The Kane Hall lecture room in the building that stands at the heart of the University of Washington campus was full. The audience was typically Seattleites, a mix of all. There were historians, politicians and academia as well as students of history, political science, and many others. That became had become evident to this reporter during the ‘question and answer’ session at the end of the presentation. There were about two dozen Ethiopian immigrants present. Considering the decline of interest in politics of war, the number was moderate. This reporter and perhaps many others like him had come to find out how and in what ways Menelik’s visit to the U.S.A had changed the Americans’ imagination!

Prof. Raymond Jonas has introduced a fresh look into the history and implications of Adwa to societies far away from the battle field of Adwa, and beyond the two countries that fought, lost and win the war. The presentation has revealed how Adwa had changed the imagination of Americans in a profound way. The impact of the outcome of the war and the defeat of a major power of Europe by a backward nation was an event that was politically incorrect to herald, and too big of an event to suppress. However, the conditions and history of the new and old World had changed drastically and unexpectedly for ever following Adwa and a new chapter had begun to Africa nations and to the rest of the World quietly and unceremoniously.

Prof. Jonas quickly captured the attentions of his audience when he introduced a new implication and impact of Adwa battle and made striking association and connection with America’s race relation issues. Those who came to find out about “when Menelik came to America” had learned, perhaps for the first time, what changed or began to change Americans in a positive way. Prof. Jonas used state of the art tools such as GIS and rare arts and paintings to depict the Adwa battle and its main actors, Menelik, Taytu and his gallant war heroes and heroines. Prof. Jonas pointed how Italy tried to convince the World that it was invading Ethiopia to civilize the savage people, how Menelik attempted to avert the war by explaining to the Pop and the Emperors that it was wrong for two Christian brothers to fight against each other. Prof. Jonas stated the fact that Ethiopians had accepted Christianity long before the Romans did.

“When Menelik came to America” may have been a good phrase to attract curious students of history, but Prof. Jonas has appropriately named the topic of his study to explore how Adwa had changed the imagination of Americans. Prof. Jonas presented his extensive research digging into old forgotten archives where rare old books, magazines and newspapers were hidden to unearth the historic data that revealed the impact of Adwa on American ordinary people and national policy. Prof. Jonas stated that soon after the Italian defeat, America sent delegates to Ethiopia to resume trade and diplomatic relationship. Not only America, other European countries had quickly started bilateral agreements of economic assistances and mutual development with Ethiopia. Ethiopia’s Adwa’ victory had gained her new prestige her fame and popularity had sky rocketed in every country and continent.

The defeat of a major power of Europe by a backward nation was not good news to propagate in America as it was not in Europe. Prof. Jonas explained how the blacks in America shy away from celebrating and heralding the victory of Adwa for fear of reprisal by racists. However disgraced and embarrassed Italian-Americans took it to the streets to display their anger and to assure themselves how Italy would avenge and punish the Ethiopians. They gathered in various cities. In Chicago, they collected money for the war effort and enlisted individuals who wished to go fight against Ethiopia. About forty Italian-Americans traveled to Italy where they were greeted by unfriendly crowed. Prof. Jonas described how these Italian-Americans who went to Italy to serve the mother land were greeted by hostile crowed who ridiculed and made fun of them by chanting “Viva Menelik!” Upon returning to America, angry Americans received them by chanting “One flag, one people!”

Prof. Jonas stated how the major news media of the time were devoid of Adwa news in spite of the fact that the Adwa battle had far-reaching consequences to colonial Europe and colonized Africa and indirectly to the rest of the world. Prof. Jonas explained how the news media downplayed the significance of the Adwa battle. Few wrote only to justify why Ethiopia won and why the Italians lost. Condemnation of the unjust war was minimal as was the interest to herald the Ethiopians’ victory. Prof. Jonas pointed out the effort to hide the race issue by claiming that Ethiopians were whites, and so, the battle was between two white races. It was an attempt to downplay the fact that the black people defeated the white people. Prof. Jonas explained that the scientific exploration to genes of Ethiopians to determine whether or not they were white showed that that they belonged to the black race, but handsome people!

Prof. Jonas has pioneered a new perspective to show how the black people’s victory in Africa changed the race issue in America as it did affect the colonial expansion in Africa. Prof. Jonas explained how Great Britain and France quickly returned the lands they had taken and occupied from Ethiopia in the south and east to avoid war with the mighty power of Menelik.

Prof. Jonas gave one major reason why Ethiopians won the battle. He said that shear number of Ethiopian army might have been one factor in favor of Ethiopians. However, he explained that the major factor was that the war involved families, relatives and tribes who fought with bravery and absolutely loyalty to their king and country. Secondly, Prof. Jonas indicated that Menelik had accumulated modern armaments for the purposes of defending his country from hostile neighbors. Menelik had modern armaments to help his army. Prof. Jonas explained that the most crucial factor for Italian’s defeat was the tactical error they made, and Ethiopians’ ingenuity to take advantage of the Italian mistakes.

Prof. Jonas concluded by pointing out that Adwa battle was depicted by political observers and artists of the time as a war of between the black and white races. He pointed out another additional victory that Ethiopians also achieved after the war. He explained how Italy depicted the Ethiopians as savage and pagan people. Menelik proved them wrong and won the hearts of the outside world by providing special care to those wounded and captured Italians. Prof. Jonas credited Empress Taytu, Menelik’s wife, a devoted Christian and a diplomat for showing immense generosity and care to the Italians by aiding those who wanted to return to their country and providing assistance to those who wished to stay behind. By doing so, she proved to the world that Ethiopians were Christian and civilized people who cared to their enemies who massacred their people. Ever since, it had become difficult for the Italians to depict Ethiopians as savages and pagans, an image that stack with their own history.

Prof. Raymond Jonas had only an hour to cover the events of Adwa and its consequences on Americans’ domestic and foreign affairs. He has done so successfully and effectively. Prof. Jonas is one of the leading authorities on the history of Adwa. He has told his audience that he was currently writing the full history of the Adwa for a TV documentary. No doubt that it will be a fascinating documentary with messages and lessons from which nations and societies can learn. “When Menelik Came to America” is a description of events that occurred more than hundred years ago, however, it is a political reality that is still relevant to the period and world we live in.

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Prof. Raymond Jonas is the author of four books, and has lectured at Stanford, Princeton, UCLA, Cornel and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. He specializes in the study of Politics and Culture in modern Europe and beyond, with particular interest in Ritual Art and Architecture. A Fulbright Scholar, he was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in 2004. In 2006, he was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.