Can an ancient Oromo philosophy help Ethiopia build peace? Why Namummaa matters

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Ethiopia's Oromo people have an indigenous philosophy known as Namummaa, or “humanness”, which places relationships and peace at the centre of social life. The Oromo are Ethiopia's most populous ethnic group, making up about 38% of the country's population of 105 million people. Most live in Oromia, a region that covers about a third of Ethiopia's land area. Oromia is a political powerhouse that plays a central role in shaping Ethiopia's trajectory.

Drawing on his research into Oromo traditions and customs, Bekalu Wachiso Gichamo explains how Namummaa shapes ideas of conflict resolution – and why its lessons may be relevant to a country grappling with political and ethnic divisions.

What are the main characteristics of Namummaa?

The word is built from two parts: “nama”, meaning human, and “ummaa”, meaning the essence or quality of being something. At its core, Namummaa means “humanness”.

For the Oromo people, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, a person becomes fully human through their relationships with other people, the natural world and Waaqa, the creator in Oromo belief systems.

This perspective is similar to ubuntu, a southern African philosophy often summed up as “I am because we are”.

The Oromo also use a moral code called Saffu. This encourages people to keep a respectful distance from evil and maintain healthy relationships. If you act selfishly or harm others, you lose your Namummaa. You might still have a human body, but the community will say you lack humanness.

How do indigenous moral values shape the character of the Oromo?

Namummaa shapes both personal conduct and collective identity.

The Oromo place great emphasis on relationships, mutual care and responsibility towards others. A person's worth is judged by how they treat fellow human beings and contribute to communal wellbeing, not by wealth or status.

This is reflected in Oromo proverbs such as:

Your neighbour's situation is your situation too

and

Your happiness is my happiness.

These sayings express the belief that individual wellbeing cannot be separated from the wellbeing of others.

The Gadaa system– an indigenous system of governance that largely dictates Oromo life – promotes values such as accountability, participation, dialogue and collective responsibility. This reinforces the idea that human dignity should be respected.

However, Namummaa has not always been perfectly realised in practice. One example is Butta, a customary armed expedition. Under the Gadaa system, men passed through a series of age-based classes, where they were taught their social and political responsibilities. Before assuming leadership, some Gadaa classes were expected to wage war or raid neighbouring groups regarded as enemies.

Such practices appear to contradict the ideals of peace and coexistence associated with Namummaa. They remind us that indigenous traditions, like all social systems, contain tensions and contradictions. They also suggest that some historical practices may have weakened or distorted Oromo ideals concerning peace, democracy and intercommunal relations.

Is there relevance for this in peacebuilding and conflict resolution?

Peace, or nagaa, occupies a central place in Namummaa.

Because relationships are viewed as the foundation of social life, maintaining and restoring peace becomes a collective responsibility.

One example can be seen in how serious crimes are handled. When a hidden crime such as murder occurs, elders often play a leading role in investigating and resolving the conflict. Rather than relying solely on punishment, the emphasis is placed on uncovering the truth, repairing harm and restoring relationships.

The Oromo believe that truth possesses moral and spiritual force. A common saying is:

Truth is the son of God.

When wrongdoing is discovered, family members may be expected to help establish the truth because an unresolved crime is believed to harm not only the individual offender but also the wider family and community.

Once responsibility is established, the offender may provide compensation to the victim's family. The goal is reconciliation. Community members work to repair the damaged relationship so that both sides can continue living together peacefully.

This differs from many modern legal systems, which often focus primarily on punishment. Whereas formal courts ask what law was broken and how the offender should be sanctioned, Namummaa asks who has been harmed and how the social fabric can be repaired.

How might Namummaa be useful in Ethiopia today?

Ethiopia continues to experience political, ethnic and armed conflicts. As state-led military actions and formal political negotiations struggle to secure lasting stability, Namummaa offers a possible resource. While it originates in Oromo traditions rather than national institutions, I argue that Namummaa offers a credible framework for building a safer Ethiopia and world. We cannot rely on police and prisons alone – we have to rediscover our shared humanness.

Namummaa's emphasis on dialogue, truth-telling, mutual responsibility and reconciliation provides a framework for addressing conflict that goes beyond political bargaining.

It encourages people to see opponents not as permanent enemies but as fellow human beings whose wellbeing is connected to their own.

The philosophy also promotes intercultural understanding. By recognising shared vulnerability and interdependence, it challenges the divisions that often fuel conflict.

The lessons of Namummaa extend beyond Ethiopia. Around the world, societies are struggling with political polarisation and declining social trust. Namummaa reminds us that peace is the ongoing work of nurturing relationships.

Bekalu Wachiso Gichamo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Bekalu Wachiso Gichamo, Lecturer in Peace and Security Studies & Senior Researcher, Wolkite University