AMU has commemorated the 125th anniversary of iconic Adwa Victory with great zeal and fervor at Main Campus on 2nd March, 2021. Many war veterans with pips and gongs, Gamo elders draped in colorful ethnic attire, Gamo Zone officials, guests from different walks of life and AMU community graced the event. Click here to see the pictures
AMU President, Dr Damtew Darza, addressing the gathering, said, Adwa victory is the symbol of sacrifice that set the unique precedent before world that Ethiopian sovereignty is not for sale; it has demonstrated that we may not have advanced artillery or lethal weapons at our disposal, but our steely resolve make us formidable. Therefore, this victory should be our reference point whenever we come across any difficult situation in life or in the country.
He further adds that, let me tell you, Adwa is not mere military triumph; it’s the story of impregnable unity, patriotic love for nation and togetherness that can’t be crushed by insidious design or armed aggression. Adwa has demonstrated how an underdeveloped nation can successfully mobilize its people and utilize scarce resources to its advantage that resulted in triumph over their deadliest enemy, he added.
Gamo Zone Administrative Head, Mr Berhanu Zewde, said, whenever I think of Adwa victory and the way people sacrificed their lives to defeat the enemy often causes surge of adrenalin in me and, in my opinion, it’s the milestone in the history of Ethiopia that made world to think about our determination that has carved a unique place for us in the political firmament worldwide and youth must take a lesson from it.
The Gamo Zone Patriots’ Association chairman, Mr Tesfaye Gemeda, addressing the gathering, said, the root cause of the conflict was the Treaty of Wuchale signed in 1889 between Menelik-II and Italy, wherein Article 17 of its Italian version had denigrated the Ethiopian sovereignty by calling it as protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy in which King Menilik-II has to handle all his foreign affairs through them. But Amharic version of the treaty says altogether different. It further states that King Menelik-II may seek their help; so this struggle for sovereignty further snowballed into greater conflict.
He adds that when Ethiopia remonstrated about this denigrating provision, Italy chose to invade Ethiopia in order to colonize it and build its empire in Africa, but their nefarious designs were nipped into bud as Emperor Menelik-II and Queen Tayitu courageously led the war from front. They cleverly mobilized forces and patriots all across the country and fought them tooth and nail inflicting humiliating defeat on them thus kept the dragon of colonialism at bay. Therefore, the battle of Adwa has acquired significance; it’s not only the victory of Ethiopians but the symbol of Black people’s pride against imperialist forces, he added.
Furthermore, Gamo Elders representative and one of the members of AMU Advisory Council, Mr Sedika Sime, said, Adwa victory was the tipping point where all kinds of differences just got vanished, by then, we were just Ethiopians and entire nations and nationalities sacrificed their lives for beloved nation. Young people, you know, he said, we did it to protect the unity and sovereignty of our nation. That was the moment when nation was above all; it was the time, when trivial differences turned futile and issues such as ethnicity, religions, languages, nationalities, etc. failed to divide us, he stressed.
Let me tell you, we could defeat Italy not because we were well-equipped or extra smart, but just because we were solidly united and our main agenda was to repulse the attack of enemy and we did it. And in this present context, if we apply the formula of unity, our differences whether it’s ethnic, religious or whatsoever it can be resolved will pave the way for all-round development in Ethiopia, he averred.
At the outset, one of the war veterans, Mr Getachew Tefera, welcomed the gathering and paid the homage for those who laid down their lives for the nation. The program was interspersed with poetry recitals and a well-orchestrated drama was enacted that depicted how wisely both Emperor Menilik-II and Queen Tayitu used their acumen in organizing country’s forces and its people to inscript the memorable victory in the history.
On the occasion, one of the teachers from History and Heritage Management Department has presented the history perspective of Adwa victory; Gamo Zone officials, AMU top officials, directors & deans teachers, peace volunteers and others were in attendance.
(Communication Affairs Directorate)