![]() ![]() From Massawa, Italy moved slowly inland, leading to a number of clashes with locals, which culminated in the battle of Adwa. With British support, Italy took control of the port city of Massawa in 1885. Italy expanded its presence in the Red Sea, an area that had become important since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. At the Berlin Conference, European colonial powers agreed that Italy could take over Ethiopia as its future colony. Italy had a colonial possession over Assab port since 1882. Before the conference, only about 10% of Africa was controlled by Europeans the remaining 90% was ruled by indigenous and traditional rulers. At the Berlin Conference of 1884-5, 14 European countries divided Africa among themselves. The road to AdwaĪ decade before the Battle of Adwa, European powers had decided the fate of Ethiopia. In the 19th century, the three successive kings, namely Emperor Tewodros of Gondar, Yohannes of Tigrai and Menelik of Shoa, sought to centralise power. Muslim immigrants were welcomed and protected by the Christian king in the seventh century. The Kebra Nagast, the national epic that elaborates this belief, provided the basis for the emergence of a Solomonic dynasty that incorporates diverse lands and cultures into one country. From the fourth century, an indigenous Christianity, Orthodox Tewahido, developed through the synthesis of belief in the Ark of the Covenant, the gospel and ancient traditional practices. The people spoke an Afrasian language, which is the origin of almost all languages currently spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.Įthiopians developed the Geez or Ethiopic writing system. Regarded as the origin of humankind, it was, according to Harvard professor Ephraim IsaacĪbout 10,000 years ago, one single nation or community of a single linguistic group. ![]() Europeans ended up ruling the native peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia.Įthiopia stood as the antithesis of the colonial worldview. Since the beginning of slavery and colonialism in the 16th century, similar battles had occurred around the world. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |