ADDIS ABABA- The Art Exhibition portrays that the triumph of Adwa was significant, not only for reassuring Ethiopia’s sovereignty from foreign invaders, but also inspiring the end of the colonial rule in Africa.
Hosted by Hiber Art Group the exhibition entitled with the theme ‘Memories of Adwa’, marks the 123rd Anniversary of Ethiopia’s victory at the battle of Adwa portraying various artistic pictures that signifies a story of common purpose and common destiny. Organizer of the exhibition artist Birtukan Dejene told The Ethiopian Herald that the exhibition presents the scene of Adwa in pictures that inscribes powerful and unforgettable memory in the minds of the viewers.
According to Birtukan, the viewers will realize the then unity among our forefathers. Adwa is not a victory of one person or a section of the country. It is rather the victory of all Ethiopians regardless of ethnic and religious differences. “One of my paintings, which shows the various weapons of the patriots tied together by strings. This particular painting is to portray the unity among the then people of Ethiopia”, she explains.
A visitor Beza Shawle told The Ethiopian Herald that the paintings she observed at the exhibition has created a better picture of Adwa victory in her mind better than what she heard before. The mountains, rivers and bridges show the different course of the war as portrayed on the paintings. And the patriots were also fighting on bare foot denotes courage and commitment of our ancestors, Beza recalls.
The other visitor Yonatan Solomon also explains that the exhibition conveys the complete lifestyle of the Ethiopians in those days and enables us compare with the present Ethiopia. Undoubtedly, these pictures are the only way of expressing these crucial events, he says. Likewise, Dibora Kifle says she is impressed by the painting entitled guzoachin meaning our journey reflects the progress that Ethiopia had made in the past.
It reveals the historical fact that Ethiopia had previously maintained. As to her, the portraits inspire the present generation to keep the national pride handed over from the past generation. “The patriots made victory over the Italians traveling the long distance from Addis Ababa to Adwa carrying their weapons and their food staffs on the back of horses and camels.
And the commitment they made makes the journey incomparable,” Dibora explains. Afework Teklay, the other artist and host of the exhibition, also portrayed the scene of the bloody battle of Ambalage, a place where the patriots scored complete victory whereas the Italians had lost their hope of colonizing Ethiopia.
The exhibition also displays the harshest course of the war where the two groups were very close to one another, Afework says. Artist Bedilu Molla believes that the reason toward promoting the victory of Adwa through their art is mainly its historical prominence. It is an event where the sovereignty of this great nation was realized, he adds. Hiber Art Group has pledged to present Adwa with better artistic performance around the world in the future.
They will be reading and researching further evidence to comprehend the victory of Adwa better. As the saying goes ‘a picture tells more than a thousand words’ the painters portray Adwa in pictures as a place where the modern Italian troops were blocked by the less equipped, but strategic Ethiopian patriots in 1896.
The Ethiopian Herald, March 2/2019
BY GETAHUN LEGESSE
