Adwa, a four-letters word resonates across the freedom-loving peoples of the world. It stirs emotions in every Ethiopians, and African souls.
Adwa is a place that hosted the moment a black force, presumably weak, won a strong European colonial power. It is also a place that ignited the fire for independence among African and other non-white people who were at that time toiling under the yoke of colonialism.
Ethiopia’s victory at the Battle of Adwa is seen as symbol of resistance to colonialism and one of the major sparks of the Pan-African movement.
The monumental undertaking has turned out to be a massive symbol for freedom loving people. The decisive win at the battle of Adwa has not only ensured Ethiopia’s independence in the midst of European scramble for Africa, but also put the cornerstone for the evolvement of the concept of pan-Africanism.
It became a rallying point for African nationalists during their struggle for decolonization, and a spirit to liberate and unify the continent, which culminated in the founding of Organization of African Unity (OAU) and African Union (AU) today.
That is why the Victory of Adwa is said to be the victory of all African people, which at the time were experiencing severe oppression and enslavement to European colonial rules.
So, Adwa brought a resounding victory and became source of pride for Africans and African descendants in the Americas, where the concept of pan-Africanism was born.
The Victory of Adwa was the turning point for the pan-Africanism and for the whole black people movement in the whole world.
By serving as an ideological impetus for the successive pan-African struggles in the continent and abroad, the Victory of Adwa contributed for triggering the struggle for independence in Africa, and the whole African American movement outside the continent.
The very recent well-articulated articles coming out of renowned African American writers, scholars, civil right activists and many others, in which they condemned the World Bank and the US for imposing a colonial era like treaty on the filling and management of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, speaks volumes on the solidarity the victory day evokes.
The calls made by Africans and black organizations to make their stand with Ethiopians at time of difficulties are a strong manifestation of Africans and black people solidarity as the outcome of the Adwa Victory.
A few days later, we will celebrate the 9th anniversary of the start of the construction of our dam, GERD.
As a national project, Ethiopians are eager and committed to complete the dam by standing united.
That is because the Grand Renaissance Dam presents another opportunity for Ethiopians to collectively better their future. It gave us a chance to repeat the feat our forefathers and foremothers did in the battlefield of Adwa.
But, this time is the war with poverty and backwardness. This is another moment that Ethiopians are striving to emerge victorious that Ethiopians and African people once again be proud of.
The Ethiopian Herald March 4/2020
