Project Details

Political representation and participation among the Kunama of northern Ethiopia.

 
The recent federal system of Ethiopia is seen to give preferential treatment to ethnic minorities. However, what this special treatment entails is not looked at from anthropological point of view. This research picks the concept of identity as a tool to understand political representation and the integration of the people into the democratic process. This project is aimed at providing a first-hand evidence of political participation in a remote area of Tigray. The Kunama are Nilotic people living along the Ethiopia- Eritrea border though their oral tradition of traces their original settlement to parts of the present-day Shire. With support from the P4P programme, a team led by Mitiku Gabrehiwot will explore the link between Kunama identity and political participation and representation. This would be done by using anthropological research methods and film as a source of data collection and form of analysis.

Duration: October 2018 to February 2019

About Mitiku

Mitiku Gabrehiwot is an Assistant Professor in Mekelle University’s Department of Anthropology. He has worked as an anthropologist in the areas of identity, customary law, intercultural communication and medical anthropology. He is also an accomplished film-maker and photographer.