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ADWA VICTORY DAY
02.03.2021 – 125 Jahre Sieg von Adua
(23.06.2013 nach dem äthiopischen Kalender)
... und
die Selbstzerstörung von Zeugnissen der ruhmreichen
historischen
Vergangenheit
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Alljährlich
wird am 02. März auf dem Menelik II. Square in Addis Ababa,
der Hauptstadt Äthiopiens, der Adwa Victory Day gefeiert. Am
1. März
1896 besiegten die Truppen von Kaiser Menelik II und seiner Frau Taytu
Betul die italienischen Invasoren in der Schlacht von Adua (auch Adwa)
im Norden Äthiopiens. Dieser Tag erfüllt die
Äthiopier bis heute mit unendlichem Stolz. Allerdings lassen
verschiedene Ereignisse der zurückliegenden Jahre immer mehr
Zweifel aufkommen, ob die äthiopische Nation sich
überhaupt noch als solche wahrnimmt. Verschiedene der
über 80 in Äthiopien lebenden Ethnien, bis
hin zu einzelnen
Regionalregierungen, verstehen nicht, dass sie nur zusammen stark und
allesamt Äthiopier sind.
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Wer sich mit der Geschichte
Äthiopiens befasst, merkt schnell, dass dieses Land bisher von
zahlreichen Kriegen und ethnischen Unruhen betroffen war.
Zahlreiche Kaiser und Könige verloren auf
unnatürlicher Weise ihr Leben oder wurden aus dem Weg
geräumt. Einstige Freunde wurden zu Feinde oder umgekehrt.
Selbst nach Abschaffung der Monarchie fand das Land zu keiner Ruhe.
Immer neue Machtkonstellationen und politische Interessen verschiedener
Gruppierungen führen bis heute zu Unruhen in dem
Vielvölkerstaat. Neben den zahlreichen kleinen Brandherden
erfüllen uns ganz besonders die Ereignisse in der Region
Tigray und die Gewaltekszesse verschiedener Menschengruppen infolge der
Ermordung des Oromo Sängers Hachalu Hundessa im
vergangenen Jahr, mit großer Sorge. Ein marodierender und
brandschatzender Mob zog durch mehrere Städte und richtete
unglaubliche Schäden im Lande an. Ziel waren vor allen Dingen
nicht zur eigenen Ethnie gehörende Bevölkerungsteile.
Dabei machte man selbst vor Schulen nicht halt, wie in Shashemene
geschehen. Hotels wie das Haile Resort und das Lily Of The Valley in
Shaseheme wurden angezündet und geplündert. Der
Investor des Haile Resorts ist der weltbekannte äthiopische
Läufer Haile
Gebrselassie, der zudem in Oromo geboren ist. Arbeiter die auf dem Weg
zu einer seiner Kaffeeplantagen in der Region Tepi waren, wurden sogar
beschossen, um sie an der Arbeitsaufnahme zu hindern. Die Ernte musste
ausfallen. Die Bilanz: 700.000 EUR Schaden, allein wegen der
ausgefallenen Kaffeeernte. Die Gründe für die Ziele
der
Banden sind oft unklar.
In Harar hatte man selbst
vor Kulturdenkmälern keinen Respekt, die wie im Gewaltrausch
zerstört wurden, wie das von dem berühmten
äthiopischen
Künstler Afewerk Tekle
geschaffene Reiterstandbild von Ras Makonnen.
In Addis Ababa konnte die
Armee gerade noch rechtzeitig die Zerstörung des
Reiterstandbildes von Menelik II verhindern.
Makabrer Weise hat sich später herausgestellt, dass die
Mörder des Sängers aus den eigenen Reihen kamen und
man so bewusst Unruhen und Destabilisierung im Lande erzeugen wollte.
Die vorgenannten Beispiele sind aber nur eine kleine Auswahl. Wir
würden lange nicht fertig werden, wenn wir alles
aufzählen
wollten.
Die gegenwärtige Regierung hat einen
äußerst schweren Job. Die
Bemühungen alle Äthiopier weiter
zusammenzuführen und insgesamt zu vertreten, führt
leider nicht zum gewünschten Ergebnis. Was der einen Ethnie
gefällt, führt bei der anderen zu Protesten.
Niemandem kann es recht getan werden.
Zurückliegende Begnadigungen von Inhaftierten der
Vorregierung, die teilweise bis zur Einbindung der Entlassenen in die
aktuelle Politik
geführt haben, werden nicht belohnt. Anschläge, Morde
und
Putschversuche gegen aktuelle Regierungsvertreter sind sogar die Folge.
Leider sind zuverlässige Nachrichten aus dem Lande sehr rar.
Nachrichtensperren und Internetabschaltungen gibt es immer wieder in
Äthiopien, was
auch aus unserer Sicht durchaus zum Teil berechtigt ist.
