Decolonizing early childhood education: The role of Sidama Affini in fostering emotional intelligence and cultural identity

Abstract

This study explored the Affini, an indigenous conflict resolution practice of the Sidama people in southern Ethiopia, as a pedagogical process contributing to children’s emotional, linguistic, and moral development. Using a critical ethnographic design, data were collected from 12 elders, 20 parents, and 20 children through focus group discussions, interviews, and observations. Although some child participants were older than eight, their reflections centered on formative early childhood experiences with Affini. Thematic analysis identified three interrelated pedagogical functions: language socialization through structured dialogue and proverbs; emotional regulation through empathy, and active listening; and intergenerational knowledge transfer emphasizing justice, patience, and collective responsibility. Findings revealed that children’s indirect participation in Affini through observation, assigned tasks, and role-play facilitated their gradual integration into community norms and moral reasoning. The study concludes that Affini serves as an informal yet powerful educational framework that supports cultural continuity and socio-emotional learning. It argues for integrating such culturally grounded practices into early childhood care and education policy and teacher training to promote equity and epistemic justice.

Introduction

The early years of life are critical for the development of cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional skills, which form the foundation for lifelong learning and well-being. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is increasingly recognized as a means of fostering these developmental domains (Marfo and Biersteker, 2011; Pence and Nsamenang, 2008). However, ECCE frameworks across many African nations remain heavily influenced by Eurocentric paradigms that often marginalize indigenous knowledge systems (Nsamenang and Tchombe, 2011; Pacini-Ketchabaw et al., 2015). Decolonizing early childhood education, therefore, refers to dismantling these hegemonic structures and restoring epistemic justice by centering local knowledge systems and cultural practices in educational frameworks (Smith, 2012).

This paper situates its inquiry within the Sidama community of Southern Ethiopia, one of the country’s largest ethnolinguistic groups, numbering approximately 4.3 million people (ECSA, 2023). Sidama society is organized around communal living, strong intergenerational ties, and cultural practices that prioritize harmony and collective responsibility (Helfrecht and Dira, 2023). Within this context, Affini is a traditional conflict resolution practice used to mediate disputes and restore social equilibrium. Led by elders known as Chimesas, Affini involves structured dialog, moral reasoning, and consensus-building, where justice and reconciliation take precedence over punishment (Abebe, 2016). While Affini primarily addresses adult disputes, children are present as observers and task participants, allowing them to absorb language patterns, social norms, and ethical principles through participatory observation and guided engagement (Tomora and Jirata, 2025).

The relevance of Affini to early childhood education lies in its embedded lessons on emotional regulation, perspective-taking, and cooperative problem-solving key components of emotional intelligence (Denham et al., 2003). These processes also strengthen cultural identity by transmitting linguistic resources, moral values, and communal ethics to younger generations. In many African communities, such as the Sidama, education is not compartmentalized into formal schooling but interwoven with everyday life, where children learn by observing and participating in socially meaningful activities (Rogoff, 2003).

Despite these educational functions, Affini remains underexplored in the ECCE literature. Previous studies have explored similar indigenous practices such as Rwanda’s Gacaca courts (Clark, 2010) and the Ubuntu philosophy in Southern Africa (Letseka, 2012), highlighting their roles in fostering social cohesion and moral development. However, there is limited literature about how Affini contributes to early childhood learning, particularly in areas of language development, emotional intelligence, and cultural continuity. This study addresses this gap by exploring how Affini supports children’s early socialization and holistic development, thereby offering a culturally grounded perspective for decolonizing early childhood education.

Problem statement

Despite increasing recognition of culturally responsive education, Western pedagogical models continue to dominate early childhood care and education (ECCE) policies and practices across Africa (Mgaiwa and Amani, 2024). These models often overlook indigenous child-rearing systems that emphasize moral instruction, social-emotional growth, and community-based learning (Mashon, 2010). Traditional African practices such as dispute resolution and participatory socialization provide structured opportunities for children to develop essential life skills, yet their educational value remains understudied.

