A Call to Heritage: The Sikkoo Mandoo Gadaa Assembly Convenes in Baalee Bahaa

LAGA HIDHAA DHAADDACHOO, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA – In a significant cultural and political event, the Sikkoo Mandoo Gadaa generation is set to hold its major assembly, the Ya’a Dhaddacha Guutaa (Grand Assembly of the Dhaddacha), from April 9th to 11th, 2026. The gathering will take place on the historic lands of the Dhaddacha Heeroo in Laga Hidhaa Dhaddacha, Baalee Bahaa Zone, marking a powerful moment of revival and continuity for the Oromo people’s indigenous governance system.

The assembly follows a pivotal decision made during a previous meeting, where twenty Dhaddachas (Gadaa class leaders or representatives) of the Sikkoo Mandoo generation resolved to formally return to their positions. The 21st Dhaddacha is located in Hosaana.

This convocation is more than a ceremonial gathering; it is a deliberate act of cultural reclamation. “The Oromo people are in a critical and necessary time to reclaim their identity under the Gadaa System from the places where it was taken from them in the past,” the announcement states. The event is positioned as distinct and vital, especially during a period of political transition in Ethiopia, where the Oromo are placing great emphasis on recovering their historical identity and autonomous systems.

A Gathering of National Significance

The Baalee Bahaa Zone Administration Communications Office, which released the call, emphasized the national importance of the event. “This assembly belongs to all Oromos,” the announcement declares, extending a special invitation to the children of Arsii, particularly the Ilmaan Arsii Sikkoo Mandoo, the specific lineage of this Gadaa generation.

The message is a communal summons: “We share this call together so that we may restore our system in its rightful place.” The statement underscores a collective responsibility to witness and participate in this act of restoration, urging Oromos from near and far to attend. Reports indicate that participants are already beginning their journeys from distant areas to converge on the historic site.

Context: The Gadaa System in Modern Ethiopia

The Gadaa system is a millennia-old, complex socio-political system of the Oromo people, based on democratic principles, generational classes, and cyclic leadership. It was historically suppressed by successive Ethiopian states. Its contemporary revival is deeply intertwined with the Oromo political awakening and struggle for self-determination over the past decades.

The convening of such a formal, large-scale Gadaa assembly in 2026 occurred against a backdrop of major political change in Ethiopia. It reflected a grassroots-driven movement to assert cultural sovereignty and provide a framework for governance and social organization rooted in Oromo tradition, parallel to the modern state structures.

The Site: Dhaddacha Heeroo

The choice of location is deeply symbolic. Dhaddacha Heeroo is not a random field but a site laden with historical memory for the Arsii Oromo and the Sikkoo Mandoo generation. Holding the assembly there represents a physical and spiritual return to a source of authority and law, anchoring the future of the Gadaa system in the sacred geography of the past.

As final preparations are completed, the Ya’a Dhaddacha Guutaa stands as a testament to the resilience of the Gadaa system. It is a vivid demonstration of a people actively piecing together the fragments of their heritage, not as a museum exhibit, but as a living, breathing framework for identity and governance in the 21st century.