Aspect of Public Interaction on Market Days in Gondar, Northwestern Ethiopia, 1941-1991: Saturday Market in Focus

Abstract

Traditionally, markets are places where goods and services are exchanged. Apart from these, they are also important public platforms for interaction and symbiosis relations.  The large historic Saturday market in Gondar city was a very good example, where public interactions maintained the social cohesion. The aim of this paper was to study the Saturday market in Gondar city as an agent of public interaction, 19401- 1991.  Data for the study is based on oral sources and document analysis. Both oral and written sources are critically examined and objectively evaluated. The findings of this paper witnessed that people used to mention their daily life feelings  aspirations, gains, and losses specific to the market day or used it to express their inner feelings, all the good  or bad they encountered via the market day. This implies the importance of market days on social interaction besides the daily routines of that day.   The daily market interaction leads to the inter-religious and inter-ethnic bond formations in the short and long-term relations, such as through  (Abelij), friendship(wodaj), and so on, as one aspect of humanity deep-rooted in the culture of the people in focus.   In this case, the Saturday market as a genuine public podium and for its reciprocal relationship with the government, society and other important institutions duly recognized in the oral arts of the public.