Abstract

Woito Valley: inter-ethnic relations and socio-economic changes in the course of history

Jan Záhorik
(Department of Anthropology, University of West Bohemia, Pilsen)

The aim of this study is to give a description and first analysis of socio-economic changes in Woito valley, South Omo with special reference to the Tsamay and Ongota people. Since the fall of Mengistu’s regime in 1991 South Omo has undergone huge changes that affected lives of native people. Economic development helped to normalize ethnic relations, but on the other hand, development projects and commercial farms, insensible to local conditions caused several serious problems in the area including huge losses of trees, regulation of the river, wildlife losses etc. The result of these influences is that the Tsamay and Ongota people were in some areas forced to change their modes of livelihood. Development projects have also brought remarkable urbanization in the Woito valley. The article examines pluses and negatives of these processes as well as influences of these changes on inter-ethnic relations. The basic idea is, that even though there are several discrepancies in development policy of Ethiopia’s administration, it seems that the development of last fifteen years has brought more intensive economic relations that in some cases helped to improve ethnic relations in the area. The author’s findings are based on so-far published literature, communication with scholars involved, and his own field work in Woito Valley.