Ethiopia is one of the only two countries that were never colonised in the continent celebrated its 121 years of defeating Italians.
Ethiopians defeat the invading Italian army in the Battle of Adwa over a century ago. The victory scuppered the Italians ambitions to colonise the country in a similar fashion to most of Africa which was seized by Europeans.
Adwa – the story of Africans seeing to their own freedom played out against a background of almost unrelenting European colonial expansion. Ethiopia and Liberia were the only African countries that were never colonised.
Thousands of people gathered in Ethiopia’s northern town, Adwa to commemorate the historic 1896 Battle. Emperor Menelik II led Ethiopians to victory over Italian troops in Adwa.
Celebrations were attended by veterans, diplomats and government officials.
“It is my strong conviction that a generation that remembers the history of its forefathers can also make its own history. In order to pass this history on to the next generation we have to build a war museum and a pan African University,” said Ethiopia’s president Mulatu Teshome.
Ethiopians lost almost 4 000 officers and took about 2000 Italians prisoners. However, they were released after Rome renounced its claims on Ethiopian territory.
Former South African President, Thabo Mbeki says the Battle of Adwa set the example in the fight against colonialists.
“That even the return to liberation wars after the second world war going back to the example set at Adwa, so you have the liberation wars in Algeria, in Southern Africa, in West Africa, in Guinea Bissau, all of these victories, all of those struggles were following the example that were set at Adwa that let us take up arms against colonialism and succeed, and indeed this time, they succeeded.”
To many historians the battle of Adwa was a stunning victory for Ethiopia but a rout and a disaster for Italy.
– By Lehana Tsotetsi