In Sidama society, the Affini tradition serves as a cultural mechanism for conflict resolution, social harmony, and intergenerational knowledge transfer (Abebe, 2016). Beyond resolving disputes, Affini exposes children to structured language use, moral reasoning, and emotional regulation through observation and guided participation. These experiences contribute to foundational competencies such as empathy, patience, and cultural identity key goals of holistic early childhood education (Denham et al., 2003; Rogoff, 2003).

However, research rarely explores how Affini supports children’s early socialization and learning. Most studies on African indigenous systems focus on adult conflict resolution or restorative justice, neglecting their implications for ECCE (Clark, 2010; Letseka, 2012). This knowledge gap limits efforts to decolonize education by integrating localized epistemologies into policy and practice. By exploring cultural perspectives on how Affini nurtures young children’s linguistic, social, and moral competencies, this study showcases the educational potential of an indigenous model and offers insights for embedding culturally grounded practices within early childhood education frameworks.

Study focus

This study explores how the Sidama tradition of Affini functions as a culturally grounded educational framework during early childhood. Specifically, the study seeks to understand how elders transmit knowledge, ethics, and life skills to young children through participatory observation, proverbs, and communal engagement.

Literature review

The push toward decolonizing early childhood education requires not only a critique of Western epistemologies but also the intentional revival and validation of indigenous pedagogies that affirm children’s sociocultural contexts (Shiferaw & Debela, 2024). Decolonization, as conceptualized by Smith (2012), is not merely academic resistance but an active process of reclaiming ontologies, relationships, and pedagogical worldviews that have been historically marginalized. In the African context, this involves reviving community-centered learning approaches that emphasize relational ethics, emotional intelligence, and intergenerational dialog (Choto et al., 2025).

Scholars such as Ndimande and Sayed (2017) and Mignolo (2009) argue that formal education systems continue to privilege Western-centric paradigms, often sidelining indigenous models of learning and knowledge-making. Within this discourse, the tradition of Affini among the Sidama people emerges as a critical pedagogical space where children learn communal norms, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution. Though often informal and unrecognized in formal curricula, Affini functions as a restorative practice rooted in Ubuntu values, where elders serve as cultural mediators and ethical guides.

Affini’s educational function parallels theoretical constructs such as Legitimate Peripheral Participation (Lave and Wenger, 1991), where young children acquire skills by observing and gradually participating in adult-led communal rituals. This aligns with Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1978), where learning is mediated through culturally situated interactions. Recent scholarship on early childhood cultural identity formation (Pence and Nsamenang, 2008; Rogoff, 2003) further supports the argument that indigenous traditions like Affini nurture children’s capacity for empathy, reflection, and self-regulation.

Global efforts to decolonize education evident in Māori Kaupapa Māori models, Ghanaian Eban ethics, and Rwandan Gacaca courts also illuminate the importance of culturally grounded practices that honor children’s lived experiences and moral development (Choto et al., 2025). Integrating these frameworks repositions indigenous systems not as ancillary to Western models, but as primary sources of pedagogical wisdom. Thus, this study situates Affini within a broader intellectual movement advocating for epistemic justice, child-centered ethics, and pluriversal approaches to learning.

Theoretical framework

Based on social constructionism (Berger and Luckmann, 1966), we define Affini as collaborative meaning-making, in contrast to individualistic models such as Piaget’s phases. Instead, Affini is consistent with Ubuntu’s ethic of collective responsibility (Letseka, 2012) and Rogoff’s (2003) guided participation,’ in which children learn via shared cultural activities. For instance, Affini’s emphasis on collective moral reasoning contrasts with Piaget’s individualistic stages, aligning more closely with African communitarian philosophies like Ubuntu (Letseka, 2012). This tension underscores the need to decolonize ECCE frameworks by centering indigenous epistemologies. Affini is a dynamic process where children actively develop their understanding through contact with elders (Chimesas) and the community. In a co-created learning process, children build identities, values, and social norms via narrative, rituals, and problem-solving. Elders facilitate this experiential learning by acting as cultural mediators. Using this approach, the study demonstrates how relational and collective experiences in indigenous traditions, such as Affini, influence early childhood development and learning.

