March 2nd. Ethiopians celebrated Adwa’s victory over the colonial Italy invasion in 1896 and Koreans commemorated the March 1st,1919 Movement, the Korean Declaration of Independence from Japanese occupation.

Both stories are similar: anti-colonization, an ultimate Trumpy of sovereignty over a century ago.

According to world historians, the Battle of Adwa in 1896 was an Ethiopian victory over the Italian army that ended Italy’s attempt to colonize Ethiopia. It secured Ethiopia’s independence and made it the only African country that was never colonized. The Ethiopian army, led by Emperor Menelik II, defeated the Italian and Eritrean forces led by Oreste Baratieri, an Italian military officer and colonial administrator. The battle took place in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia.

The victory cast doubt on the idea that Europeans were superior and could rule all of Africa. This was the first major defeat of a European power by African forces during the colonial era. That decisive victory later became a symbol of pan-Africanism and inspired a sense of nationalism in Ethiopia and other African countries as well. The battle was fought during the rise of European colonialism and imperialism. It was a period when European powers partitioned Africa and exploited African resources to enrich their economies and industrial development at the expense of the colonized societies. Since 1886, Ethiopia has celebrated the victory with a national holiday on March 2.

Ethiopian scholar Mesay Berhanu Gemechu says that the Adwa victory is not just a source of pride for Ethiopians alone but for Africans and the black populace worldwide.

“Of course, race was particularly prominent in defining the victory of Adwa, as it was the first black victory over the technologically advanced white colonial power, which Italy was at the time. It has had a much wider ripple effect across other African countries in their struggle to achieve independence from colonial subjugation. Still, it is unfortunate that it has not been widely recognized and much talked about despite its profound historical significance.

Even as an Ethiopian, I truly did not understand the scale of its global impact until I recently started researching the issue in preparation for a documentary film project on the victory of Adwa.  But in the end, Adwa should not just be reduced to race as it could have a much wider implication in terms of the struggle for freedom and the ultimate victory of the oppressed who still have a just cause, even though they may be generally viewed as the underdog to the most civilized and technologically advanced powers of the world. Hence, Adwa’s lesson is still relevant to anyone regardless of skin color and the distinctions in terms of economic, technological, or military power.”

Memorial for Ethiopian Veterans in the Korean War in Chuncheon, South Korea.

Mesay’s grandfather was a Korean war veteran, and he is a graduate of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), Seoul, South Korea, in the area of ​​international development studies focusing on Africa.

In South Korea, a similar anti-Japan colonization movement was initiated on March 1st, 1919 when 33 Korean activists who formed the core of the movement convened at the Taehwagwan restaurant in Seoul. They read out loud the Korean Declaration of Independence, which was drawn by historian Choi Nam-Seon, signed the document, and sent a copy to the Governor-General, the Japanese ruler.

After reading the declaration, the movement leaders phoned the central police station, informed the police of their actions, and were publicly arrested afterward.

Starting in Seoul and soon spreading throughout the entire country, it was considered a turning point in Korea’s resistance movement since it caused the staging of nationwide anti-Japanese rallies. The suppressed anti-Japanese feelings of Koreans were released in one great explosion, and mass demonstrations took place in many parts of the country, forming the largest national protest rallies against foreign domination in Korean history.

About 7,000 people were killed by the Japanese police and soldiers, and 16,000 were wounded. 715 private houses, 47 churches, and 2 school buildings were destroyed by fire. Approximately 46,000 people were arrested, of whom some 10,000 were tried and convicted. Before the Japanese finally suppressed the movement 12 months later, approximately 2,000,000 Koreans had participated in more than 1,500 demonstrations.

Korean National Flag in Seoul City.

On May 24, 1949, the March 1st Movement Day was declared a national holiday in Korea. Since then, it has been celebrated by the reading of the Declaration of Independence from 1919 in Seoul’s Pagoda Park, the raising of the태극기(taegeukgi)- the Korean flag in homes, businesses, and institutions and, by organizing different parades, concerts, and exhibitions to commemorate the day.

All photos by Bereket Alemayehu