Bena Tsemay
Bena Tsemay is one of the woredas in the South Ethiopia Regional State. It is named after Banna and Tsamai people who are living at this woreda. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Bena Tsemay is bordered on the south by Hamer, on the west by Selamago, on the north by Bako Gazer and Male, on the northeast by the Dirashe special woreda, on the east by the Konso special woreda, and on the southeast by the Oromia Region; the Weito River separates it from Konso special woreda and Oromia Region. Western part of this woreda is included in the Mago National Park. The administrative center is Key Afer. Bena Tsemay was part of former Hamer Bena woreda.
"Maro Maro Maro# Bane Nations Era Change Festival".
Maro, the founding event of the Maro Bane Nation's Era Change Festival, is rooted in the core values of solidarity, peace, tolerance, and similar principles. The festival takes place in the southern parts of the newly organized region of southern Ethiopia, specifically in the Benatsemay woreda of the Debub Omo zone. The Bane nation, with its own traditional administrative structure, follows a leadership hierarchy consisting of Bit/King, Koogoo/Next King, and Goodel/Next King Leading.
The Maro ceremony is enforced by the traditional structure called Goodel, which is led by kings representing traditional administrative authority in one or more villages within a kebele. The Goodel administration plays a significant role in preserving and promoting the values associated with Maro.
The Maro festival is initiated by summoning the elders of the country, who gather before the New Year's harvest season. In the presence of the elders, a symbolic act called "Koogoo" is performed, which involves taking out wood from a fire. This act signifies the beginning of the festival.
The procedure starts by calling two elders from the village before the harvest season. The Koogoo then creates a fire through friction, known as "Loopan Nunoo." After igniting the fire, the Koogoo extinguishes it and gives three or more short appointments to the elders to tie a rope. Following this, the Goodel takes the Koogoo or the Friction/Sebeka, removes the fire, blesses it, and distributes it to all the people. The participants take the new fire to their homes, replacing the old fire with the new one.
Once this ceremony is completed, marking the arrival of the sowing season, the Goodel field is covered with seeds, and the people begin sowing their own seeds. …