Study objectives

1. To investigate Affini as an informal pedagogical process rooted in structured dialog, emotional regulation, and cultural rituals.

2. To assess the mediating function of Chimesas in fostering empathy, justice, and community norms.

3. To identify competencies such as turn-taking, patience, respect, and ethical reasoning gained through indirect engagement and observation.

Research method

Study design

This study employed a qualitative critical ethnographic design to explore the role of Affini in early childhood socialization and education within the Sidama community of Southern Ethiopia. Critical ethnography was chosen for its capacity to interrogate power dynamics in knowledge production and align with decolonial research principles (Madison, 2011; Smith, 2012). This approach allowed the researchers to capture lived experiences and cultural practices through an emic perspective, ensuring authenticity in representation.

Research context

The study was conducted in rural Sidama communities where Affini remains an active practice. Sidama, one of Ethiopia’s largest ethnolinguistic groups, is organized around communal living, intergenerational socialization, and cultural traditions that prioritize reconciliation, respect for elders, and collective responsibility (Helfrecht and Dira, 2023; Tomora and Jirata, 2025).

Research questions

1. How does Affini contribute to early childhood socialization and learning?

2. What role do elders play in transmitting cultural knowledge and moral values to children?

3. What life skills and social values do children acquire through participation in Affini?

Participants and sampling

Participants included 12 elders, 20 parents, and 20 children. Elders (Chimesas) were purposefully selected for their recognized role in leading Affini sessions. All participating elders were male, reflecting cultural norms in which Affini mediation is traditionally a male role. Parents were recruited to provide perspectives on children’s learning experiences during Affini events. Children (6 girls and 14 boys, aged 8–12 years) were engaged to capture their reflections and memories of early exposure to Affini.

Although the study focuses on early childhood development, children aged 8–12 were included because they could articulate formative experiences of Affini during their younger years. This retrospective approach aligns with Rogoff’s (2003) concept of developmental trajectories, recognizing that cultural learning occurs across time. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling, starting with community leaders who identified knowledgeable elders, parents, and families.

Data collection procedures

Data were gathered through focus group discussions (FGs), semi-structured interviews, child-friendly participatory activities, and non-intrusive observations of Affini events.

• Focus groups: Three FGs with elders (8–10 participants each) were conducted, lasting approximately 90 minutes.

• Interviews: 20 parents participated in individual interviews (40–60 minutes).

• Child engagement: Children participated in short interviews (10–15 minutes) using visual aids such as drawings of mediation scenes to stimulate discussion. They were also invited to role-play how conflicts are resolved in Affini, which provided insights into their interpretations of the process.

• Observation: Researchers observed selected Affini sessions as non-participant observers, taking detailed field notes to contextualize interview and focus group data.

All interviews and FGs were conducted in Sidaamu Afoo (Sidama language) by the lead researcher, who is a native speaker and familiar with the cultural setting. Audio recordings were made with participants’ consent, and detailed notes were kept.

Translation and transcription

Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim in Sidaamu Afoo and then translated into English (by DDT). A professional linguist with expertise in Sidaamu Afoo reviewed translations for accuracy. Back-translation was used for a sample of transcripts to ensure semantic equivalence and reliability.

Data analysis

Data were analyzed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework:

1. Familiarization: Repeated reading of transcripts and field notes.

2. Initial coding: Generating descriptive codes such as “turn-taking,” “proverb use,” and “emotional control” using NVivo 14 software.

3. Searching for themes: Grouping codes into broader themes (e.g. Language Socialization, Emotional Regulation, Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer).

