Feature: Ethiopians mark 125th anniversary of Adwa victory amid call for unity, togetherness

2021-03-03 10:05:48 GMT2021-03-03 18:05:48(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

ADDIS ABABA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopians across all walks of lives on Tuesday celebrated the 125th anniversary of Ethiopia's victory of Adwa, which marked the East African country's victory against a colonizer force some 125 years ago.

Marking this year's edition of Victory Day, Ethiopian government officials and the general public called for further augmenting national unity and togetherness towards the country's prosperity.

The battle of Adwa on March 2, 1896, which is also referred to as the first Ethiopian-Italian war, marks the first black victory against a colonizer force in the African continent.

The war, which was largely fought in the Adwa mountains some 977 km North of the capital Addis Ababa, is believed to have initiated other freedom fighters across the African continent to struggle towards independence and freedom against colyonolizlizm.

This year's edition of Victory Day was celebrated across the country. In the capital, Addis Ababa a high-level event marked the 125th anniversary with the presence of senior Ethiopian government officials, elders, diplomats and representatives of foreign countries, among others.

Ethiopia's President Sahle-Work Zewde, noting that the victory of Adwa had played a greater role in setting the overall societal, geographic and territorial integrity of Ethiopia, said the current generation should embrace the spirit of the Adwa victory to build national unity towards realizing a positive future.

"We have to understand the problems we are facing now and find a solution. We must strive to move forward for a better future by embracing the spirit of Adwa," the president emphasized, adding "we must work in harmony to secure a developed country for the coming generation, accepting the fact that nothing comes above our beloved country," he said.

Muferiat Kamil, Ethiopia's Minister of Peace, stressed that the Adwa victory is an important milestone, and Ethiopians should tap into the sense of unity that resulted from the memorable victory towards building national resilience that would help withstand current misunderstandings among the Ethiopian society.

"The victory of Adwa is a symbol of unity, together and strength not only for Ethiopians and the rest of African, but also for the global community," Kamil said.

The victory of Adwa, which is regarded as a National Victory Day among Ethiopians, was marked colourfully among Ethiopians in different parts of the country.

Getachew Birhanu, a 23-years-old university student from Ethiopia's northwestern Bahir Dar city who is presently attending at the Addis Ababa University, said the day signifies a profound achievement not only for Ethiopians, but also for all Africans and other freedom fighters across the globe.

"As the name depicts, it signifies a momentous victory by a less-equipped Ethiopian force against a well-equipped colonising Italian force. Because of them (Ethiopians who fought against the colonizer force), we now celebrate Victory Day, not Independence Day," Birhanu told Xinhua.

"Thanks to our forefathers patriotic deeds, we were able to keep our culture and knowledge, which could be seen as we are the only African country to have our own script," he added. Enditem

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