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| AlNahda dam |
Users of social networking sites transmitted a video clip whose publishers claimed it depicts the celebration of the Ethiopians announcing their country's alleged success in the second stage of the process of filling the Renaissance Dam. However, the claim is wrong, and the video actually depicts the Armenian community in Italy during an Armenian religious ritual in 2019.
The video shows a group of people carrying buckets and spraying each other with water on a street. He wrote in the accompanying comment, "The Ethiopians celebrate the completion of the second filling of the Renaissance Dam."
A regional source of tension
The spread of this clip began on July 23, 2021, coinciding with Ethiopia's announcement that it had achieved its goal for the second year with regard to filling the Renaissance Dam.
The Renaissance Dam project, which Ethiopia began building in 2011 on the Blue Nile, raises regional tensions, especially with Egypt, which relies on the Nile to provide about 97 percent of its irrigation and drinking water needs.
Armenians celebrate Vardavar Day
But the video has nothing to do with the Renaissance Dam.
The search for it, after cutting it into fixed scenes, leads to a post on Armenian websites in July 2019 to talk about the celebration of the Armenian community in Italy of Vardavar, which is one of the rituals of the Armenian Church.
During the celebrations of this holiday, which is one of the main holidays of the Armenian Church, people spray each other with water.