Song of Adwa: Reconciling history & dreams

In her acceptance lecture, after winning the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature, Toni Morrison spoke of language, history, and identity; of their equally potent silence and eloquence, of their unifying as well as divisive qualities, and of their vitality and margins. The narcissistic and unyielding chasm that emerges from such dichotomies estranges generations and paralyses a nation.

This all too familiar tale resonated with me ever since first encounter; I am after all part of a nation, a community, who grapples with a static present while perennially singing notes of victorious past and tunes of promising future. Adwa gave us a language, history, and identity of not only dominance and privilege but also of meaning and responsibility. It represents more than a story of vital patriotism, lethal intelligence, poised courage, and inspiring superiority; it is a statement of unity, wisdom, and security. And yet, although we celebrate this statement every year, we fail to live up to the poignant meaning and responsibility it has left us, individually and as a community.

Ethiopian Heritage Society of North America’s celebration of the 117th Adwa anniversary was a prime example of the uninspiring narrative, as the current voices of Ethiopia, we are creating in the present; sincere potential that is severely lacking in execution. Emperor Menelik II, Tayetu Bitul, and the legions that followed them to deliver Adwa and the uncensored identity we boast today, were united in their love for their country, wise in their execution, and secure in their purposeful identity. They were radical in their defiance and the distinct history they created.

EHSNA’s celebration of such audacity had all the necessary ingredients and spirit to make for a successful event. However, it mostly served as a glaring reminder of the gaps we have yet to bridge, the flaws we have yet to correct, and the potential we have yet to embody in action. While our inheritance is not of mediocrity, we somehow seem content to revel in it today. We cannot continue to have inefficient events mainly comprising of men and older people, lacking in women and youth participation, discussions where we talk about each other rather than to each other, and nostalgic celebrations that do not impact emboldened steps of action.

As Toni Morrison astutely claimed, “Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created”, and the narrative we are creating at the moment through our lackluster identities, unity, and strength is an embarrassment to the greatness that runs deep in our blood and marks our history. Yes, we were once great but we have not earned the voice or narrative to yet say we are great now and we will be great tomorrow.

It is imperative we understand the meaning of being Ethiopian and the responsibility we accept with it; we can’t always look back for anecdotes of greatness while we wallow in mediocrity, or less, in today. Our celebration of Adwa should not be a further manifestation of how far we have yet to travel, how far we have transgressed; rather, it should be a beacon, an olive branch to the promising future we aspire to build. Let us reconcile our history and future dreams; let us create a new Adwa moment; let us be radicals.

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Lecture in reference:
“Toni Morrison – Nobel Lecture”. Nobelprize.org. 7 Mar 2013 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1993/morrison-lecture.html