4. Reviewing themes: Refining themes through iterative discussion among researchers and community advisors.

5. Defining and naming themes: Ensuring themes reflected cultural meanings and pedagogical relevance.

6. Producing the report: Selecting exemplar quotations to illustrate themes, ensuring cultural nuance.

Triangulation was achieved by cross-referencing data from FGDs, interviews, child activities, and observations to enhance validity. Member checking was conducted with elders to confirm cultural accuracy and interpretive credibility.

Ethical considerations

The study received approval from the Institutional Ethics Review Board of Addis Ababa University (Reference: CEBS_IERB_ECCE_001/2024). Written informed consent was obtained from adult participants, and verbal assent was obtained from children after parental consent. Cultural protocols were observed throughout, and anonymity was maintained using pseudonyms.

Findings

This section presents three core themes that emerged from the thematic analysis: Language Socialization, Emotional Regulation, and Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer. These themes illustrate how Affini, though primarily centered on adult mediation, serves as a culturally embedded learning environment for children through observational participation and assigned responsibilities. Children’s engagement whether indirect, passive, or informal offers pathways for social-emotional development and cultural learning in early childhood.

Language socialization through structured dialogue

Affini exposes children to formal speech patterns through structured dialog, and proverbs. Elders reported that children learn respectful communication, turn-taking, and contextual language use by listening to mediated discussions.

Example of the Affini dialog that children can learn language and communication through it:

A:

‘Ani diewelo qaxxadhe dawoommo.’ (I came here just to appeal someone’s action on me – to the elder. . .)

B:

‘Diaffini ayidde?’ (Have you heard it? – to the discussants. . .)

C:

‘Wo’mitini?’ (Share it please! – another elder to the discussants. . .)

D:

‘Maahoyye!’ (Okay. . .! – one of the discussants. . .)

B:

‘Dianfi!’ (We have heard it, go on please! – to the elder who initiated the dialogue. . .)

Discussants also added;

‘Children learn words like ‘Diaffini? – have you heard it’ by repeating elders’ phrases.’ — Elder (FGD 2)

‘Every session introduces children to new words and expressions. . . how to take turns, show respect.’ — Elder (FGD 1)

‘Like my dad, I know how to wait my turn while people are speaking.’ — Child (Age 9)

The dialogic nature of Affini conversations helps children internalize culturally appropriate forms of speaking. For example, repeated exchanges such as “Diaffini ayidde?” (“Have you heard it?”) followed by “Wo’mitini?” (“Share it, please!”) exemplify collective listening and dialogic learning. This supports Rogoff’s (2003) concept of guided participation and Ochs and Schieffelin’s (2001) argument that language acquisition is embedded in culturally meaningful routines.

Emotional regulation and moral learning

Children’s exposure to Affini mediations fosters emotional intelligence particularly empathy, patience, and self-regulation. Parents noted that children imitate the calm behavior of elders and learn the value of listening before speaking or reacting.

“Children discover that there are several viewpoints. . . listening is more crucial than speaking”. — Parent (KI 3)

“I count to ten like the elders do.”—Child (Age 8)

“I don’t like when people fight. I learn to talk nicely and listen first”.—Child (Age 7)

Affini promotes non-violent problem-solving and cooperative dialog. One elder explained a powerful cultural metaphor: “In the event that two individuals have a deadly argument; one kills another, the Sidama community gets together to talk about it . . . and settles the dispute politely while leaving the dead at home.” This conveys the idea of reconciliation even in emotionally charged or tragic circumstances.

This aligns with the principles of restorative justice (Zehr, 2015) and supports the development of social-emotional competencies in young children, including affective empathy and delayed gratification.

Intergenerational knowledge transmission

Children’s involvement in Affini occurs through task assignment, guided observation, and informal role-play providing them with moral scripts and social roles.

“We give children small duties so they feel part of Affini”.—Parent (KI 4)

“I help by bringing chairs and listening to my dad talk”.—Child (Age 8)

“They pretend to mediate disputes among their toys or friends”.—Parent (KI 6)

Children’s participation reflects Legitimate Peripheral Participation (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and builds cultural competence through embodied learning. Observing elders as cultural mediators helps children internalize community ethics such as justice, respect, and peacebuilding.

