Ethiopian Canadians gathered in a downtown Toronto hall to celebrate the victory of Ethiopia over the colonial forces of Italy in 1896.
Organized by the Ethiopian Association in GTA, the celebration was marked by various speeches and entertainments.
Reverend Misale Engida, the head of the St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Toronto called upon the community to follow the footsteps of Emperor Minilik and Empress Tayetu in working together to achieve common goals.
Thomas , Founder of Midtown 416, a youth organization in Toronto and other speakers echoed the Church leader and urged fellow community members to focus on unity. This was later symbolized artistically through dance performance of Seb Seb Belu dance group,that presented the multi culture of Ethiopia in unity.
The Ethiopian comedy guru Meskerem Bekele cracked lines of jokes related to the event and life in North America followed by performances by artists Rasselals, Genene Haile, Selamawit Gebru and Zerihun on Keyboard.
Dr Yohannes Tadesse, member of the Haddis Nigat Arts Forum in Toronto and the long time volunteer for the community, hosted the event dressed with a traditional mantle .
The battle of Adwa was fought in March 1896 where Ethiopia defeated the Italian colonizers and remained a country that has never been colonized paving the path for the decolonization of the rest of Africa.
