In a recent tweet, author of The Shadow King, Meaza Mengiste, claimed that she will not celebrate Adwa because it is a celebration of war. Her exact words were:
“But I decided to withdraw my participation because the premise of any discussion on the catastrophes in Tigray cannot begin with a celebration of another war, regardless of the end result. I did not participate. I have spent today. with the dying & the dead in my thoughts.”
“There is a place for nostalgia, but if my writing has shown me anything, it is that any commemoration of a victory has to consider also the costs. I honor those men & women who fought & sometimes lost their lives &/or gained new terrors & traumas in the name of freedom”
Not only did Maaza benefit greatly from Ethiopian culture, but also from Ethiopia’s war against colonialism. Her book, The Shadow King, is based on Ethiopia’s second war with Italian invaders. Despite capitalizing on this historic event, she slandered the anti-colonial struggle by contrasting it to the anti-TPLF operation, which was launched in response to TPLF’s gruesome assault on Ethiopia’s defense force. An act of treason against the Ethiopian state. She has the right to refuse to participate in the celebration of Adwa. She, however, has no right to dismiss our predecessors’ sacrifice. The incalculable contributions they made to our history can never be compared to any current event.
She framed her tweet to appear morally superior, as if her boycott of Adwa’s commemoration is a greater display of solidarity and compassion than Ethiopians across the country and in the diaspora, who have mobilized money, food, and other necessities for civilians affected by the operation against TPLF. What Maaza did was a cowardly attempt to preserve her reputation and book earnings, not a righteous act as she had hoped. Ethiopia has experienced turmoil in the last 30 years, especially in the last 5 years. Despite the fact that Ethiopia has seen horrific ethnic massacres and human rights abuses, Maaze has never raised a moral objection against the celebration of Adwa. Maaza isn’t making a moral or even rational decision; she’s clearly succumbing to TPLF’s propaganda.
Furthermore, Maaza shamelessly attempts to educate us about the cost of war, as if every generation in Ethiopia hasn’t experienced war and its consequences. Every barefoot step our forefathers took to Adwa was a cost of war. Every ache, scar, limb loss, and casualty that our forefathers and mothers felt and endured was the cost. To preserve our sovereignty, our forefathers paid the cost of war in full with their blood, tears, and sweat, as well as exceptional tenacity and determination. And it is this incomputable price that we remember when we celebrate the victory of Adwa.
If Maaza genuinely understood the cost of war, especially the cost of Adwa, she would never have compared it to the operation against TPLF. Maaza has yet to condemn Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a terrorist organization that is responsible for the ongoing crisis in Tigray.
Maaza cannot and will not dictate how, when, or where Adwa is observed. She can continue regurgitating TPLF propaganda, chastising Ethiopians for celebrating Adwa, and penning whitewashed, Italian apologist, and colonialism-friendly novels. We, Ethiopians, will continue to recognize and honor our ancestors’ bravery and wisdom.
Her twitter post.
