Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
Adawa victory: Invaluable lesson to the youth
Fekadu W.
After so many years of silence, Ethiopia has decided to build Adawa memorial lately. Better late than never. Last November 26/2017 Ministry of Culture and Tourism had stressed the importance of intensifying efforts towards realizing the memorial museum for Victory of Adwa.
The museum in turn will help to pay tribute and commemorate the historic battle of Adawa properly (the Ministry believes it would be hard to fully introduce and promote the historical significance of the Victory of Adwa in the absence of a memorial museum).
The reasons for the delay to construct Adawa memorial monument had been attributed lack of attention and commitment, even though the victory of Adawa is a globally renowned historical event (it is regretful to have no museum for the ever shining glory of black society towards freedom and liberation).
The victory of Adawa is invaluable and unforgettable world-wide that made Ethiopia unique in the heart of black people. For instance, Nelson Mandela had said “Ethiopia has always held a special place in my own imagination and the prospect of visiting Ethiopia attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England and America combined. I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African. Meeting the Emperor himself would be like shaking hands with history.”
Adwa is a small town located in Tigray regional state, northern part of Ethiopia. Adwa has great significance to the anti-colonial struggle in the history of black race. The Victory of Adwa was named after this historic town where traditionally armed Ethiopian fighters fought bravely against strongly armed white supremacists of Italia.
Historians stated that Ethiopians were wielding saber and obsolete rifles. But they fought courageously to vanquish the Italian white soldiers or solatos- a term is a local version and “reinvention” of the Italian word soldato, soldier); the battle of Adwa ended up Ethiopia defeating Italy shamefully.
As an emblem of international freedom and defiant of colonialism, Ethiopians at home celebrates the victory of Adwa every March Second. On this day they visit monuments and cemeteries designated to honor those who had fallen in the Battle of Adwa for the sake of safeguarding their beloved homeland.
It is also typical for the country to conduct public ceremonies and put wreath especially under the monument of Emperor Menelik II at Menelik Square; officials usually deliver speeches encouraging the greater public to enliven the values of the Victory of Adawa and learn from the patriotism of the heroes of Adwa who bravely resisted colonial rule(regrettably, most Ethiopian do not know a lot about their own history and the sacrifices of patriots, usually most stay at home and only some visit statutes and pay homage to patriots and war veterans in this national holiday).
The victory of Adawa deserves to be celebrated both as a significant episode in its own right and as a memory serving well the emerging communities of resistances in the African continent never again to surrender to colonial tyranny; the battle of Adwa is not just a memory of the past and it continues to float on the eternal river of time.
Adwa can provide the occasion to appreciate fully the international significance of the Ethiopian victory over the world colonial project in Africa. What does such victory over Italy mean to Ethiopians? One cannot doubt and deny the historical and political significance of such peerless victory for nation building.
For all citizens, irrespective of race, social and religious backgrounds, the victory of Adawa is eternal and wide-ranging pride for all Ethiopians; the current Ethiopia, as our home, is a product of social and historical processes, in which many generations had involved.
The victory of Adawa enabled all black races to lift their head up in a superb pride and broke the very custom, pillar of white supremacy and the entrenched spirit that whites cannot be defeated by blacks. It amazingly motivated all blacks all over the world and they began to struggle hard to break themselves free of the merciless yoke of colonialism.
The Battle of Adwa took place between Ethiopia and Italy in 1896. It was one of the battles on the African continent that confronted an ancient and proudest African kingdom against a European nation. The Italians were defeated, and Ethiopia was able to retain its faith, traditions and land. After the dazzling victory, the Ethiopian faith was emulated by the Rastafarian sect, as far away as the Caribbean island of Jamaica.
Adwa was unsurpassed anti-colonialist battle fought by all Ethiopians, under the skilful leadership of Emperor Menelik and Empress Taitu. This victory resonated well beyond Ethiopia and indeed throughout the African continent. It represented the clash between colonialism and liberation on a world-scale.
