Let us begin by asking, ‘what exactly does Adwa mean to Ethiopians, particularly to the youth today? Do they know that it is a defining moment of our history and the history of all people of African descent? Is the story of Adwa a part of the school curriculum of history and given the attention it deserves? How should we understand and appreciate well the enormous sacrifices that Ethiopian patriots have paid to hand us an independent and free country?
Have we given Adwa the significance and splendor that it deserves not only in Ethiopia but also in Africa? How many outside Africa are well informed about what the Victory of Adwa means to Africans and all black people of the world? And what is its contribution to the Pan African movement? We need to address all these questions properly. Marking the anniversary of the victory is not enough unless we are inspired by it and change our lives, our status in the world.
We have often heard from so many Ethiopians saying that the history of Adwa has not been thoroughly studied, researched, and narrated especially by Ethiopian scholars. Most of the literature around Adwa has been written from the perspective of Europeans, and this is not something that we should be proud of. Many reference books and documents that relate to Adwa are found in the libraries of Europe and the US.
This shows that Ethiopians do not own their history and the legacy of Adwa is not well conserved and handed to the new generation. It is hence easy to conclude that Africans have not capitalized on this momentous chapter of history. It should have been taken as a great moment of history to be proud of. The celebration of ‘Adwa Day’ should hence go beyond the routine celebrations of a day but also be highlighted in our day to day struggles against all forms of injustice and oppression. Adwa means freedom from injustice and slavery. All those who made it possible must be given the honor and respect they deserve. And all this should not be limited to only the date. March 2nd. This year it is the 129th year since that exceptional and fateful day in 1896, a day that in many ways changed the history of people of African descent.
Adwa is a treasure of all Africans and heralded the conception of Pan Africanism that spread all over the globe in the movement against injustice, colonialism and imperialism. It should not be forgotten that it took immense sacrifices in order to attain it. Against all odds, an Ethiopian amateur force armed practically with rudimentary tools but fervent patriotism and the rejection to any form of aggression, confronted a well-trained and armed professional army, and beat it. It was sheer love of the country that motivated and pushed those Ethiopian patriots to march up to Adwa, hundreds of kilometers on foot, and mostly barefooted, in a travel that took months and somehow managed to write such a glorious history in golden words. That is why it was destined to remain stamped in the conscience of all black people and others freedom loving people.
Whenever we look into the details of the preparations of the battle, historians tell us that they found out that Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu along with their war cabinet, including the highest ranked generals and other warfare experts had meticulously and carefully prepared for the showdown realizing that the mission was to be carried out against a formidable enemy.
In fact, they had tried to avoid the cruel confrontation with a peace deal to be signed, but the Italian leadership and diplomats would not be willing to miss the occasion to include Ethiopia among its colonies with a pretext they created on purpose. They were confident that their armed forces would not be resisted by an amateur and poorly armed group and it would be almost a ‘walk in the park’ beating the Ethiopian army.
However, the Ethiopian leadership had planned everything without leaving space for casualness. The mobilization of all able bodied Ethiopians from all corners of the empire was not an easy task as it needed to appeal to the emotions of citizens and ignite their sense of patriotism that was buried in their psyche.
The history of Ethiopian shows that it has always loathed external dominion. Even when they did not get along between themselves, the moment an alien aggressor appears to knock on their door, they would immediately come together and face the danger with a spirit of patriotism. That was what actually happened at Adwa. People were saying openly that they glorified every sacrifice for their freedom, their country, their religion and their ‘beloved Emperor’.
Preparations for the battle presented enormous challenges. The complex logistics relating to covering all that long road to the battle front, the preparation of provisions and ammunitions, the organization of the troops in manageable groups under a strict system of chain of command, the issue of communication between people of various language groups had to be addressed to avoid chaos. Leading hundreds of thousands of troops for such a long distance taking months was a huge hurdle to overcome and needed the skills and insight of the leadership.
Ethiopia had just recovered from a period of drought and people were struggling to have enough food as the harvest had perished due to climatic adversities. But the emperor urged and called on every adult to prepare for the defense of the motherland warning them that if they did not foil this aggression and occupation, they would lose their freedom and country for good. They would be enslaved and humiliated in their own land. The families would be left at the mercy of the invaders’.
