FITSUM GETACHEW
As Ethiopians in particular and all black people of the world in general celebrate the 125th anniversary of the victory of Adwa, we must be able to treasure that Adwa is first and foremost and above all about unity.
It is about how a united people even without any professional training and fancied armaments, using all that they have in terms of traditional ammunitions, was able to secure a victory. It was unity, resolve and commitment to daringly face a fierce enemy armed to its teeth that led to triumph at Adwa.
Hence the first symbolism of Adwa is one of unity. Such unity was above all spontaneous and motivated by the moral higher ground of the objective. It was about saving the nation that every citizen treasured as ‘home’ from alien invasion, from alien subjugation and from alien dominion. The then Ethiopian Emperor Menelik did summon every one physically fit for this huge cause of defending the country from invaders.
The response of the people, the enthusiasm, and the commitment to show all the courage and prowess necessary to face the challenges of traveling for hundreds of kilometers out front, mainly with their own provisions and whatever weapons they were able to secure, was absolutely unheard of according to the reports of the days from eye witnesses.
We have records of foreign reporters and chroniclers who wrote extensively about the Adwa campaign. What they tell us all was full of admiration for the enthusiasm of the people to burying their hatchet of division and disputes and got ready to attack in unison the invading army.
We know that modern day armies are well trained by their government and given adequate clothing and armaments with all the necessary provisions to be used during their stay both in the battle as well as even when they are just training or staying alert for any contingency situation.
But the Ethiopian troops who took part at Adwa were not exactly of that species. For them defending of the sovereignty of the country was enough a cause that would warrant their immediate change of status from simple farmers to fierce fighters. Trained troops were a luxury in those days. But these troops did not have any promises of rewards either.
They just received the orders of their leaders and they obeyed to them wholeheartedly. They were not given any incentives. They were not given any remuneration.
They were not given provisions they would use during the campaign. In fact, the declaration proclaimed by the Emperor asked for all campaigners to bring the arms they had the food they could prepare and be ready to defend the honor and dignity of the mother land!
Those who took part in the Adwa Campaign knew they were fighting in defence of their motherland and their own freedom and that was why they were all united for a cause and were ready for any sacrifice. In fact their efforts were rewarded with an emphatic victory that remains in history to these days!
The issue of the unity of Ethiopians for one cause without division and divergence putting aside all the intestinal arguments or disputes has been the key behind the resounding victory of Ethiopia.
How did a people composed of many nations and nationalities coming from all corners of the country in defence of a cause, people who had various faiths and creeds, people who came from all corners of the country and people who had different cultural traits and mores united under one objective and one target acted as one?
This was the mystery that everyone who studied this campaign had to discover. The answer is simple. It was the love for the country; it was the honour for one’s dignity, it was the higher moral ground of securing one’s sovereignty and dignity in one’s land! That was the secret behind the victory of the Ethiopian people at Adwa!
The invaders were behind a conquest of a foreign land; they were looking for some glory for some adventure unlike the people of Ethiopia who were committed to reject any invasion and were happy to die for their freedom and honor. Hence the issue of the cause was crucial.
The Italian army looked for adventure, the Ethiopian troops and people were defending their country from the threat of alien forces! United Ethiopians knew they were impregnable!
They were impenetrable! United they knew victory would be theirs whatever may be the sacrifice to be paid! They knew they had no choice but to put aside every intestinal agenda or issue and come together to shield against the enemy’s attack.
Adwa is hence a symbol of unity besides being a symbol of resistance to any form of invasion. It is a symbol of love for freedom.
Ethiopians may have had many issues on which they may not agree. But they have never lost the bigger picture of preserving their sovereignty and freedom first.
They knew that if they did not have a free country they would not even have the space where to disagree, the platform for staging disputes. They knew they had to give priority to the independence of their country over any eventual disagreement at the internal level. That is why they disregarded all intestinal issues and focused on the alien force that came to subdue them!
There is a huge message for the current generation of Ethiopians who need to bring their intestinal feuds over issues of narrow nationalism in the form of ethnic difference, language differences and/or religious differences.
We all know that a multiplicity of peoples and cultures compose our country; but this should not be reason enough to make us fight one another while we can celebrate our diversity in equality and justice. We must as well not forget that Ethiopia is more susceptible to attacks and invasions by foreigners when they sense that we are fractured and full of intestinal animosities.
We must above all be ready to reject any form of attacks and provocations such as the one we have recently experienced at the Sudanese border. Enemies of Ethiopia know they cannot fight and win against the people of Ethiopia if we are united.
But we also see that they are busy plotting to sow divisions among Ethiopians over various narratives of alleged internal oppression of one group over others. That is where we risk to be disintegrated and give free ride to our enemies.
They know that a united Ethiopia is irresistible, invincible and that is why they invest so much to sow division amongst Ethiopians. Their relentless effort must be discredited and dismissed by the united arm of Ethiopians of all walks of life.
Only if Ethiopians unite like our forefathers did during the battle of Adwa can we come over or prevail over our enemies and adversaries whoever they might be.
There are indications that many are working round the clock to see Ethiopia disintegrate as did the former Soviet Union or the former Yugoslavia.
But we have seen what the result of these divisions has been. The animosities between these fractured states have only resulted to violence, deaths, destruction and displacement of millions which may have brought joy to their rivals and enemies but not to the concerned peoples!
We cannot allow this to happen here or we would commit betrayal of the ideals and sacrifices of our forefathers who did not hesitate to die for this cause of the survival of Ethiopian sovereignty and independence.
Enemies of Ethiopia, both internal as well as foreign, are advised that it is impossible to divide Ethiopians, weaken it, and halt its transition to a developed and self reliant country, by developing all its natural resources including its water potential on the Nile.
The recently reported incursion of some Sudanese forces in Ethiopian territory, albeit disputed by both countries, could be a consequence of the perceived weakness or division of Ethiopians also reportedly stimulated by some TPLF hierarchies who after triggering the major treasonous attack on the Ethiopian National Defence Forces encouraged these forces to unleash an attack against Ethiopian sovereignty! This is of course unacceptable by any standard of International Law and practice.
Ethiopia knows that it can repel such attack with equal and opposite reaction but prefers to use the peaceful way rather than an all out war that would have tremendous collateral damages without settling things permanently. However, this is a warning against any future similar consequences. Ethiopians should honor the heritage of Adwa Victory by replicating it today. The strength we earn from a united front is clearly exemplified by Adwa, which is still valid today.
We have seen that TPLF has tried to divide Ethiopians along ethnic and religious lines peddling venomous propaganda one against others. But the time is up for TPLF and all its devilish narratives have been uncovered and dismissed so that now Ethiopians are busy trying to recover their age old unity that dates back to Adwa and pre Adwa days.
Ethiopians must now realize that the path to follow today is not the TPLF EPRDF way, division and animosities but the one precious unity that would keep the country united and strong eradicating all those who stand for division or disintegration
The Ethiopian Herald February 25/2021
