Adwa Not Only Source of Pride for Ethiopians, But Also Inspiration to Other Africans to Fight for Independence: Analyst

Addis Ababa March 2/2023/ENA/ The Victory of Adwa is not only a source of enduring pride and nationalism for Ethiopians, but also an inspiration to other Africans who took up the fight for independence, the American political-economic analyst Lawrence Freeman told ENA.

“Following Adwa, if the British Empire had been defeated in the Boer War in South Africa from 1899 to 1902, colonialism in Africa would have been entirely different, if not eliminated,” he said.

According to Freeman, the Victory of Adwa had helped Ethiopia to become the nation most celebrated on the African continent, and a rallying point not just among Africans, but also African Americans as well.

“I discovered through my research and interaction with Ethiopians that this military triumph contributed to their bold-visionary thinking,” the analyst stressed.

Freeman further noted that Ethiopia’s military success against the Italian invading forces had a profound effect in shaping a unique mind-set of the Ethiopian people.

The battle brought together the various disparate sections of the country and created an Ethiopian identity.

Ethiopians are today celebrating the 127th anniversary of the Victory of Adwa, the first black nation victory over Italy, one of the Western colonial powers.

“The victory of Ethiopia against Italy, on the battlefield in Adwa, led by Menelik II, was extraordinary. A so-called backward African army was not supposed to be able to defeat a so-called modern European military.”

Describing Adwa as the most renowned and historic battle in Ethiopian history, the analyst added that the victory by the Ethiopian army helped define the future of the nation as the only non-colonized country in Africa.

Freeman underscored that the 127th anniversary of the Victory of Adwa, which is celebrated today, should serve the nation of Ethiopia as a higher cause for harmony.

The American analyst emphasized that the new generation of Ethiopia should repeat the victory of Adwa like their forefathers in areas like the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

He pointed out that the GERD, which will generate 5,150 megawatts of power is a great achievement for the Ethiopian people that will fuel development in the Horn of Africa.

The analyst finally said, “I study the long waves of history, and how exceptional events shape the thinking of a nation’s culture. Thus, I can understand how the inspiration for building the GERD was in fact made possible by the military success at Adwa. With that conception in our minds, let us use Ethiopia’s building the GERD, a great engineering accomplishment, to revive the spirit of Adwa, to unify the Ethiopian people, once again.”