Socio-Cultural Sustainability Of The Awra Amba Community, And Its Implications For Intervention

Abstract

Awra Amba is a small community living in South Gonder.  It is characterized by its own living style and ideological praxis which makes it a unique philosophical landscape in the region attracting not less than 5000 local and international tourists as of 2011/12 statistics from the community leaders. In view of the above, the current study attempts to have a look at the Socio-cultural Sustainability of the community. Specifically the study attempts to evaluate the level of sustainability, anticipate the extent of sustainability and recommend interventions as appropriate, identify the hindrances that hold back the economic and cultural state of affairs from spinning out in spatial and temporal facets. To achieve this, the researchers made use of focused group discussions, interviews, and structured observations by adopting sustainability checklist to the context.  It is found out that the sustainability of the community is at stake because the means of income is not diversified and individuals working at the weaving centers are frequently experiencing kidney failures as they work on traditional, sturdy machines all day long. The fact that the community is rigid, and doesn't allow any form of plurality especially in religion and related ideology made the community to be isolated. Thus, the researchers argue that unless these things are going to be reconsidered and measures taken, the community may not sustain its very existence in general and its socio-cultural practices in particular.