Europe’s most embarrassing defeat

19 Mar, 2017 - 00:03 0 Views
Europe’s most embarrassing defeat

The Sunday Mail

Ibo Foroma Rastafarian Perspectives
DURING the whole Scramble for Africa barbaric escapade, no European arm was thoroughly embarrassed and ultimately massacred by an African superpower as was Italy by Ethiopia at the famous Battle of Adowa.

Europeans had somewhat easily defeated the organised and civilised kingdoms and chiefdoms they subdued.

Fought in a country which had accepted the Christian creed long before the colonising intruders did, it was to prove a veritable anti-thesis to the agenda of colonial evangelism with which Christian Europe tried to justify the plunder and colonisation of the African continent.

Indeed, while signing the General Agreement of Berlin in 1885, Britain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Sweden and two others had set out to do just that.

Ethiopia is the first nation on record to adopt Christianity. Not to mention that the ancient Cushites of western Ethiopia (Africa) and eastern Ethiopia (Asia) created civilisation.

Although every conscious African/Ethiopian must know the Battle of Adowa, it remains known by few cadres.

Emperor Menelik the Great’s army was 100 000-strong compared to the Italians puny collection of 30 000 of which 7 000 of their frontline soldiers were abducted from Italian-Eritrea.

After the Treaty of Wuchale/Wichale/Wuchiale (1889) had been signed in both Italian and Amharic, the Italians fraudulently misinterpreted the language and semantics and claimed Ethiopia as their protectorate.

Upon hearing of Italy’s plans to annex Ethiopia, Emperor Menelik II took immediate steps.

On September 17,1895 the Emperor called for national mobilisation and within two months more than 100 000 troops were assembled in Addis Ababa, Were Illu, Ashenge and Mekele. About two-thirds of these troops were raised through the Geber Madriya system.

The Emperor himself mobilised some 35 000 troops, commanded by his court officials. His Queen, Empress Taitu, also mobilised her own force of some 6 000 men.

The Imperial Army included troops raised by governors such as Ras Makonnen (the father of Ras Tafari Makonnen, later Emperor Haile Selassie I) who commanded some 12 000 troops. Dejazmatch Tesema commanded some 5 000 soldiers; Ras Welde Giorgis about 5 000; Ras Bitwoded Mengesha Atakim about 6 000; and so on.

Troops of the regional princes numbered about 35 000 and of these Ras Mengesha of Tigré commanded about 8,000; Negus (King) Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam about 6 000; Ras Welle of Begemder another 6 000; Wagshum Guangul of Wag a further 5 000.

In all, Menelik was able to mobilise some 70 000 to 100 000 modern rifles for Adwa. By 1895, he had obtained at least five million cartridges and he had spent more than US$1 million (at 1895 rates) – a sum which would have been unthinkable to Emperors Téwodros and Yohannes IV, rulers before Emperor Menelik.

And this sum did not even include the artillery Emperor Menelik had secured.

The Corps of Gunpowder and Shell was commanded by a Bejirond, a treasurer in charge of finance and the storehouse of the Palace, and LijMekuas, who was also commander of the Royal Cavalry.

It would not be fair to say the Italians failed to study Ethiopian military history. But by basing their perspectives on the very different strategies of the Rist-Gult system used by Téwodros and Yohannes, they could not comprehend the vastly superior mobilisation capabilities of Menelik’s Geber Madriya system.

Thus, where the Italians expected to meet a force of about 30 000 Ethiopians, they instead met 100 000.

By late February 1896, supplies on both sides were running dangerously low. Succumbing to pressure from the Italian government, General Oreste Baratieri made the first move on the night of February 29.

He did not calculate the rough terrain however and his army was divided into small pockets of troops without contact with each other.

This was observed by the Ethiopian commander Ras Makonnen, who ordered his troops to attack. By morning, Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu’s forces joined.

The Italians were outnumbered by the Ethiopians by about 14 500 to as much as 100 000 (NL Donald), and the Italian army was encircled and routed. Further casualties were recorded during heavy skirmishing as the Italians retreated to their bases.

The Italians took 11 000 casualties while the Ethiopians had about 10 000.

For a number of Africans, the victory of Adowa symbolised the possibility of future emancipation and inspired figures like Nnamdi Azikiwe (Nigeria), Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) and George Padmore (Jamaica) to motivate people to fight and stand in solidarity against domination.

It also inspired Benito Sylvian (Haiti), Joseph Vitalien (West Indies), Booker T Washington, Malcom X, and Ida B Wells. To rouse passion against colonial aggression and racism, WEB du Bois depicted Ethiopia as a beacon of hope and “a kind of Zion”.

The Ethiopian Theocratic Realm (Solomonic Dynasty) and the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah prevailed.

Reference: CLR James, “Reflections on Pan-Africanism”

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds