Adwa: An African Victory (1999)

1999. 97 minutes. Ethiopia. Haile Gerima. Documentary

On March 2, 1896, the Italians embarked on the final European conquest of an African nation, Ethiopia. With brilliant military intelligence and gallant generals at the helm, united and willed, the Ethiopian people rose their way to triumph over the Italians at the Battle of Adwa. The event ignited a lasting flame of hope, of freedom and independence in the hearts of Africans throughout the world.

Haile Gerima, the director and producer of this important historic landmark, joins the voices of Ethiopian historians, elders, priests, poets and singers, capturing on film the powerful education and experience that shaped his consciousness. In a collage of Ethiopian landscapes, paintings, photographs and faces, the film illuminates one of the hidden sources of African empowerment.

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