Chapter 4 A Revival of Tradition? The Power of Clans and Social Strata in the Wolayta Elections

Abstract

This chapter attempts to describe the notion of Wolayta traditional power and authority in the context of contemporary politics. The chapter starts off with an introduction to the history behind social and political stratification in Wolayta, explaining the origin of clan politics as it appears today. The second part explores how the heritage of social and political stratification was challenged by the egalitarian ideas of Socialist ideology during the Derg regime (1974-91) and the emergence of Protestantism in Wolayta, but was still maintained and upheld. The third and fourth sections provide analysis of how the introduction of ethnic federalism during the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has revitalised discriminatory practices and divisive politics, both in Ethiopia as a whole and in Wolayta. All this background information is necessary for an understanding of contemporary Wolayta politics, which is analysed in the final two parts of this chapter. Keywords:Derg regime; EPRDF; political stratification; social stratification; Wolayta Elections