The revival and reconstruction of tradition and ethnic politics in Sidama

Tradition as an arsenal of contest and negotiation

Abstract

This paper considers the revival and reconstruction of tradition and its contribution to the process and the dynamics of ethnic identification among the Sidama in post-1991 Ethiopia. By doing so, the paper engages with different developments that are feeding into Sidama ethnic identity and ethnic markers and examines the different ways in which Sidama present themselves, draw and maintain ethnic boundaries. In other words, the paper sheds light on certain traditions which are being revived and used as vectors for the further fostering of Sidama ethnic consciousness and solidarity in the ethnicised political landscape of post-1991 Ethiopia. The paper also shows how the Sidama use their traditions as a vehicle to make dialogue with contemporary ethnic politics, i.e. to demand, contest and negotiate with contemporary political realities. By employing Günther Schlee's theoretical approach that sets out the premiums of cost and benefit in group formation, the paper probes why the Sidama contest or reject being identified with the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR).