Xeer ciise, oral customary law of communities(Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia)
Inscribed in 2024 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Xeer Ciise refers to the oral customary law of the Somali-Issa communities of Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia. A highly structured and rigorously codified democratic system of governance, it has three main components: (a) a political constitution, which defines the distribution of power and decision-making processes; (b) a penal code, which establishes justice within the community, focused on reconciliation and compensation; and (c) a code of social conduct, which defines a series of metaphysical, spiritual, and social principles and values to regulate collective and individual behavior.
These laws help ensure peaceful coexistence within the community and with other ethnic groups. They incorporate global values and principles, such as respect for the rights of women and children, environmental preservation, peaceful conflict resolution, and mutual assistance. Xeer ciise is transmitted informally, through stories, proverbs, games, poems and initiation rites.
It is also transmitted through formal education programmes, expert debates, symposia and print and electronic media. For the Somali-Issa, this practice unites communities in the Horn of Africa and defines their collective and individual identity, mutual solidarity and social cohesion. The system promotes conflict resolution, peace, cooperation and moral conduct, while strengthening social equity and good governance.
