Haile Gerima's "Adwa": A personal take
By Abey Tedla
11.22.99

A certain film maker had had some trouble locating pictures of my
maternal grandfather and wondered if I had any pictures of him,
specifically in battle dress. Why battle dress I asked at the time,
oh ! for a project on Adwa, the answer came. I found the picture,
a grateful Haile promised to send a thank you letter to the "Mehal
Sefari" archives and to credit it with providing the picture in the movie.

I did not understand the elaborate West African spirit raising
ceremonies ? But if they help in Haile's "sankofating" towards
where he is going, I am all for them if it helps make "Adwa" movie
feel more African to him that is a plus as well. I was of the distinct
impression that Ethiopia and Ethiopians have all they need in and
of themselves and their culture to reflect their African heritage. The
languages of Ethiopia, the practices of the Amhara, Oromo, Gurage,
Kembata and countless many other families who stood together
those fateful months are as African as the West African ceremony
that was held.

I recognized amongst those who stood up to honor the memory of
their forefathers, not the strange unfamiliar chanting, the children of
those who fought on those far away battlefields. I saw the smiling
face of three of Kumsa Moroda's (Dedj. Gebreigziabher) beautiful
children, Ras Makonnen's quiet, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren, Ras-Bitwoded Mengesha Atikem's
descendants, Turk-Basha Tamire's great grand children as well
as the descendants of the regular soldiery of the time.
The collective will the nation and its multi-ethnic families brought
to bear on the Italian Army meant all of Ethiopia figuratively had
someone that fought on that battle field under the command of
the various nobles and the overlordship of Menelik II.>
On my part, my grandfather, who could have easily shared the
fate of the hero's of the day, Dedj Beshah Aboye, Dedj Chacha,
replaced Imperial-Fitawrari Gebeyehu, as Imperial-Fitaurari,
after the above gentlemen had all fallen in battle. He made
it back. These other worthy gentlemen and those others who
fought alongside them exhibiting common valor if uncommon
courage, remain nameless on those now silent battlefields.
It is unfortunately something intensely personal. Many whose
dear ones sacrificed their all and though the victory belonged
to our nation, have only the battlefield as recompense for their
lost ones should see it thus is not surprising. Perhaps it is better
understood when we see that the only thing that survives of their
loved ones is the lay and sway of those silent mountains, the
only thing they will ever know of their loved one, "..he fell at
Adwa...Mekelle...Alage..". No picture, painting survives them,
maybe it is not wise to take ones "sankofating" baby steps,
on such hallowed ground.>
Does one presume the canvas empty and proceed to paint
ones own picture at the risk of vandalizing what may already
be there, by virtue of interpretive license ? Adwa is no abstract
matter, it is a living being, its life's blood, the blood of those that
gave up their lives for it, how is it possible to re-cast a living
being as one "interprets" it.>
Overall, I felt Haile continuously "dumbing it down" for an audience
he presumes is as unaware of Adwa. I have news for him. It is nice
that he and others of his generation are finally re-evaluating their
abandoning their own heritage. However by and large the generation
that grew-up in the Ethiopia Haile's generation crafted for us, learned
it was not for us, and took as our teachers those that preceded him.
So happy Sankofating Ato Haile, you hopefully the journey won't take
too long.

As to the film itself there were glaring holes that it failed to address,> or
it ignored completely, doubtless because of "interpretive" license.
I wanted to try and touch briefly on some of the things that readily
jumped out at me.

