such as the Majang. The dissertation argues that proper application and respect of the federal constitution and its core principles remain the best means of addressing the problem. A new willingness is required from the state at different levels to address the Majang problem and other minorities with related condition. The purpose here is not to suggest an alternative policy to ethnic federalism, but a proof that federalism is failing at the local level to meet its objective of ensuring self-rule for the Majang people and to suggest a more accommodative and a more useful implementation of it particularly among minorities . Expressly, to address Majang security threats, the government has to look at other alternative strategies of Majang-friendly development policy such as eco-tourism and modern apiculture rather than forestland land leasing.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Divisions:	Africana
Depositing User:	Emmanuel Ndorimana
Date Deposited:	12 Jun 2018 07:01
Last Modified:	12 Jun 2018 07:01
URI:	http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/4621

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