Ethiopia’s Original Sin

At the Battle of Adwa, in 1896, Emperor Menelik II routed the invading Italian army. For some in Ethiopia, this event is a proud symbol of black resistance against European colonial rule. But writers Hassen Hussein and Mohammed Ademo argue the glorification of Menelik, a brutal conqueror, removes the Oromo and other marginalized ethnic groups from the national record. This is significant for those left out of history are more easily disregarded in the present.