All able bodied citizens were ordered to prepare for the campaign and the inevitable confrontation with the enemy. Others would be engaged in supporting those who actually fought. The troops would need to be availed enough food and drinks during the long journey as well as when they fight in the front. There will be need to take care of those who would fall ill or get weakened during the journey. There was also need to assist the medical staff in their efforts to take care of those who may get wounded in the battle.
In this sense the role of women cannot be underestimated because they were key in preparing food and drinks to the patriots. The role of horses and mules was also very critical because there were so many things to transport to the front, such as big arms that could not be carried by men, tents and other necessary materials that would be needed for such a huge campaign.
Adwa is also the result of a protracted diplomatic battle before the war erupted. There was a historical background with messages back and forth between the leaderships of the two countries. It was however clear that the Italian leaders were intent up on colonizing Ethiopia to catch up with what other European countries had achieved. The Italian generals wanted to present Ethiopia to their monarch on a silver platter. These forces were evidently misled or misinformed about not only the size of Menelik’s army but also about the resolve and determination of Ethiopians to die for their freedom.
The Italian authorities had thought that the Ethiopians would not even have the courage to confront them and that they would surrender easily when they see the power of the Italian troops. But it was not long before their fatal mistake. The contribution of Ethiopian spies to misinform the enemy was also instrumental in the victory. They pretended to side with the enemy and give them priceless information on the size and capacity of the Ethiopian troops. It was however all well planned and arranged to surprise the enemy.
Adwa hence is not easy as it is often superficially narrated. It has many complex sides. Historians will have a huge homework to document it thoroughly and hand it over to the generations to come. The belief that it was a simple battle should not lead us to misunderstand the enormous sacrifices that
Ethiopians paid in their drive to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their motherland. It should not be limited to preparing a catchword for the celebrations of the day every year the victory day is observed.
Thus, Adwa cannot be limited to being a one day event, a one day story. It should be given the deserved place in the historiography of the world, not only of the African or Ethiopian history. It is a landmark because no other African country had ever managed to record such a victory against a European power. It was a period when practically all Africans had been conquered and colonized. The fact that Adwa then resulted in the defeat of a European power by a little known African country changed the deeply ingrained narrative that blacks can never stand up to their invaders and that they would not even think of challenging them. It all turned out to be a new story line in the diplomatic and political as well as military dynamics of the then epoch.
Historians say European countries were ‘shocked’ by such unprecedented event and they were alarmed that their colonies would confront them inspired by such an achievement. In fact witnesses have noted that the day Adwa happened there was a black out in Rome. The Crispi government was forced to resign because of the ‘shame’ he had brought to his country. And in fact that was one of the immediate consequences of the battle. What eventually happened was that Adwa ignited the determination and self-belief that Africans can defeat any ‘white army’ and reclaim their land and dignity.
A new generation of African resistance leaders emerged to launch a campaign against alien domination and rebellions began to break out. At the same time, the European forces had no choice but to begin to realize that Adwa had awoken the hidden spirit of freedom in their colonies. The new protest movement spread like wildfire across all of Africa. The narrative had changed. Uprooting the colonizers was just a matter of time.
In the post Adwa period, Emperor Menelik II became very famous in European courts and even beyond, and Ethiopia was admitted to the international diplomatic world whereby many Europeans sought to have diplomatic relations with Ethiopia. Its sovereignty was well recognized and accepted by the nations of the world and this led to the first movements of Pan Africanism and that all Africans should come together and claim their rights and human dignity along with others from other continents.
It was stated that Menelik had restored the pride and dignity of Africans and his achievements have been written in golden words in the historiography of Africans. That is why it is said that we need to know more about Adwa and we need to celebrate it all together, because the legacy of Adwa is enormous and every African has the right to know about it.
The recently built Adwa Victory Memorial Museum in the heart of Addis Ababa ‘the capital city of Africa’ is one way of celebrating this huge historical event and such testimonial was long overdue and every African and everyone who stands against injustice and oppression should take their time to come to Ethiopia and visit this landmark and take a quick dive into the recent history of Africans. Up to now more than a quarter of a million people have been recorded on the list of visitors in only one year. Several heads of state and government have visited this monument.
Adwa must be taken as ‘the identity of Ethiopians’ and other Africans and it deserves a place in the hearts of all people of African descent. No wonder if Adwa Day is going to be celebrated across all of Africa thanks also to the push by the African Union.
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2025
