Abbay media news
Yassin Ibrahim
On Tuesday, February 6, 2018, a memorial built in memory of King Atse Tewodros was inaugurated in the town of Debre Tabor in the Amhara regional state of Ethiopia. The Monument that is 7.5 meters long carried a price tag of 2 million Ethiopian Birr roughly equivalent to 74 thousand US dollars paid by Debre Tabor University. Present at the inauguration were Mr Yalew Abate, speaker of the House of Federation, Dr Hirut Kassaw, Director of the Amhara region Culture and Tourism Bureau and numerous people.
The historic town of Debre Tabor has served as the seat of government for several Ethiopian Kings. King Wolde Giorgis, Ras Gugsa and King Atse Tewodros have used the city as their capital during their time of reign.
King Tewodros was a brave man ahead of his time who has done so much to form a unified Ethiopia that is modern and militarily strong. His attempt to forcefully hold European missionaries unless and until they build him artillery triggered the war between Great Britain and Ethiopia. The British military cornered the king to the summit of Mount Mekdela where he took his own life in refusal to surrender and as a sign of defiance and pride.
In Debre Tabor there are schools and squares named after King Tewodros but this is the first ever monument built in his honor and in the seat of his government. His artillery named Sevastopol was built in a place not far from Debre tabor known as Hiruy Giorgis.
The current Ethiopian flag of Green, Gold and Red is said to have been first made during his rule. The image of Atse Tewodros and the flag is nowadays used as a sign of Unity and love of country in protest to the current ethnically divided form of government in Ethiopia.
