The Ethiopian Embassy in Uganda on Sunday celebrated the 127th Adwa victory day anniversary with a call to the African continent to unite.
Speaking at the celebrations held at the Embassy premises, the Charge d’affaires said Uganda and Africa should replicate the victory with unity in the spirit of Pan Africanism.
“As African sisters and brothers, we urge our Ugandan Friends to replicate the Adwa Great victory through Unity in the spirit of Pan-Africanism in response to modern-day imperialism and injustice against our continent,” Ms. Sara Wolelaw Melese, the Charge d’affaires said.
She added, “With its long history of civilization and independent culture and governance, Ethiopia owns a unique virtue that even our adversaries recognize. Apart from being the cradle of civilization, Ethiopia literally means “burnt face,” i.e. the black people, in the Greek alphabet. This shows that references to Ethiopia in the Bible are always references to Africa.”
The Battle of Adwa was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian invading force on Sunday 1 March 1896, near the town of Adwa. The decisive victory thwarted the campaign of the Kingdom of Italy to expand its colonial empire in the Horn of Africa.
The Ethiopian government has taken the initiative to build the Adwa Pan-African University and Museum, for which then-Prime Minister H.E. Haile Mariam Desalegn of Ethiopia and H.E. President Museveni of Uganda laid the foundation, in an effort to mark Adwa as a global historic site for the Pan-African movement.
She also warned foreign powers against interfering in Ethiopia’s affairs saying the horn of Africa nation is capable of solving her own issues.
“Since the victory of Adwa, foreign powers have continued to interfere with Ethiopia’s domestic affairs. However, Ethiopia has prevailed in solving its challenges with its resolutions. In this light, it is noteworthy that Ethiopia is committed to tackling its
difficulties in accordance with the notion “African Solutions for African Problems.” Ethiopia has once more overcome adversity and resolved the issue in its northern region in the spirit of the Victory of Adwa, an African-led and Ethiopian-owned process,” she said.
The Triumph of ADWA has contributed immeasurably to the struggle for freedom on the African continent and to similar struggles against injustice around the world. Adwa is also a beacon of hope for Black people who have been subjugated to prejudice and suffering, particularly in the Caribbean and the Americas.
The victory of Adwa was not only crucial in restoring the pride and dignity of Africans who had been oppressed by European colonialism, but it also laid the groundwork for the development of Pan-Africanism and the unity of Africa through the African Union.
