The Group of Waaqeffannaa Assembly – GWA, a religious group of Waaqeffannaa society, is established in Norway by interested Oromo immigrants in the year 2008. The establishment of the Group of Waaqeffannaa Assembly is just to introduce the knowledge and wisdom of the Waaqeffannaa religion to world so that it provides a solution to the spiritual, personal and social needs.
The Oromo people, who had long ago recognized Waaqaa as the only Supreme Reality, the Creator of everything, could be one among the earliest peoples of the world, not only in Africa, to develop the doctrine of monotheism. Thenceforth, Waaqeffannaa as a religion, as a religious thought, and as a religious practice of the Gadaa-organized Oromo people, sprung out of the Oromo concept of Waaqaa. As a public affair, Waaqeffannaa is manifested by Oromummaa as part of the cultural domain of the Gadaa Oromo Society.
Since the emergence of Waaqeffannaa as a public religious affair, the Waaqeffattootaa have been organizing Irreeffannaa, “Thanksgiving Ceremony”, near a body of water (lake, spring, crater, or stream) or at the Galma of the Qaalluu every year. The ceremony is conducted by offering thanks and greeneries to Waaqaa, Who helped them, pass through the ‘dark’ rainy winter season to the bright sunny season, which begins to shine in the month of Fulbaanaa, September, the time crops and plants are furnishing colourful flowers.
In spite of problems confronting the Oromos in course of their history, interaction with other peoples, voluntary or involuntary conversion to the ´written´ religions of the Muslim and Christian worlds, Waaqeffannaa continues to offer pertinent answers to its adherents. Waaqeffannaa has made remarkable contributions in conflict resolutions, in making peace, in maintaining social harmony, in defending the Gadaa-based moral qualities of the Oromo families, in shaping the behavioral system of the Oromos (from blessing ceremonials to etiquette of socializing), and in bestowing socially meaningful names upon the newly born Oromo children.
Therefore, the establishment of the Group of Waaqeffannaa Assembly- GWA is to serve the true Waaqeffannaa religion based on the Will and the Laws of Waaqeffannaa knowledge and wisdom, moral judgments and human compassion by respecting and deeply exploring the values of the indigenous religions, cultures and ethic for the religions of the indigenous peoples of African origin to satisfy their needs. GWA has also an objective of promoting the teachings of Waaqeffannaa creeds, based on the Rules and the Principles of Waaqeffannaa, the Right Path to Gaarummaa, and the Avenue of Peace to the rest of the world. Thus, the rationale behind the establishment of GWA by taking into account the beneficial role of an indigenous religion is to re-cultivate and promote the positive roles of Waaqeffannaa and Gadaa in protecting Namummaa (Humanity) throughout the worlds.
THE VISION OF GWA
The Group of Waaqeffannaa Assembly’s envisions the creation of Waaqeffannaa in which each and every religion plays a remarkable contributions in conflict resolutions, in making peace, in maintaining social harmony, in defending the Namummaa-based moral qualities of the families, in shaping the behavioral system of the society (from blessing ceremonials to etiquette of socializing), and in bestowing socially meaningful names upon the newly born children.
THE MISSION OF GWA
The primary mission of the GWA is the realization of Waaqeffannaa religion for the betterment of Namummaa (humanity), moral judgments and human compassion based on the Rules and the Principles of Waaqeffannaa, the Right Path to Gaarummaa, and the Avenue of Peace to attain modesty honesty, happiness, and Peace by respecting and deeply exploring the values of the indigenous religions.
THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF GWA
Waaqeffannaa promotes and cultivates the Will of Waaqaa for the betterment of human being. It is also based on the Rules and the Principles of Waaqeffannaa, the Right Path to Gaarummaa, and the Avenue of Peace to attain Gaarummaa, happiness, and Peace.
According to Waaqeffannaa principle, a cheeky person of sneaky behavior, a counterfeiter, and a renegade, a socially inconsiderate, selfish and deceptive person is understood as existing against the Law of Waaqaa. Hence, Waaqeffannaa refrains from approving a ‘certificate of integration’ into the religious life of Gadaa Oromoo Families. No one can ever trust such person as a faithful citizen of the Republic of Gadaa Oromoland .
Waaqeffannaa rather adheres to teaching human compassion, conformity to facts of truth, respect to the Law of Waaqaa, honesty to the legitimacy of social taboos, fairness to individual and public opinions, care for strangers, and hospitality to foreigners.
Waaqeffannaa teaches its followers to abhor practices like persecution, ostracizing and segregation of man by man because of differences in faith, language, ethnicity, hair texture, physical character, skin colour, height or weight.
Waaqeffannaa always advocates honesty, modesty, truth, purity and humanity as inherent qualities of the Gadaa-based Oromo Society, which can lead them to successful achievement for the endeavors they are constantly undertaking.
Waaqeffannaa teaches the abhorrence of the root causes that emit cataclysmic social disorders and defile the established social norms with which the Oromos have been living in the longest period of their history, when they stood in the light of Seera Waaqaa and Safuu.
THE CORE VALUES OF GWA
As GWA is established to promote and cultivate these Waaqeffannaa Rules and Principles, its guiding values and principles’ are also emanates from and based on the Holy messages, the everlasting Laws and Principles of Waaqaa. More specifically, the values of the Group of Waaqeffannaa Assembly are:
- Waaqaa endowed the human beings with the Avenue of Peace, Karaa Nagaa, to walk on,
- Waaqaa blessed for them with the Waaqaa Rule of Law, as promulgated and declared by the Waaqaa’s messenger, Qaalluu,
- Waaqaa blessed the human beings to be men of justice and law-abiding citizens as applied in the Gadaa system of the Republic of Gadaa Oromoland
- He blessed them to be a victorious and prosperous nation of numerous progenies, if they follow the Avenue of Peace,
- Waaqaa strictly warned them never to cultivate persons of dictatorial ambitions nor to allow the growth of such person among them and so on.
These and other messages of Waaqaa are believed to have been delivered through the mouth of the first Qaalluu, who had been anointing Waaqeffattootaa pilgrims from all over Gadaa Oromoland at Odaa Mormor and Haroo Walaabuu before colonization. The message has become a self-assertive declaration in rejecting and fighting any form of internally assumed dictators and the colonial rules and rulers.
OBJECTIVE OF GWA
The Group of Waaqeffannaa Assembly is a religious organization dealing with the Waaqeffannaa affairs. The Objectives of GWA are:
- Serving the true Waaqeffannaa ideology based on the Will of Waaqaa and Rules of Waaqeffannaa,
- Introducing Waaqeffannaa to the world using all available means,
- Supporting the constructive roles of Waaqeffattootaa’s, followers of the Waaqeffannaa religion, personal and social development activators to enable them to fulfill their potential in the World society,
- Providing and strengthening the Waaqeffannaa organizations capacity to encourage the positive engagement and integration of the Waaqeffattootaa generation in their spiritual and social environment, and
- It also aims to help assist towards diffusing social tensions, and protect the new generation of Waaqeffannaa followers from extremism and such trends that result in social instability.
Our Aims
GWA aims to achieve the following:
- Preserve the knowledge and wisdom of Waaqeffannaa religion,
- Educate and train its members in order to overcome problems they face in modern society,
- Encourage them to become active and positive citizens in their societies,
- Introduce Waaqeffannaa to the world in its purest form as a comprehensive system and way of life,
- Establish a relationship of dialogue, understanding and appreciation between Waaqeffannaa organizations and the world cultural groups, and
- Provide assistance to Waaqeffannaa and non- Waaqeffannaa organizations to fulfil these goals through training and cooperation.
Our Means
- Hold regional and local Waaqeffannaa youth and student camps.
- Help establish Waaqeffannaa scout groups where possible in collaboration with the different Scout Association.
- Organize conferences, symposia, workshops and research circles to address youth and students issues.
- Publish books, brochures, reports and exhibition material that best introduce Waaqeffannaa to non-Waaqeffannaa in its holistic vision, and best educated generation about their role in the world society.
- Organize exchange visits, Irreechaa & Jilayyuu trips.
- Provide training and support to the association of Waaqeffannaa society, to clubs of new generation, and to youth organizations in order to help them better fulfil their objectives.
CONCLUSION
Waaqeffannaa is an indigenous religion of African origin, which is followed by millions of people. Waaqeffannaa does give holistic, convincing, and historically remarkable answers to its followers. The door of Waaqeffannaa was open; and it is still open; it must continue to be open to those constructive ideas and various innovations that help enhance the creative capacity of the Oromo people.
In order to consolidate and re-cultivate the beautiful custom of hospitality, the knowledge and wisdom of Waaqeffannaa teachings, the custom of caring for strangers, the establishment of the Group of Waaqeffannaa Assembly is necessary. GWA, therefore, can play the beneficial role Waaqeffannaa has been playing in protecting Namummaa throughout the ages.
As GWA strongly believes, a wise act would help to develop and construct moral judgments and human compassion by respecting and deeply exploring the values of the indigenous religions. It can also paves the way for the future peace building activities by restoring social harmonies among the human beings. As an extension of this phenomenon, GWA believes that society collapses unless a balance is struck between female and male, young and old, spiritual and physical power in the cosmic order of Waaqaa’s wisdom by restoring the Waaqaa’s Rules of Law in the world.