Afoča
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History
Anthropologist Elisabeth-Dorthea Hecht, states Afočas 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] American sociologist Sidney Waldron posits that neighborhood associations might have influenced the political landscape of Harar in the mid-1800s. After the passing of Emir Ahmad III ibn Abu Bakr, Abdallahi Abd al-Mejid took temporary control but was ousted as a result of a consensus among the five Afochas.[6]
According to Ethiopian historian Mohammed Hassen, the Afoča 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.[7]
Aspects
An Afoča consists of the following:
Membership
The coalition is customarily based on age and gender.[8] Men's Afoča is generally complimentary, while the women's Afocha includes a charge due to high expenditures linked to the latter on special occasions.[9][10]
Objectives
Some of its main focuses are to assist members financially during their funerals (amuta gar) and weddings (balachu gar).[11][12][13] Chairman of the men's Afoča prioritizes economic support while the chairwoman of the women's Afoča focuses mainly on the mutual sharing of jubilation and melancholy.[14]
Further reading
- Peter H. Koehn, Afocha: A Link Between Community and Administration in Hārar, Ethiopia. Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, 1978