Ausländischen
Berichterstattern kann man oft nicht trauen und Tatsachen werden
verdreht oder nur mit halber Wahrheit dargestellt. Das führt
oft
zu weiterem Hass unter im Ausland lebenden Äthiopiern. Oft
muss
man sich nach dem Abgleich verschiedener Nachrichtenquellen, nach
vernünftiger Überlegung, eine "eigene Wahrheit"
erstellen.
Nachfolgend
lassen wir anlässlich des diesjährigen Adwa Victory
Day unseren
äthiopischer Freund Mulugeta Haile zu Wort kommen, der sich
vier Tage vor dem Nationalfeiertag einige Gedanken darüber
gemacht und ein paar Fakten hervor gekramt hat.
Wir präsentieren seinen Beitrag in der englischen
Originalversion und ergänzen ihn nur mit ein paar Bildern zur
besseren Anschaulichkeit.
CAN WE
CELEBRATE THE VICTORY OF ADWA,
AFTER WE DESTROYED THE HERO OF ADWA STATUE?
By Mulugeta Haile
Image 2: The former equestrian statue
of Ras Makonnen in Harar.
>>> More information here.
Four days from now, Ethiopia will mark the 125th Victory Day of the
battle of Adwa. I can’t write this without mentioning the
hate which the world witnessed last June 30, 2020, when the local
government toppled and destroyed the equestrian monumental statue of
Ras Makonnen, which was sculpted by Laureate Afewerk Tekle. At once,
Ethiopia lost two pieces of heritage: a master work of a National
artist, Afewerk and a statue which was the symbol of freedom and
dignity of a Nation, as represented by ADWA.
Afewerk once said, in an interview which took place in Washington DC,
USA, “When I was working on the statue of Ras Makonnen, the
Emperor (Haile Selassie) told me not to make the Ras’ statue
bigger than the statue of Emperor Menelik in Addis Ababa. He wanted
Menelik’s to be a land mark of the nation.”
Why was the statue of Ras Makonnen, the symbol of dignity and freedom,
toppled down in Harar? How will we prevent this from happening again?
According to an eye witness, “A Harari police officer, with
one hand in his pocket, cellphone in the other, was giving directions
on how to topple it down, whilst other officers stood and watched, when
the General of ADWA statue, slowly hit the ground.” They made
the Italian generals’ bones jump with happiness in their
graves.
The statue, beyond its symbol of freedom and dignity, was an icon of
Pan- Ethiopianism, the social fabric of the nation, which allows
Muslims and Christians from different ethnicities to live in harmony.
Ras Makonnen was a product of Tigria, Amhara, and Oromo ethnicity. His
wife, Yeshembet, was the fruit of a Christian Gurage and a Muslim
Oromo. The couples’ heritage intertwined to create the
perfect son, Lij Tafari, who produced a large family, at home and
abroad.
The extraction of Ras Makonnen’s statue has been a deadly
blow to the symbol of the unconquered Ethiopia. He was a man of many
firsts. He was the first especial envoy who travelled abroad, the first
who alarmed Emperor Menelik about the Italian colonial ambition, the
first who tried to stop the Battle of Adwa through diplomacy, the first
who led the two victorious battles: Amba Lage, and Mekele as a prelude
to the Battle of Adwa.
A head of time, he was the first to have hired an African from abroad,
Joseph Vitalien, a physician, from Guadalupe, to practice medicine in
Harar. As a diplomat, he was the first who welcomed international
delegates to Ethiopia, before Emperor Menelik met them in Addis Ababa.
As Foreign Minister, he was the first to pick an ambassador, who would
represent Ethiopia in USA. That person happened to be Honorable Sadik
Abdulahi, a native Harari who handed Emperor’s
Menelik’s message to President Theodore Roosevelt.
In his selection of a Muslim envoy to USA, he proved wrong those who
had the notion that Ethiopia was only a Christian country. He was a
visionary who commissioned the building of the first hospital in Harar
city. “Ras Makonnen was announcing people to go to the
hospital but the people preferred the tradition way,”
Mohammed Ali, an India business man and friend of the Ras, revealed in
his diary, “…for his hospital he asked me to bring
from abroad, medical experts.”
As unofficial Minister for Education, he was the first to send a
student abroad. This student, Fetawrari Takel, was later instrumental
in preparing the first Ethiopian Constitution.
Undoubtedly, Ras Makonnen was larger than life. His statue was simply
the story of a legend, helping to narrate the good deeds of his past,
so they would be known by and inspirational to, the present and future
generations.
Speaking of the future generations, Laureate Afewerk said,
“It was not by accident that Ras Makonnen’s statue
was facing the coastline of the colonizers. It was placed in this
direction to invoke the vigilante spirit in the coming generations, and
proclaim that the war is not yet finished.”
In Harar, the anti-Ras Makonnen movement displays various
characteristics. In the city, it aimed to eradicate his icons symbol,
and eventual to establish an Islamic State in the three regions: Harar,
Bali, and Aris, which are the predominately Muslims areas.