Elders emphasized:

“Affini teaches our children how to live. . . how to uphold justice”.—Discussant T (FGD 1)

“Children absorb our culture. . . solving disputes is not about winning but about restoring balance”.—Parent (KI 6)

Children themselves reported learning values such as empathy and fairness:

“We make peace, not fight”.—Child (Age 9)

“I learn to respect everyone and be good”.—Child (Age 10)

Rather than attributing definitive behavioral outcomes, the data suggest that Affini promotes emotional and moral development through culturally rich, participatory observation. These findings affirm the significance of community-based conflict resolution practices as informal pedagogical tools in early childhood education.

Discussion

The findings of this study reveal Affini as a culturally embedded learning process that shapes children’s development through structured dialog, emotional regulation, and intergenerational knowledge exchange. These themes such as Language Socialization, Emotional Regulation, and Intergenerational Transmission highlight the pedagogical power of Affini beyond its primary function as a dispute resolution mechanism. The data support theoretical models such as guided participation (Rogoff, 2003), social constructionism (Berger and Luckmann, 1966), and Legitimate Peripheral Participation (Lave and Wenger, 1991), demonstrating how children learn through meaningful community interactions.

Affini and relational learning

The structured linguistic patterns observed during Affini mediations reinforce cultural norms of respectful communication and turn-taking. These findings resonate with Ochs and Schieffelin’s (2001) assertion that language acquisition is socially situated and culturally scaffolded. Affini’s use of dialog and proverbs acts as both a moral and cognitive curriculum, guiding children to listen, reflect, and participate within social rituals.

Similarly, emotional regulation and empathy were fostered through repeated exposure to non-violent reconciliation. Children mirrored elders’ calm tone and learned to prioritize thoughtful negotiation over impulsive reactions. This confirms Denham et al.’s (2003) premise that emotional competence in early childhood is shaped by relational experiences and adult modeling. The role of parents and elders as moral educators aligns with Keller’s (2012) framework on cultural contexts of infancy and underscores the relational foundation of early social-emotional learning.

Affini also functions as a system of cultural continuity, where children gradually absorb communal ethics, justice principles, and role expectations. Rather than passive recipients, they actively participate through assigned tasks, observation, and reenactment demonstrating Lave and Wenger’s (1991) notion of situated learning.

Decolonizing early childhood education

Affini challenges Eurocentric models of early childhood development that emphasize individual milestones, standardized behavior, and formal instruction. Instead, it reflects Ubuntu ethics (Letseka, 2012) where learning is communal, relational, and values-driven. In this sense, Affini is not merely incorporated into hegemonic educational systems but represents an active practice of resisting colonizing processes in early childhood education. It insists that cultural knowledge, community ethics, and relational learning remain central to how children grow and thrive.

This raises a critical question for educators and policymakers: “How can schooling honor the lived, relational contexts where learning naturally occurs?” Reflection on this question has significant implications for both theory and practice (praxis), pushing the field toward transformative models of early childhood education that move beyond accommodation toward genuine decolonization.

Participatory observation and restorative justice parallels

Children’s indirect participation through watching, role-playing, and contributing to Affini sessions exemplifies participatory observation as pedagogy. Their learning trajectories are socially and emotionally rich, echoing the restorative justice literature (Hopkins, 2004; Zehr, 2015) that advocates empathy, repair, and dialog over punishment.

Unlike punitive models, Affini teaches children to value harmony, reflect on others’ feelings, and internalize moral codes through example rather than coercion. These findings suggest that integrating Affini-informed practices into early childhood care and education could improve children’s conflict resolution capacities, emotional resilience, and sense of collective responsibility.

Limitations of the study

This study offers valuable insights into the pedagogical significance of Affini within Sidama communities, yet several limitations merit consideration.

