BY MENGESHA AMARE
No one can unequivocally argue against the idea that if a given country is economically empowered and highly muscled, no other power can dare dictate about ‘dos’ and ‘undos’ twisting arms of leaders.
Cognizant of the fact that keeping sovereignty is a matter of survival and national dignity, Ethiopians from every corner of the nation had engulfed to Adwa to fight against colonial powers so as to keep their country’s national sovereignty and national integrity, and they did a great deed as well as wrote history in bold. That was a political effect, perhaps. The narrative that time has been converted into economic aspects these days as economy is the basis of all wellbeing as peace is.
Keeping the economic concept in mind, The Ethiopian Herald had a telephone conversation with Melese Engidaw, an economic analyst graduated from Bahir Dar University, to have a professional comment on Adwa Victory’s economic essence apart from its political or other related bounties for Ethiopia in particular and for Africa in general.
He said, “Needless to state, Adwa victory has been the source of all economic, social, political and even cultural reliefs. It is the victory achieved by many Ethiopian forefathers and foremothers following the war instigated by some colonial powers with a view to scrambling Africa.”
The war fought with powers, which were filled with colonial sentiment and a well armed invading army was carried out irrespective of religion, gender, age and social status on Ethiopians side as it was a matter of national sovereignty and societal prestige, as people of the great nation.
As to him, the victory caused radical shift of power since the incidence that should have come first came last, as the unthinkable made possible. Colonial powers came to put Ethiopia as well as Africa under control, but prettily conquered and fused with dust for good. Adwa is an episodic event that had provided Ethiopians and Africans in particular and all the black people across the globe general with full freedom and dominion to equate themselves with the white though a lot remains to be done.
Frankly speaking, one is tired of listing the bounties of Adwa as it has granted Africans with full freedom and dignity to compete with other people of the world at equal footing, but what is left is economic liberation.
“Not only is Adwa a source of all Ethiopians and Africans political gain but it is also a bedrock of economic transformation and trade upkeep. This episodic landmark has to be well nurtured and promoted to gracefully transcend to the generations to come to motivate the latter work for economic emancipation,” he added.
As to him, African countries have now been confidently running activities following the invaluable price Ethiopians paid barefoot at Adwa.
“The retrospective repercussions of the Adwa victory have told us something important that we all are expected to move in unison, filled with spirit of fraternity, sense of belongingness and patriotic gesture to record remarkable economic trajectory equivalent with the benefit Ethiopia and Africa as a whole garnered in terms of politics and diplomacy,” the analyst said.
Adding, he said; “As there is nothing that can’t be met using economic freedom, we all are expected to trek a long journey along that line. It is a composite of many underlying measures of government involvement in the economy it has done with regard to politics and diplomacy.”
Although the guns fell silent following the indescribable victory recorded at Adwa Mountains and its environs, economic enslavements do still prevail. Hence, all Africans are supposed to work from dawn to dusk to be fully liberated from economic manacles, he added.
As to Melese, the war resulted in the death of colonial empires and the birth of Africans, and in national boundaries being intact disproving the sly scheme of scrambling Africa. The impact of Adwa victory has been monumental, the next is economic march. Let’s explore its economic and social consequences.
There is a lot that can be said of the economic effects of Adwa as the political and independence benefits it has granted to all Africans. For decades afterwards, Africa wanted it back. Emerging as victorious powers at Adwa, Africans jointly get their independence back and started talking about economic liberty through various lucrative means.
Following their defeat, the colonial empire reiterated and drew lessons not to come back to Africa. Besides, as a result of the Adwa victory, colonial powers empire was toppled and replaced by the wind bedecked with freedom, economic freedom has seeking place, too, to respite.
Melese said, “We should understand that mandates, territorial concessions, and independence movements took place throughout the African continent. It can be argued convincingly that new Africa emerged from Adwa victory as an independent continent, but is left with a long way to economically trek. The entrance of Ethiopia into the war helped to change continent’s outcome as Adwa has been a major confidence boost.”
“The victory of Adwa is expected to speed up Ethiopia’s and even continent’s industrial production, leading to an economic boom in the years to come as all countries have recently declared that they are determined enough more than ever before to emancipate the whole continent from economic dependency, putting the agenda 2063 into effect.”
As all African countries have drawn important lessons from political and diplomatic trajectories so far and paved way on how to bring about change in their crucial summit, they are able to recover economically without too much difficulty. What matters here are commitment and integrity as well as expanding free trade associations.
He said, “It is well recognized that war and other forms of armed conflict should be considered a major impediment to the economic development, many of which are beset by ethnic and religious strife. However, the case of the battle of Adwa was beyond that as it compromised the dignity, independence and sovereignty of Ethiopia and Africa in general.”
According to Melese, the Adwa victory has to be taken as a push factor that can potentially force all African countries federal, regional, and/or continental arrangements to exert utmost effort with a view to securing the advantages of specialization and trade, economies of scale, labor, and capital flows as well as robust competition and innovation for even small dwellings.
Market economies can also provide meaningful opportunities for both ordinary and talented individuals. Constructive engagement can bring about better policy options in the future, he added.
“Security is not only dependent on an adequate military capability but also on economic stability. It is for this reason that the economic implications of the war should be considered, as the economic foundations of society do help determine its security.”
It is to be recalled that the mammoth barefoot operation bedecked with untold victory, which had prevailed over colonial oppression, was inscribed in 1896, and is always remembered by African posterity. Drawing invaluable lessons from the Adwa victory, the current generation has to be determined to be triumphant over poverty and illiteracy. No doubt, Africa has abundant labor force that can unequivocally change engine to transform the continent in all aspects.
Thanks to the untold victory secured from Adwa, the African continent has reached at the age of talking about means of unity, cooperation, fraternity and economic emancipation.
There is no more concrete manifestation than this one for Adwa to be regarded as an emblem of sovereignty and freedom of all African countries. Adwa had got the roots of colonial supremacy dried for good, and well exhilarated all Africans to organize themselves under the feasible continental project targeting at declaring African emancipation from colonial yoke tearing the social, economic, cultural and political traps calculatingly knotted.
In general, time has now come for Africa to be economically independent effectively utilizing all what it has possessed since long back, and the Adwa victory, historical as well as historic step in the history of the continent, which laid the unwavering foundation for the continent to economically empower as it did in terms of freedom. Hence, all African countries are expected to move in unison to reap the fruits of Pan-Africanism sown on the fertile soil of Adwa victory. They have to have ample power and capacity to announce economic deliverance in the years, decades, centuries and millennia to come.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 2 MARCH 2023
