Wikipedia

Afocha

Afocha (Harari: አፎቻ) is a Harari community neighborhood association.[1][2][3]

History

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Anthropologist Elisabeth-Dorthea Hecht, states Afochas have existed for at least three generations within the Harari society.[4] While others assert that it traces its origins to the seventeenth century Emirate of Harar.[5] According to Ethiopian historian Mohammed Hassen, the Afocha played a key role as a Harari defense measure, orchestrating national mobilization, which thwarted the city of Harar and its inhabitants from suffering the same fate as their kin, the now extinct Harla people.[6]

Aspects

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An Afocha consists of the following:

Membership

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The coalition is customarily based on age and gender.[7] Men's Afocha is generally complimentary, while the women's Afocha includes a charge due to high expenditures linked to the latter on special occasions.[8][9]

Objectives

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Some of its main focuses are to assist members financially during their funerals (amuta gar) and weddings.[10][11][12] Chairman of the men's Afocha prioritizes economic support while the chairwoman of the women's Afocha focuses mainly on the mutual sharing of jubilation and melancholy.[13]

Further reading

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  • Peter H. Koehn, Afocha: A Link Between Community and Administration in Hārar, Ethiopia. Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, 1978

References

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  1. ^ Baynes-Rock, Marcus. Among the Bone Eaters Encounters with Hyenas in Harar. Penn State University Press. p. 16.
  2. ^ Leslau, Wolf. Fifty Years of Research Selection of Articles on Semitic, Ethiopian Semitic and Cushitic. O. Harrassowitz. p. 386.
  3. ^ Weekes, Richard. Muslim Peoples: Acehnese. Greenwood Press. p. 318.
  4. ^ Afocha. Encyclopedia Aethiopica.
  5. ^ Ibrahim, Abadir. The Role of Civil Society in Africa’s Quest for Democratization. Springer International Publishing. p. 133.
  6. ^ Hassen, Mohammed. The Oromo of Ethiopia, 1500-1850: With special emphasis on the Gibe region. University of London. p. 213.
  7. ^ Hecht, Elisabeth-Dorothea. The Voluntary Associations and the Social Status of Harari Women. Institute of African Studies, University of Nairobi. p. 303.
  8. ^ Ahmed, Yusuf. AFOČA. Institute of Ethiopian Studies. p. 126.
  9. ^ Stauth, Laura. Rethinking the Anthropology of Islam Dynamics of Change in Muslim Societies. In Honour of Roman Loimeier. De Gruyter. p. 103.
  10. ^ Pankhurst, Alula; Assefa, Getachew. Grass-roots Justice in Ethiopia The Contribution of Customary Dispute Resolution. Centre Français d'Études Éthiopiennes. p. 157.
  11. ^ Skutsch, Carl. Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Taylor & Francis. p. 548.
  12. ^ ABUBAKER, ABDULMALIK. THE RELEVANCY OF HARARI VALUES IN SELF REGULATION AND AS A MECHANISM OF BEHAVIORAL CONTROL: HISTORICAL ASPECTS. The University of Alabama. p. 235.
  13. ^ Schulpen, Dr. L. A study about the contributions of indigenous social security systems to poverty reduction (PDF). Radboud University Nijmegen. p. 57.