Selam:
I wonder what 'AdKeme MiligĻ had tosay about slave ownership?
If I remember correctly it said: Bariya kab barya Entewelede Eti wulud
nay wanaU YiKewin ( meaning would still be a slave). Barya Kab Chiwa
Enteweledet Iti wulud Natsa YiKewin.
Any comment?
Negga
------------------------- Begin Original -------------------------
**** To contact Dehai-Admin, send mail to: dehai@universe.digex.net ****
selam Saleh and dehai,
Saleh wrote:
> Then there is this talk about
building
>democracy on the tenets of our own culture? How can one build a
democracy
>on a base grid that is undemocratic? Our culture is generally
undemocratic.
>Proof? Just think what would have happened to women's rights had we
build
>our contemporary principles, based on our cultural attitudes towards
women.
>Women must be thankful to God that the whole cultural issue was
squashed
>away from this one.
Saleh, I agree with you that our customary laws by and large treat
women
unfairly. In May 1995, Omar and Ghidewon posted a detailed
presentation on Eritrean Customary Laws and the constitution. Those of
you who joined dehai after May 1995, please read dehai archives on the
subject. This post is also a revised version of what I wrote on
May 11, 1995.
Some aspects of our culture are undemocratic. This does not mean,
however, that our culture and customary laws do not have important
characteristics of democratic political culture. Every culture has a
negative side, the trick is to accentuate the positive and reduce the
negative. After all, some of the framers of the much-praised
U.S. Constitution were slave owners.
Our customary laws are important factors for social order and
stability in rural areas of Eritrea. Let me give few examples that
reinforce social order and stability. SrAt adkeme mlga' has a detailed
section on grazing rights that has implications for social order and
environment. On agreement, it states: "fetyom eteweAAlwo wEl kulu
bzKone
neger Qwm eyu:: wEl zweAle senbet zebAle eKua ybehal" (agreement is
binding if entered willingly) On market it states: "zshyet zlweT
neger kulu ab Edaga kwerd eyu zgbo:: abu eyu dma zshyeTn zlwT::"
(buying and selling is done in a marketplace).
Our customary laws also have direct impact on economic development.
If development is to be genuine I think it is advisable to consider the
way local (village) people organize their life and administration.
srAt logo chwa, for example, states that a villager who sees a damaged
road is supposed to report to his village chief (chqa): "mengedi arbA
7 metron fereqan ykun::eta mengedi bmay wey bkal' mknyat
entetebelashewet eti qdm zreaya gebar nchqa Adi ynger::eti chqa ms
semEe
gebar azizu bqlTuf yeEerya:: teazizu zeboKere geberay eti chqa denab
qeSiAu nSbaHitu yewfro::
Our customary laws also do not lack sense of justice and fairness.
srAt logo chwa states: "genzeb Hdri eteqebele seb kemta Hdru kfSm
ygb'o::" Many of our proverbs are also geared to instill a sense
of justice and fairness. Let me give few examples. I am adding very
loose translation.
"fred nnebska blaE nkerska"
(judge for your soul, eat for you body)
"klte sab zzareb lsan wey ndweyet wey nEmsan"
(dual (conflicting) 'judgement' leads to lameness or
deafness)
"Haqi gber [tezareb] ab megedi deqs"
(speak the truth and sleep on a street)
"Haqi br'sa enteqeberkaya b'gra tweS' "
(truth comes out on its foot, even if you bury its head)
Baito election and decision making process in the villages have
important
elements of democratic political culture. The emphasis is on
collective
decision making and the will of the people. In the words of our
village
elders: "qal hzbi qal amlak qal rebi". To me the last proverb says it
all.
The will of the people. And that is not a quotation from Madison or
Jefferson.
Afeworki Paulos
Reference: cited clauses are from Hgn srAtn nay meret Adebo, compiled
by ZeraYacob Estephanos, Weldemariam Abraham and Gherima
Ghebremeskel.
** To UNSUBSCRIBE from dehai, send mail to: majordomo@primenet.com **
** with the following text in the body of your mail: **
** unsubscribe dehai your-email-address **
------------------------- End Original -------------------------
** To UNSUBSCRIBE from dehai, send mail to: majordomo@primenet.com **
** with the following text in the body of your mail: **
** unsubscribe dehai your-email-address **