Do you discuss?
Do you discuss until everyone agrees in the decision?
Does the mother paricipate?
Do the children have a right to paricipate? To what extent can children paricipate?
Do the grandparents paricipate?
Who makes the final decision? Wil decisions take adequate care of the rights of eve ry
family member?
C§
Char i - 2:
Which forms of discussion do you have in your community?
How does the community arive at decisions?
Which institutions do you have in your community?
Do you have Edir? Debo? Elders mediating in conflcts?
Do you have Elders courts?
How is land distributed in the community? Do you have institutions like Rist? Gada?
Ottuba? Is land distrbuted through discussion? Does everyone get his right?
Is your mosque or your church congregation a place for discussion?
if there is a problem to be solved, do these groups give every member the right to be heard?
Do they discuss until a solution is found to which all can agree? Can all get what they need?
Do you reach an agreement of all?
~~l4
ro
~~
Char I - 3:
Do all members have the right to participate?
Do the institutions in your vilage or kebele guarantee that all members can express their wishes and interests ?
Also the women? the poor? the sick? the blacksmiths?
Do they protect the rights of the weak? Also the needs of the poor?
Do you have the right to be heard befnre a decision is made?
Wil your needs be taken care of? Are your rights respected?
What are your rights in the se institutions? What benefit do they give you?
Do they give you security? InfIuence? Control? Justice? Food? Food security?
~, ..~
r0 ~
.~ (
es :I
~
Char I - 4:
In a community, rights and responsibilties belong together .
What are your obligations and responsibilities?
What are the responsibilties of the offcers or leaders?
What are the responsibilities of ordinar members?
How are the leaders appointed? Are they elected?
What can you do if leaders tr to limit your rights?
Remember: y ou wil always enjoy only those rights which your community can enforce;
~r J ê"" ri
C. 'v YUk -'.
Ú' J
--1 f'
.tI ~ -v
~ - J ..
Char i - 5:
Whom are the leaders responsible to?
Can the leaders be challenged if they decide wrongly?
Can they be made accountable if they do not follow the demands of the members?
What can you do in such case?
Can any member question the leaders?
Also the son of a blacksmith? A woman? A child? A poor old lady?
Remember: Only the demand and the control of the people can widen the space for your
rights and for discussion.
~~
Char 1-6:
How are conficts between a majority and a minority resolved?
Whathappens if there are different opinions?
How are conflcts resolved?
through discussion where everyone voices his or her views?
Do you discuss until all agree on a solution?
Do the elders make a final decision?
Do the offcers make a final decision?
Do you decide by a vote on a final solution?
Char i - 7:
What can you do if your rights are not respected?
Could it happen that you feel you are right but do not get your right in the meeting, and have to accept a decision by the community?
What is more important: that you get your right or that the community agrees on a solution?
What can you do if your right is not accepted?
What can you do if your needs are not met by the community?
Appeal to the community?
move to another community?
take to violence?
accept the community decision, adjust to what you are given?
other solution?
Remember: Some conflcts can not be sol ved without compromise.
Compromise and consensus are important if you want conflcts to be solved through discussion, not through force.
. Char I - 8:
What can you do if soneone else's rights are not respected?
If some other person does not get what he or she needs - if someone is treated badly by the community, is it your responsibilty to help her or him?
What can you do to help?
What help can you give?
Wil you stand up and argue against the community decision?
Wil you tr to give food or shelter to the one you feel has been unfairly delt with?
. Remember: The rights of the community can never be more than the protection they give to the rights of the weak and the lowest individuals.
- ~
- ..
c-,~~.
Char I - 9:
What is democracy?
Would you prefer to live in a community where one leader decides everything for you?
Or do you prefer to be inc1uded in discussions before decisions are made? Even if it gives
you responsibilty for the decisions reached?
Do you prefer a community where people live and work together in unit y? Where problems
are always sol ved by discussion, not by violence? Where everybody is inc1uded and
respected as a member?
Do you want to live in a community where every person hads rights which are respected by all? Also the women? the poor? the blacksmiths...?
Such a society is called a democracy. The word "Democracy" has been misused a lot. But its real meaning is a society which solves problems through discussion, not violence; and which is guided by the wil of the majority, while it protects the rights of minorities.
if you want to live in a democratic society, it is your responsibilty - together with all other people - to make your own community more democratic.
Democracy is never perfect. Only the people's effort to improve it makes it more democratie.
~ ~ er
~~r-.. ~ tJ~~v
-Char I - 10:
What makes goo democracy?
Which principles shall our peasant friend Debele write on the blackboard?
(Ask the people and write down what they suggest. Some examples are listed below.
They should not be read to the audience, but could be used to stimulate discussion and
phantasy. )
Equal influence for all?
Care for all members?
Accountabilty of leaders?
Paricipation of all members?
Right of influence for each individual?
Rights of the opposition?
Protection of minority rights?
Others?
\ ~-A '"LA~--~ ~~~ ~¥
WHAT iS. J)éMvC/(AC'r,?
ì.. ~~ pOtb'c,¡pCt ~s. .
2., .4..V'~ M" di~i. i
3 . C; ,"" k ~ Yl ~ l- Is ru.i 'w q' Ó'.. L bi
5. 4.
6.
:J .
PART Il:
WHAT is DEMOCRACY ?
Char IL - 1:
In a democracy, only the people are sovereign.
Who gives Government its powers?