Victory of Adwa turned Ethiopia into icon of liberty: African descents

Addis Ababa, February 28, 2021 (FBC) -The Victory of Adwa paved the way for African countries that have fallen under the yoke of colonial rule to fight against colonialism and for their independence, African descents said.

Namibian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Emalia Ndinelao Mkusa said the Victory of Adwa not only benefited Ethiopians but also opened the door for other African countries to fight colonialism and achieved their independence.

It was 125years ago, on March 1, 1896, at the Battle of Adwa the gallant Ethiopians fiercely fought against the colonial aggressor army of Italy. The victory was an inspiration to the entire Africa to fight for independence and beyond.

The Victory of Adwa turned Ethiopia into an icon of liberty for black people worldwide, they said.

The ambassador further called on the African new generation should learn from the Victory of Adwa and strive to create a better continent together by abandoning differences.

“Adwa is a very important victory that not only to Ethiopia but also the whole of Africa. The victory was secured because of the unity that had been shown during the Battle of Adwa. It was not a matter where are you from and everybody came together as Ethiopians and they fought the so called colonizers to be in that victory alone have opened up the door for other  African countries to battle with the colonizers,” she said.

Stephen NJoka, Director of Desert Locust Control Organization of East African (DLCO-EA) said the Victory of Adwa taught African nations to break free from the yoke of colonialism.

 The director revealed that “Most of the African countries were under the yoke of colonialism. The end of the Battle of Adwa became a lesson for the Africans to learn how to resist those colonizers. You can give examples from West, South and East Africa. I myself from Kenya and we had a movement and we were greatly inspired by our Ethiopian brothers. So the winning of the Adwa Battle was a great inspiration to a lot of us on the African continent.”

Gambian Defense Attaché to the African Union, Sarjo Fofana for his part, said the Victory of Adwa was not only for Ethiopians but also for African history.

“When Ethiopia fought against the colonizers and the country was able to defeat them, it resonated to the whole continent and became an inspiration that people enabled to fight their freedom for justice and independence. That is why we said the Victory of Adwa is very important to African continent, not to only Ethiopia because it is a victory for the black people,” he underlined.

The commentators said African countries should learn from the Victory of Adwa and bring the continent to development and diversity should serve as a strength for the betterment of the continent.

They added it is important to teach generations that division is a setback.

 “If you look now we are so divided. Whether it is tribalism, so many ethnic issue or region, we are all divided but Adwa did not look at the value that was there and beyond religious difference as well as tribalism,” Namibian Ambassador said.

Gambian DefenseAttaché to the African Union, Sarjo Fofana said diversity should not be a weakness rather it is a source of strength for all Africans.

He noted that “No matter whom you are or you speak since we are the same, unity will bring strength. So, you need to move forward and look at all the parts of the world. For instance, those countries who had colonized us now they are far better than Africa. We have more resources than them and we have everything in this continent. So, only unity can make good for that.”

Source: ENA