Cultural and gender imbalance

All elder participants (Chimesas) were male, aligning with traditional norms that position men as formal mediators in Affini. While this reflects cultural authenticity, it limits exploration of women’s perspectives on intergenerational learning and child socialization, which may occur outside formal mediation settings.

Geographic scope

The research was conducted in rural areas of Sidama where Affini remains active. Findings may not be generalizable to urbanized Sidama communities or other ethnolinguistic groups, particularly given the influence of formal education and modernization.

Retrospective reflections

Children’s memories of early childhood experiences with Affini were captured in interviews with 7–12-year-olds. While this approach was methodologically justified through Rogoff’s (2003) developmental trajectories, it may introduce recall bias or retrospective simplification of early learning experiences.

Reliance on oral traditions

As Affini is transmitted orally, interpretations depend on memory, metaphor, and narrative sequence. Although member checking helped ensure cultural validity, oral sources present inherent challenges in consistency and interpretation across informants.

Triangulation and observer influence

While data triangulation was conducted across interviews, focus groups, participatory activities, and observation, the presence of the researcher especially as a cultural insider may have influenced participant responses. Future studies might benefit from extended immersion and multiple observers to deepen data reliability.

In acknowledging these limitations, the study invites ongoing dialog around how localized, oral, and relational educational systems can be ethically and rigorously explored within decolonial research frameworks.

Conclusion and implications

This study explored the pedagogical potential of Affini, a Sidama indigenous conflict resolution tradition, in shaping early childhood development. Through thematic analysis of interviews, focus groups, observations, and child-friendly activities, three central themes emerged: language socialization, emotional regulation, and intergenerational transmission. Findings suggest that while Affini is not designed as a formal educational tool, it fosters foundational competencies such as respectful communication, empathy, patience, and ethical reasoning through participatory observation and community-based engagement.

Rather than making causal claims, the study highlights how Affini promotes early learning and values through its socially embedded structure. Children acquire culturally grounded life skills and develop emotional intelligence by participating indirectly through tasks, observation, and playful re-enactment. These experiences reflect holistic, experiential, and relational learning modalities that challenge dominant Western paradigms of early childhood education.

Practical applications for early childhood education

To integrate Affini-inspired practices into ECCE in Ethiopia and beyond, several context-sensitive strategies are proposed:

Curriculum adaptation

Affini elements proverbs, structured dialog, turn-taking, and reconciliation role-play can be incorporated into SEL (Social Emotional Learning) modules. These activities should respect the original cultural rhythm and language while being adapted for child-to-child conflict resolution contexts.

Teacher education

Training programs should expose educators to local pedagogical traditions like Affini and facilitate co-learning with elders. Cultural immersion workshops and hybrid pedagogy modules can prepare teachers to integrate community practices into classroom environments.

Policy integration

National ECCE frameworks (see Ethiopia’s 2023 ECCE Policy) should encourage community-led initiatives. Affini, alongside other indigenous systems, can be recognized as part of educational ecosystems that promote inclusive, culturally sustaining learning.

Participatory models

Participatory Action Research (PAR) can be employed to adapt Affini responsibly, ensuring community ownership and avoiding symbolic tokenism or extractive appropriation. Such models are essential for maintaining the integrity of oral traditions and ensuring scalability without erasure.

Recommendations for future research

Further inquiry is needed to explore:

• Comparative analysis between Affini and similar indigenous models (e.g. Gacaca courts, whanaungatanga).

• How Affini principles might be adapted for child-to-child peer conflict mediation in formal ECCE settings.

• Longitudinal studies on the impact of early Affini exposure on behavioral and social outcomes.

• The evolving role of Affini in urban contexts, where cultural traditions may face fragmentation.

In summary, Affini offers a vibrant example of how indigenous knowledge can enrich early learning through culturally embedded, emotionally resonant, and socially just practices. In the face of homogenizing education systems, traditions like Affini remind us that children thrive not by mastering standardized benchmarks, but by becoming active agents within the ethical and relational webs of their communities.