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History of Ethiopia’s democratic culture now an open book
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the University of Gondar recently launched the “Cultures of Democracy in Ethiopia” publication, which sheds light on Ethiopia’s historical roots in democracy.
Following the conference “Cultures of Democracy” that took place in April last year, the University of Gondar and the Freidrich-Ebert-Stiftung launched “Cultures of Democracy in Ethiopia” on January 11 at the Makaki Campus in Gondar. The publication is a compendium of respective presentations and articles.

The volume is edited by Dr. Sonja John, Assistant Professor for Civics and Ethical Studies and Dr. Busha Taa, Associate Professor of Sociology, both at the University of Gondar, as well as Dr. Dagnachew Assefa, publisher of numerous articles on philosophy and politics. Dr. Dessalegn Mengesha, President of the University of Gondar, opened the launch event.
The publication consists of eleven articles on various aspects of democratic culture in Ethiopia. They demonstrate that democracy is a very Ethiopian concept, as elements can be found in public institutions like written rules and regulations, but also in private habits, indigenous traditions, highly recognized cultural positions or even transmitted in local music.
The publication aims to encourage first and foremost students to discover in detail the roots of democracy. The publication is available at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Gondar.
c. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung