Thread by @PreciseConsult

#SundayThoughts

#Ethiopia This is #OurAdwaMoment.

Tomorrow is the 124th anniversary of the victory of #Adwa. #Adwa was not just the history of all the people’s of Ethiopia. It was not only the victory of black people across the world who were suffering colonialism and racism.

#Adwa was the victory of good over evil, the defeat of “might makes right”. It was the proverbial victory of David over Goliath. But Adwa could & should have been more. We, the children of #Adwa must ensure their victory on the battlefield resulted in development and dignity.

#Africa’s history of wars, poverty, & the fate of its 50+ fragmented economically unviable states is too influenced by foreign powers meddling in our affairs. In Ethiopia, our national effort to build a dam that symbolizes the ambition of the entire continent for its renaissance

...is being dictated to by the @realDonaldTrump Administration.

This #Adwa124 day, let’s be smart as well as brave. Let’s recapture the narrative for what it is: superpowers yet again stomping our aspiration for development to serve their own petty foreign policy objectives

And we have seen this movie many times before:

Exhibit 1: 1540s, the Gragn Mohammed wars were not a Christian - Muslim wars as most historian remember it. We were simply pawns in the war of the superpowers of the time, Turkey and Portugal...

They were fighting for control of the All important Ref Sea trading routes to Asia. Sure, Gragn’s army may have been defeated. But the Ottoman Turks got to dominate African shores on the Red Sea for hundreds of years.

Exhibit 2: 1970s & 80s, Ethiopia & Somalia fought brutal wars. The repercussion is continued war, & poverty in the Horn of Africa to this day. The two opposing armies were bankrolled by the USSR & the US in their ideological battle between West & East. Again, we were pawns.

Exhibit 3: Today, in our time, the people of Ethiopia, have financed the GERD, to develop our country using our own resources without harming our neighbors. The @realDonaldTrump administration is attempting to dictate to us what we can an can not do...

...He is doing this to gain Egypt’s favor to sell his outlandish MiddleEast plan to the Arab World. In the process, war drums are heard where there was peaceful negotiation between neighbors.

Now that #ETHIOPIA is rising. Now that #AFRICA is rising, important we win the battles in ways that also win the war for development.

All our political leaders from all corners & persuasions to unite. On this topic, we must have no differences. We must speak & sing in one voice

All #Ethiopian #Americans, we must battle where it hurts the @realDonaldTrump administration: the ballot box. Organize and partner with others fighting the injustice of the White House. Say no to Trump. Rock the Vote!

All the people of africa, the African Union, and people fighting injustice everywhere, we call on you to support our cause. Because, it is also your cause.

This is #OurAdwaMoment. Our ancestors didn’t die for nothing.