Awra Amba RJ 300612 EN - Contacter un comité local d'Attac

Awra Amba, a current experiment of utopian socialism
(Question 16 in Annex). These rules are valid for other activities like weaving, milling, etc.
More generally, every member of The Awra Amba community is responsible for the welfare of
every other member and for the welfare of Awra Amba as a whole, just as the community is
responsible for the welfare of each individual. No one has to fear old age, illness, lack of food,
shelter or clothing, as long as Awra Amba can provide these requirements. Awra Amba constitutes in
fact a single family. A woman of 55: "We all here are brothers and sisters bound by ties of common
values and principles." The group is not only the mean to meet everyone's needs, it is an objective
itself: the interests of individuals are subordinated to the interests of the group. The emphasis on the
value of the group leads to the desire to have the best public facilities and services (schools, health,
infrastructures, workshops, etc.) (At05/57 & 59).
Equality and solidarity between community members do not allow to tolerate habits, beliefs and
traditional practices harmful for individuals, like early marriage, female genital mutilation, wife
sharing – warsa, tonsillectomy, extraction of milk teeth, consumption of drugs like alcohol, khat or
coffee, physical punishments or verbal condemnations of children (awraamba, nd; Ya08/71;
Me09/76). Zumra fought excision of young girls, a traditional practice that was almost universal
twenty years ago in Ethiopia. It has since been outlawed, but is still commonly practised. Evolution
on this subject has been gradual in Awra Amba, but there have not been any excisions for 25 years
(Jo10b/4).
Moreover, some behaviour are deemed dangerous for peaceful coexistence of people and therefore
prohibited, like theft, lie, prostitution, waste of time and resources, gossip, corruption, crime and
provocative behaviours (Ya08/85).
3.4. Rationalism
Rationalism is not an explicit value of the community, without doubt through lack of awareness of
the concept. But for us, it seems to be what characterizes best the connection with the religions, even
with the work, as well as with the consciousness that humans are the only responsible of their
situation and that they have to build their life. This rationalism can even go as far as the rigorism.
3.4.1. God is everywhere... and nowhere
The rural Ethiopian communities consider life as a stage that could prepare them selves to life after
death. The real world is understood as a temporary period, where everyone suffers, where poverty
and hunger are considered as hardships towards eternal life and therefore positively accepted. In a
people where all these beliefs are so deeply rooted, values and attitudes have not the objective to
improve the life on Earth. It leads to fatalism for the life on Earth and makes unthinkable even the
concept of development, and of course any development (Ya08/26-27).
On the contrary, the members of Awra Amba think that we are responsible of the quality of our
existence and of the existence of our descendants, and that everyone has to look for improving what
exists – life on Earth – rather than a hope of future life; his own efforts do allow the development.
They don't believe that a supernatural power protects them from accidents, diseases and enemies.
They don't believe in a divine power allowing and sending hardships; they only believe in an allpowerful
God whose ultimate goal is creating a world where social justice prevails, and which has
only helping or supporting roles – like a government (Yi07/48; Ya08/72-73, 75 & 84-85). Religions
not allowing to work during several days a month, these religious rituals are considered to use
unnecessarily working time (Yi07/57).
Moreover, the Awra Amba members and first of all Zumra notice all religions base their basic
principles on human beings and tell people to love and respect each other, help each other and create
a peaceful world. But they notice also that only to give different names to God leads people killing
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