ECMAA’s annual Adwa and Yekatit 12 commemoration brings together scholars, artists, and community members in New York. This year’s event will be held at Columbia University on February 28, 2026.
Tadias Magazine
February 2026
NEW YORK (TADIAS) — The Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association (ECMAA), in collaboration with Columbia University’s Ethiopian & Eritrean Student Association, will host its 12th Annual Commemoration of the Battle of Adwa and Yekatit 12 on Saturday, February 28, from 2:00–5:00 PM at Alfred Lerner Hall in New York City.
The program honors two defining moments in Ethiopian history. The Battle of Adwa remains a landmark victory that reshaped global perceptions during the Scramble for Africa, while Yekatit 12 marks a solemn remembrance of the 1937 massacre in Addis Ababa during the Italian occupation.
This year’s event will feature a panel discussion with historian Dr. Shimelis Gulema and New York–based mixed-media artist Ezra Wube, who will guide attendees through his artwork exploring the topic. A centerpiece of the program is Gibbi, a new virtual reality experience created by Ezra that brings participants into a little-known chapter of the Yekatit 12 tragedy, when hundreds of civilians sought — and were granted — refuge at the historic American diplomatic compound in Addis Ababa, known as the American Gibbi.
“Gibbi,” a virtual reality work by artist Ezra Wube, revisits the 1937 campaign of violence in Addis Ababa — carried out under the orders of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini — through immersive storytelling, highlighting the not widely known history of how hundreds of civilians were given protection at the historic American Gibbi, then the U.S. Legation.
The VR installation transports viewers inside the historic American diplomatic compound in Addis Ababa — known as the American Gibbi — where hundreds of city residents found shelter during the Yekatit 12 killings. Through immersive storytelling, the project spotlights the events of February 1937, when Ethiopian families fled to the compound amid widespread destruction in the city by occupation forces, following an assassination attempt on Italian Viceroy Rodolfo Graziani. The work reflects on memory, survival, and the importance of preserving historical narratives that are often overlooked.
By combining scholarly insight with contemporary artistic interpretation, the program aims to offer both historical context and new ways of engaging with the past. Organizers say the annual gathering continues to serve as a space for intergenerational learning, remembrance, and dialogue.
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If You Go:
The event is open to the public. RSVPs with attendees’ first and last names are required in accordance with university policy, and a photo ID will be needed for entry. Click here to RSVP.
Flyer for ECMAA’s 12th Annual Commemoration of Adwa and Yekatit 12, taking place at Columbia University in New York.
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