Adwa Revisited at the New Adwa Victory Memorial

February 14, 2024

Sunday 11th February 2024 will be remembered as the rebirth of Adwa in modern times. Finally, the Victory of Adwa that was recorded in 1896 some 128 years ago will have a place in day to day life of Ethiopians and even foreigners with the now inaugurated huge museum at the Adwa Victory Memorial that depicts in great detail all of the untold stories behind and during the battle that was to be a landmark not only for Ethiopia but also for Africa and the entire people of African descent and in fact to all people who reject subjugation of one state by another or injustices of any type. Because Adwa was all of that in the context of the fight Ethiopia had to stage in defense of its sovereignty and dignity.

For years, the Victory of Adwa was observed with the glory and honor that was not commensurate to its significance, especially at the international level. The day was observed with a brief laying of a wreath at the Menelik II Monument in central Piassa in Addis and there would be some gathering of a crowd particularly the heroic patriots group represented by their leaders and many times either the Mayor of Addis Ababa or the Head of State would be present at a brief ceremony in which the victory is outlined and messages would be conveyed to the current generation on the significance of the victory and how it resulted to be a new turn around in the history of Ethiopia , in that of Africa and more broadly in the history of all people of black origin. Residents of Addis would surround the Menelik II Square and a few war chants would be heard and the entire press would report that ‘the one hundred twenty something anniversary of the Victory of Adwa was celebrated today in the presence of a huge crowd and the president or mayor delivered a speech encouraging the new generation to emulate the courage and achievement of their forefathers rejecting any form of colonialism and in defense of their mother land’. Similar messages would also be transmitted by the President of the Ancient Patriots Association and that was more or less the entire celebration and for the rest of the year little would be said or told of Adwa.

And yet Adwa was much more than that and would have deserved a much better treatment by Ethiopians and all those who fell for the freedom of our country should have been glorified deservedly and their stories told in greater detail so that we know what exactly happened not only at the day of the battle but also way before that fatal day and what was involved in the process. Historians may have written about the Battle of Adwa under many perspectives but not all the stories were told with due research by Ethiopian historians and there are lots of gaps in our knowledge of the battle.

Many European and even American historians and war reporters have written about Adwa from their perspective many times wondering how on earth an unknown land in distant Africa without any modern army and ammunitions was capable of inflicting a decisive victory against the army of one of Europe’s great armies. They were forced to admit the reality even if they had their own reservations about how that was possible. On the other hand people of African heritage were full of pride and admiration that such an event could ever take place in Africa and that was the moment that every oppressed people began to think of something that they probably never imagined. Their conclusion was that if a ‘primitive’ African army could beat a well-organized, well trained and well-armed modern ‘white army’, it means that they too could do it as long as they have belief in their capabilities and potential. Adwa in this sense became a symbol of resistance and the hope of all oppressed people of the world to re-conquer their freedom. Since the news of Adwa got disseminated in the entire world, Africans began to dream the day that they too will live in the future.

Adwa was then attached to the beginning of the Pan African movement because it was after the defeat of colonial forces by Ethiopian patriots and their guarantee of freedom and sovereignty that all black people began to think of independence and freedom as possible defeating colonialists and freeing their countries from subjugation. The movement had worldwide resonance and influence and the victory of Adwa was quoted as a turning point in the relations between people of African origin and the West in general.

The issue was that up to now the battle of Adwa was seen by many as an event of a day and that is all. Every year we celebrate the day and that was it. However, the grave error committed or the oversight if you want was that such a monumental history as the Victory of Adwa was not the work of a day nor did it involve only the main actors of the battle. Of course leaders such as Emperor Menelik who of course takes the huge and deserved credit for organizing and leading the more than one hundred twenty thousand patriots to the battle, Empress Taitu who stood all the way by the side of her husband and took active part in the dynamics of the battle, the main war leaders at the various fronts such as Dejazmatch Balcha, Ras Mekonnen, Ras Alula, Fitawrari Habtegiorgis, Fitawrari Gebeyehu and several others who led the actual battle on the ground leading their troops do deserve the headlines in the event. But without the thousands of fighters who actually took active part in the real battle, the thousands of women who were actively involved in the provision of food to the troops including water, and providing first aid and other medical care to the injured, all those who were involved in the logistics because the voyage to the battle field from all corners of Ethiopia took months involving horses and donkeys etc and taking care of all these actors, providing them with enough shelter and anything else they needed at the moment was an arduous task in which thousands took part, and the victory could not have been conceived let alone realized.

Adwa was hence more than a mere battlefield affair but a long and complex one that needed to be organized meticulously. Even the roles of a group of traditional artists who motivated and incited the troops to bravery were key in the process and they deserve their share of recognition. Adwa was not a casual event but one that took a lot of time to organize and prepare, assemble people from all corners of the country without any distinction of ethnic origin, creed, language or cultural background as well as political belief. It was a call to safeguard the sovereignty and independence of the country and that was how Emperor Menelik portrayed the event in his call towards his citizens. His urgent call was that the country came first and above all and the internal differences had their own time to be settled. Unity was the key concept and only in unison was it possible to beat a formidable alien force that came to subdue Ethiopia. And that was all this story that was not depicted and put in one place so that every citizen and foreigners as well could come to the Adwa Victory Memorial and come to have a comprehensive view of the history in one go taking all the time it would take to visit the huge complex.

On February 11, 2024 President Sahlework Zewde, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph D) and other high level officials inaugurated the Adwa Victory Memorial in a solemn and imperious manner in the presence of all important personalities of the nation including a wide foreign representation of dignitaries at the very center of Addis Ababa. Besides the event was transmitted live on Ethiopian Television and people of all walks of life had the occasion to follow every step of the wonderful inauguration of the complex and a huge gap has now been filled and people can now have a tangible and wonderful and easy reference at their doorsteps if they want to know more about Adwa. Meanwhile, Addis has also acquired a new gem adding to its collection of tourist attractions.

BY FITSUM GETACHEW

THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2024