ADDIS ABABA:|September 9, 2026|Horn News Hub
The Benishangul-Gumuz regional government is working with unprecedented focus to develop valuable cultural values and pass them on to the next generation, according to regional President Ashadli Hassen.
The region’s Gwandwa festival concluded this year with a series of celebratory programs. Speaking at the event, Hassen said Gwandwa marks the passage from a period of darkness into a new year of peace and joy, celebrated with hope.
He said the region and the country as a whole should embrace diversity as an asset and live in unity, adding that Gwandwa belongs not only to the Gumuz ethnic group but is a treasure for the region and the nation. He also noted that the Gumuz community holds values that help resolve conflict and strengthen peace.
Deputy regional President Getahun Abdisa said Gwandwa serves as a hopeful transition into the new year, observed through reconciliation and unity. He described it as a festival of gratitude, celebrated by the Gumuz community through shared meals and drink in a spirit of love.
This year’s festival was held under the theme “Gwandwa for Lasting Peace and Comprehensive Development,” accompanied by various development and volunteer activities.
Miskiya Abdella, head of the region’s Culture and Tourism Bureau, said the Gwandwa festival carries messages of peace, love, joy, unity, tolerance, reconciliation and forgiveness. She called on all stakeholders to work toward preserving, documenting and passing on Gumuz cultural heritage to future generations.
Tadesse Deresa, speaker of the Gumuz Nationality Council, said Gwandwa represents emergence from darkness and a symbol of freedom and renewal. He explained that the festival is observed through reconciling those in conflict, forgiveness and mutual support.
He called for greater recognition of Gwandwa, a festival of unity and forgiveness, and for efforts toward its registration as a world heritage tradition.
