Addis Ababa March 1, 2023 (FBC) – Member of the Executive Board of the Ancient Ethiopia Hero Patriots Association, military historian and Author, Tilahun Tassew says that the battle of Adwa has changed the course of history.
In an Exclusive Interview with Fana Broadcasting Corporate Tilahun said that Adwa Victory has contributed to strengthen collective identity, adding that the successful buildup of the military capability and the unified counter offensive first against the Italians and then the British was made possible by the unity that was created prior to the three months battles against Italy and the one year standoff with the British.
The reason for the Victory of Adwa according to Tilahun was the success of united Ethiopians acting for a common goal for countering the foreign invasion that sealed the unification.
He added that Ethiopia’s forces assured that Ethiopia would be the only African country to successfully to resist European colonization during the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He said that the Battle of Adwa was a pride and a unifying force for all black people including the Ethiopians.
Regarding Adwa and Pan-Africanism the military historian said that Adwa and Pan-Africanism are closely related as the two came out from the Doctrine of “Africa for Africans”.
Tilahun further explained that the victory’s impact on decolonization of Africa was big as many African kings have fought the European colonizers prior to the Victory of Adwa but they were not successful to upkeep their victory, Tilahun explained that they had not built a comparable military that could sustain their victory, thus the Victory of Adwa was sustained since Menelik has built a modern army comparable to the Europeans.
Member of the Executive Board of the Ancient Ethiopia Hero Patriots Association, military historian and Author, Tilahun Tassew stated that Ethiopians could learn many lessons from the Battle of Adwa and what was accomplished after the victory that could help the nation in keeping the course of unity.
By: Yonathan Yoseph