Arsi Oromo Youth proficiencies of Their Community Elders' Discourse of Jaarsummaa: Dhaddacha Gurraachaa Kebele, Oromia, Ethiopia in Focus

Ethiopia is a country with a diverse population and a rich cultural heritage. This dissertation reports the result of the proficiencies of youths on the discourse of Arsi Oromo’s community elders that was made during Jaarsummaa, Dhaddacha Gurraachaa Kebele, and Oromia, Ethiopia in focus. Although a critical analysis of the discourse of jaarsummaa among Arsi Oromo of Ethiopia was analized, the actual proficiencies of youths towards this discourses has been made to uncover. Previous studies were mainly focused on evaluating the qualities of justice served by mediators and analyzing the actual jaarsummaa discourse. They did not address the actual proficiencies youths towards their community elders’ discourses of Jaarsummaa. Hence, this study assessed the actual proficiencies of youths towards their community elders’ discourses of Jaarsummaa, the jaarsummaa discourses employed by community elders, and factors affecting youths’ proficiencies not to understand their community elders’ discourses of Jaarsummaa. To this end, primary sources of data were used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. A survey instrument consists of structured and unstructured questionnaire, interview, and focus group discussions were carried out to achieve the research objectives. The researcher used Simple random sampling and purposive sampling methods to draw representatives from target population. The Sample size of the respondents was 229 of which 125 males and 104 females which compraises youths aged 18—35, prominent elders, various religious leaders, Abbaa Gadaa, Haadha Siinqee, kebele Manager and kebele Administrato. The result indicated that youths were not familiar with the Jaarsummaa discourses of their community elders employed at Jaarsummaa session. This unproficieny of youth towards their community elder’s discourses of Jaarsummaa was affected by factors like gender difference where males more familiar than females, age difference which means youths of aged 26—35 were more proficient than youths aged 18—25, exposure to modern communication technologies which means unexposed youths understood the discourse than exposed youths. Youth’s difference in their educational background has no any effect on their proficiency towards their community elders discourses of Jaarsummaa, which means both educated and uneducated youths either know or not know the discourse equally or in the same way. In general, to preserve the communities’ cultural traits it is nacassary to alleviate these problems by various concerned bodies and the communities as a whole.