Before the withdrawal of Ras Makonnen’s statue, number of
wickedness have been made by government between 1993 and 2020. Anything
that carries the name of Ras Makonnen and Emperor Haile Selassie has
been removed from Harar. For example, an assembly hall that was named
after Ras Makonnen was renamed after Amir Abdullahi, the last Emir of
Harai. The Emir deserved to have something in his name, but why did
this have to come at the expense of the Ras. Wouldn’t it have
been good if they had built a new grand hall and named it after the
Amir?
Image 3: Amir Abdullahi
City Hall - Harar
>>> More information here.
Another small statue of the Ras was also removed from the hospital that
was built in 1903. This hospital and the statue were built by Russia to
show the relationship between the two countries. Mohammed Ali in
describing the people of Harar and Ras Makonnen, wrote,
“People of Harar were generally addicted to Qat (Khat), but
Ras Makonen was addicted to advancement. Every time I told him of a new
innovation abroad, he wanted me to bring it in to Harar.”
Image 4: The former statue from Ras
Makonnen in the Misrak Arbegnoch
Hospital - Harar
>>> More information here.
Image 5 + 6: Smashed Ras Makonnen statue in
the Misrak Arbegnoch Hospital - 2019
>>>
Full article about this here.
Mohammed Ali and Ras Makonnen relationship begun when Lij Tafari
(Emperor Haile Selassie) was 3 years old. Ali wrote, “One
year before Ras Makonnen passed, and he implored me to look out for Lij
Tafari, his son in case he died.” Ali kept his word and took
great care of Lij Tafari. As a god father, he built a big mansion for
Tafari when he turned 18 years old. The following year, the young
Tafari welcomed his wife, Woizero Menen Asfaw in this house. This
historical house in 2007 was reclaimed by the local Harari government
and was given to an individual to be a private museum.
Image 7: Sherif Harar City Museum - The
former Honeymoon Palace - Harar
>>>
More
Information here.
On the other hand, the local government dedicated a museum to Arthur
Rimbaud, a French poet and an arms dealer who only lived for 5 years in
Jegol, Harar. His museum is located a short distance from the houses of
Ras Makonnen and Emperor Haile Selassie, which were confiscated by the
government. If Rimbaud has a museum, what about Ras Makonnen and
Emperor Haile Selassie, the towering personas, who lived, labored, and
toiled for the people of Harar?
Image 8: Arthur Rimbaud Museum - Harar
>>>
More
Information here.
125 years ago during the march to the Battle of Adwa when Ras Makonnen
led his army and volunteers from all over Harar region, the
Harari(Adere) people did not follow him. Now their great sons and
daughters have the nerve to destroy his legacy, and bring down his
statue.
These people were supposed to be the first to defend his statue.
Without his help, they would have remained in their small areas. Today,
Harari business men and women are among the most successful in Addis
Ababa. As old saying goes, “To a person who lends gold, a
pebble is returned.”
Among the standing legacies of the Ras, one that stood tall, was his
making the province of Harar to be known as “Yefeker
Hager” (Love City). To keep this memory alive, in 2003,
UNESCO officially named the City of Harar “The City of
Love”.
According to UNESCO’s official statement, “Ras
Makonnen is considered as one of the peace makers of the region.
Without him, Harar would have been a playground of hate. To bring
Muslims and the new settlers of Christians on one table, it took the
vision of Ras Makonen.”
It is my sincere hope that Lij Daniel Mesfin Jote, the current
president of the Ethiopian Patriot Association, will raise the issue of
Ras Makonnen’s statue when he addresses the nation on March
1, 2021. History should record this year’s celebration as a
turning point, to examine the heroic characters of this generation.
What happened in Harar, could unfortunately happen in Addis Ababa to
Emperor Menelik’s statue, unless we learn from this
regrettable mistake.
In 1936 when the fascist Italians occupied Addis Ababa, they removed
the statue of Menelik from Addis Ababa, but did not cut it into pieces.
However, the officials of Harari allowed that to happen to the statue
of Ras Makonnen. These perpetrators have made the Italian fascists look
kinder and less destructive.
Image 9 - 11: Some of smashed statue of Ras
Makonnen in Harar
Image 9 + 10: Smashed equestrian statue
of Ras Makonnen
Image 11: Smashed Ras Makonnen statue
from the Misrak Arbegnoch Hospital
It would be wise if Ethiopians at home and abroad use this
year’s celebration as a platform to raise the issue of Ras
Makonen’s statue. It would be wise also if the Federal and
local government use the event as an opportunity to create peace and
reconciliation, starting to rebuild the statue and restore the iconic
statue.
Ras Makonnen did his part to maintain Ethiopia’s freedom. As
the same time he maintained his province to be a big melting pot of
various culture. Throughout, his life, he was a proven war hero and
skilled diplomat. So what about us? Who shall we prove to be? Keepers
of his legacy, or tribalists, and cheer leaders of colonialists?
History is recording our silence.
Happy 125TH VICTORY OF ADWA!
Copyright: www.reggaestory.de
Deutscher Text: Peter Joachim
Englischer Text: Mulugeta Haile
Image 5, 6, 9 - 11: Social Media
Other Images: Peter Joachim |
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