Ethiopians gathered in Addis Ababa on Thursday to celebrate the 127th anniversary of the Battle of Adwa, where Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian army trying to invade from the north in 1896.  

President Sahle-Work Zewde and her entourage joined the masses, where many donned traditional dress. 

The victory of Adwa prevented Italy from expanding its empire into the Horn of Africa.  European colonial powers had divided up the majority of the African continent by the end of the 19th century, leaving Ethiopia as one of the few African countries to remain free of the influences of Western colonization.

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