By: Fistum Getachew
The 130th anniversary of the Victory of Adwa will be celebrated on March 2nd 2026 throughout Ethiopia. It will also be celebrated in all foreign missions of Ethiopia wherever the Ethiopian flag is hoisted. As decided recently by the AU Commission, this Victory of Adwa will also be observed in African countries as a shining victory of Africans and all peoples of African origin as well as all black people.
It has been repeatedly stated that Adwa is not only an Ethiopian victory so many were the implications it resulted in among all peoples of African descent. It can be argued that Adwa was the very first victory recorded by an African army against a European force. The news of the Victory of Adwa has in a way changed not only Ethiopia but also other countries because it demonstrated that it did not surrender or submit to foreign dominion despite it being a poor country with less military resources, fewer arms and ammunition and devoid of a well trained professional army. No one expected it to be courageous enough to embark on a war with a European country let alone inflict on it a humiliating defeat! The narrative that existed before Adwa was that any European army would very easily subdue any form of African army if and when there is one that dares to challenge them.
The history of colonial domination tells us that wherever the colonizers went they were accustomed to overwhelming any African resistance. Even where there was quite stiff resistance, the European forces used every military means available to crush every form of resistance. The case of Ethiopia was unique because it defied their rule and decided to face them without any prevarication or uncertainty. The leaders of Ethiopia were confident that they being on the right side of history, their efforts would be crowned with success. In fact, Ethiopia used every means available to face the assault of the enemy not influenced by the size of the enemy’s army and might.
Besides, the history of Ethiopia had lived and experienced other invasions and aggressions but it never succumbed to them. There were repeated attempts to occupy Ethiopia’s sovereign territory also because the invaders were always obsessed with the idea of controlling the Nile water and its source. Ethiopia’s water resources and its moderate climate as well as its immense land suitable for agriculture have always been the centre of attention of many foreign countries with imperialistic intents.
Many countries around Ethiopia have often tried to rip it of its independence and freedom but Ethiopia has always duly repelled these alien attempts with all the sacrifices that circumstances required. The resolve of Ethiopian patriots has had the description as exemplary. Ethiopians never feared any sort of sacrifice including the ultimate one rather than submit to any form of subjugation, defeat or injustice. To assert that this is a historic tradition embedded in the DNA of Ethiopians would not amount to an exaggeration because there are several instances of this reality.
When we think of Adwa, the first thing that comes to our mind is hence the symbolism it has, not only for Ethiopia but also for Africa as a whole, the entire peoples of African descent and in general all black peoples of the world. The victory of Adwa is a landmark historical page that narrates the exploit of Ethiopia in a world where colonial aspirations and ambitions of any country were dismissed resulting in a flop. The victory was a blow no one could have anticipated because few knew about a country called Ethiopia let alone have an army capable of fighting and winning against a European power.
Historical records show that it was the Italian government which with the pretext of expanding the relations with Ethiopia tried to make Ethiopia a protectorate of Italy limiting significantly its freedom and independence while entertaining relations with any foreign nation. The origin of this scheme was the terms included in the famous Treaty of Wuchale which included the clause that was later to be a bone of contention as a result of the ambiguity of the treaty in one particular provision.
The controversy exploded owing to the discrepancy between the Amharic version and the one in Italian. The Amharic version which was the governing version stated that Ethiopia could conduct its foreign relations with the consultation of Italy while the Italian translation obliges Ethiopia to ask the permission to Italy before engaging in any foreign relations. This was naturally unacceptable for Ethiopia and hence had no choice but challenge the specific clause. It immediately requested the Italian government to rectify the specific provision. But Italy turned a deaf ear to Ethiopian appeals. It then became clear what the exact intention of Italy was. It wanted to colonize Ethiopia, and merge it with the adjacent nations of Eritrea and Somalia to have a massive empire!
The then emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II insisted that Italy rectify the clause and come to an agreement and avoid any sort of conflict. He knew that Ethiopia was not in a good position to engage in any form of warfare with anyone because it had its own development and growth priorities and agenda also because it was hard times for the country’s agricultural harvests. Embarking on any conflict was counterproductive. However, unfortunately the Italian government did not want to miss this opportunity to add Ethiopia to the list of its colonies. Evidently Italy relied on the strength of its armed forces dismissing Ethiopia’s forces as insignificant and a small hurdle to jump over.
Evidently it did not figure out Ethiopia’s resolve to face any aggression boldly in defence of its dignity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Finally this discrepancy resulted in a battle now known as the Battle of Adwa after the specific locality where the decisive hostilities took place.
This famous victory created a new geopolitical reality on the ground writing one of the most glorious chapters of Ethiopian and African history. It ended by opening a new chapter in the relationship between Europe and Africa. It was impossible to predict that a European force could have knelt down to a little known African country. No one expected such an outcome from this confrontation. But the rulers of Ethiopia were confident of the victory with the help of God as they said, because they had absolute faith in the Almighty.
Following the Ethiopian victory Emperor Menelik became an instant celebrity with newspapers all over the world reporting on it with surprise and incredulity. And yet it was true. Owing to the victory Italy was forced to sign a new rectified treaty with Ethiopia recognizing its sovereignty. Many countries subsequently showed their desire to establish diplomatic relations with Ethiopia among which can be listed the British, the French and the Russians.
When the victory of Ethiopia was known in many countries, particularly in countries where people of African descent lived, it created a sense of pride and retribution for all the injustices they were suffering at the hands of the white governments, especially in the colonized African countries and the US where there was a substantial population of African descent. This historical chapter changed the perception of European countries regarding the people of African descent. Following the loss at Adwa, it was reported that the then Italian government fell and a new government was chosen. Rome passed a dark night and the sense of outrage and humiliation was palpable, it was reported in the media.
The countries that had colonies in Africa began to fear that this Adwa victory may generate rebellion and that they would risk to lose their colonial riches. They feared that their colonies would be inspired and instigated to try and fight against them in search of freedom. They tried to do all they could so that the news did not reach their ears. Adwa was in fact a sort of historical earthquake no one could have anticipated and a colossal danger for colonialists.
Military experts and historians have written and said a lot about the tactics and history of the battle of Adwa. They could not resist admiring Menelik’s exploit and the Ethiopian patriots who even with largely the most rudimentary weapons faced the well-armed invading army and engaged well resulting finally in the decisive victory.
Ethiopia had to prepare for the battle for months sacrificing all the economic resources it could harness. Every able bodied citizen was called to the front by the emperor to defend their country, freedom and family from alien invaders. Following the declaration hundreds of thousands abandoned their families and property to join the campaign in defence of the motherland and its sovereignty. The emperor succeeded in motivating the people by explaining to them that an enemy had come to deprive them of their land, freedom and dignity and this emotional appeal resonated well with the population. The end result was one of the most unforgettable events of history, at least in the history books of Ethiopia.
We should conclude by noting that not enough has been told and written about this massive historical chapter particularly by Ethiopians or African scholars of history and there is clearly a need to do so. There is a certain vacuum to be filled by the present generation.
At present there is the Adwa Victory Memorial right at the heart of Addis Ababa where there is an overview of the battle illustrated in miniature with the major protagonists noted including the brave women who were part of the long and difficult campaign. That is a good beginning because the young generation should acquaint itself with the glorious sacrifices of the patriots of days long past. This memorial is also a place where every African should come and visit to have a snap shot of the victory of Adwa. It can be a huge inspiration to try and replicate that victory in a battle ground now in the fight against poverty and underdevelopment. Talking only about Adwa hardly suffices but try to replicate it.