1. Everything from Italian overconfidence after their Victories
at Halay, Koatit, Senafe and Debre Hayla contributed to their
defeat at Alage, Mekelle and Adwa was ignored. These battles
occurred barely a year before the Alage-Adwa battles Italy's
preparation under the guise of friendship of maps for invasion,
a surveillance and intelligence network, of Italian"experts"
familiar with the languages and customs of the people of
different areas " Dr." Nerasini, Capitano Persico among others
to subvert Ras Makonnen, Ras Darge, Lij Gugsa Sultan
Mohammed Anfreh (the later of which succeeded).
This network was surveilling the country intensely for about
7-10 years, waging what must have been the first biological
war of the modern age by introducing Rinderpest into the
drinking supplies of cattle herds to decimate the food supply
the Imperial army would come to rely on and the 11th hour
intervention by Ras Makonnen who herded thousands of
head of cattle into Addis making the campaign possible,
for an entire nation at the time in the grips of an intense
famine were not even touched on.>
The amount of money poured on nobles to betray Menelik
including his uncle and his cousin, for them to declare themselves "Atse" while he was in the battlefield, the arms Embargo
that was in place against him, the Italian intelligence network
and Ethiopian, though primitive, counter-Intelligence and
misinformation were barely touched upon.>
The fact that when Galliano surrendered Mekelle, it had been a
foregone matter as far as the Italian Govt. and the theater
commander Gen. Baratieri were concerned that the Italians
would be massacred to a man. By contrast his troops were
brought intact with their weapons into the outskirts of the
Imperial encampment and protected from the substantial
harm the Imperial host wanted to visit on them by the men
of Ras Makonnen who had to seen action both at
Alage and in the two battles of Mekelle and had lost those
near and dear to them. But that iron discipline maintained
they successfully delivered their charges and their full
complement of weapons to the awaiting Italian escort
under the command of General Baratieri. That this was
seen by Baratieri and the Italian high command as
Menelik's trying to make amends but that in the battle
that took place nine months later those assumptions were
laid to rest and that the Italians understood it was Menelik's
way of showing them exactly what he had promised Galliano,
"Go join your friends with your weapons and wait for me,
I will be there shortly".

That assuming "black vs. white" seriously underestimates the
efforts of the Government of Tsarist Russia, and individual
expatriates such as Monsieur Mondon Videu, and several
others who served within the imperial army, some with ranks
as high as Dedjazmach. Celebrating their deeds in battle on
the day after with Giday -Fukera and Shilela. Russians instructed
our Artillery and fired it as well and also helped care for our
wounded, they were not even mentioned.

The lack of mention of Wagsum Guangul and his 2000 Lastans
and Dedjach(Later Ras, he would die in the first battle of Segele
defending Shoa against invasion by Negus Michael of Wollo.)
Lulseged and his 3000 men.

2. The role of Itege Taytu was done very little justice, she was
relegated to the role of suggesting the Mekelle strategy and
firing her own cannon.

Empress Taytu was not only the reason for the abrogation of
the treaty of Wuchale, but also the fire in the normally patient
and kindly Atse's warlike stance and not only his stalwart adviser
but the conqueror of Mekelle, which had resisted, charge after charge
of the Imperial Army. In actual fact the strategy of the Imperial Army
sees a complete change after her brilliant strategy in Mekelle.>
In Adwa Atse Menelik noting the Italian reluctance to engage
orders it by passed and a forward camp established at Adi
Kuala. Accordingly the forces of Ras Mengesha Yohannes,
Ras Makonnen, Imperial-Fitawrari Gebeyehu, Fitawrari Tekle
and Liqe Mekuas Adinew proceed towards the Mereb. Upon
reaching the Mereb and learning that the dried out river's
scattered catchment holes could barely support their
comparatively modest needs let alone the Imperial armies
100,000, Liqe Mekuas Abate AbaYitref sends back word,
"Jan-Hoy, let alone the Imperial Host, our modest needs
already depleted the water yesterday, we are in dire
straits...". The plan to bypass Adwa and strike Hamassien
, AkeleGuzay and Senafe and to encircle and attack the
Italians from the back was abandoned with it any plans to
force the Italians out by attacking into Eritrea.>
However General Baratieri, alert to how the capture of the
water lead to the Mekelle defeat, marched his troops out
of their encampment and started maneuvering as if to fight.
When the Ethiopians saw this they drew themselves up
into battle lines at which Baratieri quickly withdrew his men
into their shelters. A fact which never failed to infuriated the
normally calm Atse Menelik. This would be repeated
dozens of times and with each successive move the Atse
would despair at the lack of opportunity his enemy was
giving him. That shows us that after the defeat of Mekelle,
the Imperial Army pursued a much wiser, strategy of
encircling and isolation. If the waters of the Mereb had
cooperated, the history of Adwa would have been of
Italian defeat in the whole of East Africa. Her Majesty
had her own cannoneers comprising of 6 Hotchkiss
cannons. For the first battle of Mekelle she commanded
her own Army but for the second she was the overall

Abegaz of the campaign.

