March 2, 2007 is the 111th anniversary of the
victory of Adwa. This IDEA editorial, however, is
not intended to present an elaborate version of
the history of Adwa victory. It is rather a
critique of the misguided perceptions and
misconceptions with respect to Adwa. Some
Ethiopians think that the victory of Adwa was the
victory of the people of Adwa. This category of
people is either misled by some mysterious and
unfathomable dictates or is simply ignorant of the
historical circumstances that led to the battle of
Adwa.
The second category belong to the minority and
secluded Ethiopians who found solace in Adwa by
internalizing a figment of imagination that
resonates a historical event that portrays Emperor
Menelik as the sole victor. In its modified form,
it is also sometimes stated that �Adwa is indeed
Menelik�s victory.� Hence they equate Menelik
with Adwa, as the latter is, in turn, equated with
the people of local Tigrayan people in the first
category.
The third category constitutes individuals
and/or groups who are in self-denial vis-�-vis
the victory of Adwa. In this third category, the
individuals and/or groups strongly disagree with
the idea that the victory of Adwa was an Ethiopian
victory. On the contrary, they advocate that Italy
was indeed the victor despite ample historical
evidence that the Italians themselves accepted
defeat and reluctantly swallowed humiliation in
the face of world public opinion. The third
category comprise non-Ethiopians who are either
delusional or are nostalgic of colonial heritage
that left an indelible scar on their mental
faculty.
The fourth category has no problem accepting
the Ethiopian victory at Adwa, but wittingly or
unwittingly they misconstrue the post-Adwa events
as if Menelik was not in a position to pursue the
defeated Italians in disarray and who were in fact
fleeing for their lives. This individuals argue
that Menelik or the Ethiopian army were equipped
with primitive weaponry compared to the
sophisticated Italian technology.
The first two categories, for the most part,
entertained somewhat na�ve ideas about history,
and by virtue of their ignorance they have
virtually estranged themselves from the realities
pertaining to the victory of Adwa. Only education
and exposure can emancipate them from their
antediluvian caves they are in.
In the third and fourth categories ideas are fostered by intellectuals
who may have deliberately committed omissions in
historiography presently surrounding the battle of
Adwa. I have challenged these fallacious
historical anecdotes several times in many of my
writings. With respect to Adwa as an Italian
victory, and not an Ethiopian one, we suggest that
readers have a look at Falsification of History
Will not Conceal Ethiopia�s Victory at Adwa at
www.ethiomedia.com /falsification_of_history.html.
Moreover, we suggest our subscribers to read The
Ethiopian Victory at Adwa: Meanings for Africans
and People of African Descent in the Diaspora (