Ethiopian people without any racial segregation had been rallied by the king and the queen before the battle and the victory had been proved to be the triumph of black race over whites. The battle had witnessed the participation of young patriots who had been following the footsteps of their mothers and fathers. This was a national victory with a wider African context and indeed international significance. It was and remains paragon of gallantry and pride in demonstrating what a united people can achieve.
History archives are witnessing that Adwa victory signaled the beginning of the end of the Scramble for Africa that run through 1881-1914. This victory has made history that occupies crucial place in the resistance waged to end colonization and enhance liberation. It enabled to encourage African young sons and daughters and build their confidence to say enough with colonization; it enabled to echo the idea of liberation as far as the Latin America.
Celebrating the victory of Adawa is believed to formulate active generation that fully understand history and strives to sustain development of the country. Historically, The Victory of Adwa is the core driver of Ethiopianism and celebrating Adwa Victory is the work of Ethiopians that emboldens Africans all over the world, though a lot remains until now to be done to spread awareness (Ethiopia should make every beginning of March to be week of historical education about Adawa, so that the history of Adwa will be promoted across the world).
Ethiopianism provided the spirit of courage and pride to all oppressed Africans and boost their confidence and stiffen their resistance to freedom. For instance, people who were suffering racial oppression in the new world and Southern Africa drew big lessons from their understanding of what Ethiopia and Ethiopiansim meant to freedom(documents had it that Ethiopianism evolved into Pan-Africanism after the First World War).
For all Ethiopians, the principal message of the victory of Adawa is that the youth should not sacrifice the greatest Ethiopian history by confusing it with the challenges of poverty facing the country today. Hence, it is better to learn the lessons of history to shape a united and free future by strengthening the civic nationhood of Ethiopia that brought the Adwa victory so decisively.
In connection to the victory of Adawa, Ancient Ethiopian Patriots Association (AEPA) had earlier extended calls for the youth to uphold peace and stability of the country and build on the victory of Adawa. The call of the Patriots had been made to motivate the youth to work hard and emblazon the victory of patriots with new economic and democratic achievements.
Accordingly, time to be sit by and spend time in vain has lapsed. Now time has come for the youth to rebrand the image of the country through hard work and enhance poverty alleviation effort of the country. Hence, the current generation in general and the youth in particular should act as a steward generation to sustain peace and stability and add on the victory of Adawa gained by courageous forefathers and mothers.
The lofty goals of patriots and the values for which they had made sacrifices to entrust an independent country for the young generation have to be secured and be made undying by the concerted effort of the youth. Awakening from its deep somnolence, hence forth, the youth need to strive to maintain peace and development of the country in a spirit of mutual respect, trust and patriotism toward each other.
The youth had to follow the footsteps of patriots, repeat their invaluable lessons in the area of hard work and poverty alleviation and pass down the gallant deeds of their forefathers to the next generation. This legacy has to be bolstered by renaissance and creation of wealthy nation that is capable to detach itself from poverty and rebrand its image in the international arena.
The victory of Adawa is invaluable lesson to the youth. Unforgettable lesson from the victory of Adawa includes imitating valuable lesson from the triumph of Adawa and protecting the glory of the nation through concerted effort. Currently, the country has been waging full scale war against poverty. And the youth have to be vanguards to help the country turn up victorious through its fervent struggle; the war is to get rid of poverty and thus, the young generation should strive for further education, research and industriousness that are vital for the good of the nation.
A country like Ethiopia which had successfully defeated its enemies to defend the sovereignty of the country must not stop there but must construct a new and modern Ethiopia on the basis of science and technology so that it can be influential and be respected in the international arena.
Particularly, the youth must strive to build a new culture which can accommodate all citizens as a driving force of development, so that they can contribute their own to their country. Particularly, the youth must sustain the current spirit of federalism by upholding humanistic values and strengthening social cohesion and mutual cooperation
Thanks to selfless effort of our forefathers and mothers and their sacrifice at the battle of Adawa, we have today a country we call Ethiopia. Therefore it is our historical and moral duty (including the youth) to do whatever we can, not only to preserve this unity but also to define our future destination; building modern, prosperous and dynamic Ethiopia which can satisfy the interests of all citizens, by taking into account unity and diversity.