She put together the strategy, effected the logistics,
directed the emplacement of Imperial Cannon, already
deadly in the hands of Liqe Mekuas Abate AbaYitref
(one of his counter battery shots apparently entered
the opposing Italians cannon right through the muzzle
and exploded it, to the general alarm of the Italians
who made haste to remove themselves from the
immediate environs) lethal with the combined strengths
of the two. Atse Menelik proved not only a capable
monarch but also a very wise one, in his willingness
for his consort to contribute and even outshine him in
he areas of her obvious strengths.

She commanded the Ark of the Covenant be carried
out into battle at Adwa and she along with the priests
and her troop not only protected it but were also in the
vanguard, attacking with the "Mehal Sefari" in front, the
Atse and Itege's forces close behind. Even her ladies
in waiting, her sister Woizero Azalech amongst them,
got in the midst of a retreating column calling out to
the men " are you leaving us to be savaged by soldati"
, "Where have you left Menelik who fed and clothed
you". "The day is ours, we have won, where are you
retreating to ?, is there something you left behind in
Mekelle ?". At a time when experienced armed soldiers
are retreating from a line of assault made inhospitable
by flying shrapnel, to be an unarmed inexperienced
non-combatant, be it priest or lady-in-waiting, to turn
those in disorderly retreat into lions that charge machine
guns and cannons with Swords, requires amounts of
ourage no one can dispute or belittle with "dressing
wounds and feeding troops."

3. If I may also point out one glaring inaccuracy, though
Sultan Mohammed Anfreh was instrumental in the defeat
in 1875 of the Egyptian-Turkish invasion force with his Afar
warriors, he was in 1896, sadly, on the side of the Italians. A
task force led by Azaj Woldetsadik of Ankober and composed
of the forces of Ras Woldegirogis Aboye and Dedj(later Ras)
Tessema Nadew engaged and defeated his forces preventing
rear attacks planned by the Armies of Awssa on Menelik's forces
once the Battle of Mekelle was concluded.

4. The documentary also lacked depth in examining the questions
of why the Italians were not pursued i.e. the very realistic possibility
of a re-invasion by the Italians (Baldisera's 30,000+ 20,000 those
already in Eritrea + the Eritrean soldiery and banda recruit's) against
the Imperial army which had by then lost more than half its strength
of 52,500 combatants and exhausted most if not all its supplies and
while Ras Mengesha prepared to rebel for the last time (he would
die in Princely exile in Ankober(Shoa) in King Sahle Selassie's
Palace 10 years later) while the rulers that had recently re-submitted
(after being free of Imperial Authority since the time of Ahmed Ibn
Mohammed(Gragn)), the specter of British invasion of the Lake
Tana region(to secure the waters of the Nile.

5. While I enjoyed very much the Literati that narrated parts of the
story, the presence and the importance given to Professor
Endreas Eshete really escaped me. Endreas is a Philosopher
not in any way an authority on Ethiopian history. His being
featured was an insult to myself and those others whose
grandfathers fought on that field and others with a man that
insulted their memory and their names in his every utterings
since 1991. Perhaps Haile is helping him "Sankofate" as well,
it is sad it had to be at our expense.

I have discussed some of this with at least one person who
argued that this was Haile's "interpretation of what occurred"
that Adwa was too important for one film to capture it. I am
mindful of that.> It would sadden me even more if he saw this as an example
of how his generation had treated the generation before them.
One thing I, and others my generation, perhaps to date the
only thing we learned from them is to not be like them.

Qualifications aside, it would behoove Haile to be better
prepared next time around as such excuses as these will
work only once if we are to truly believe the words on page
18 of his program.

The one question I wanted to ask Haile but did not (I had
to leave early) as well as those of his Generation was
".. What are you willing to sacrifice, having not just
discounted but destroyed your heritage, to bring it
back, money, the lives you put on the line to topple
governments, what is it that you will do other than bemoan your fate..".
Perhaps one of these days I will get the chance.