Southern African liberation wars

A unique edited volume with contributions by South African  literary figures,  poets, historians, political scientists, sociologists, philosophers and linguists reflecting on the Anglo-Boer War/South African War (1899-1902), a war that entailed the use of concentration camps, reflected elements of total war and genocide and at times described as the "last of the imperialist wars" and by others erroneously as one of the last  of "gentlemen's wars". Copies available in libraries such as the University of South Africa (Unisa), Unisa Archives, University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University, the Afrika Studie Centrum (ASC), Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, Netherlands, the South African Military Academy library associated with the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town. Contributions by Bernard Magubane, Mogobe Ramose, Louis Changuion, Charl-Pierre Naude, Kay de Villiers, Rocky Williams, Vladimir Shubin, Apollon Davidson, Irina Filatova, Vernon February, Mariaan Roos, Arlene Grossberg, Petrus de Kock, Gert van der Westhuizen, Ina Snyman and Ian Liebenberg (Foreword by H Solomon).

It was a shock to hear of the death of former Zimbabwe President Mugabe at his hospital retreat in Singapore. His death was no great surprise as he had been suffering for several years from a recurring complaint which required regular treatment at the Singapore clinic. He was 95 years of age so this, too, was not surprising. The shock was the finality of his passing. However, what has been more shocking than his death has been the commentary in the world press on his life and efforts which pictures Mugabe as some sort of illegitimate villain who terrorised Zimbabwe for the thirty-seven years of his rule. This is not a truthful picture of his life and works. It demonstrates a serious lack of knowledge of the forces which shaped his policies and a woeful ignorance of the realities of Zimbabwe's' place in the Pan-African struggle to free Southern Africa.

Making a fresh contribution to our understanding of the history of Angola, this book explores the impact of social, political and economic change upon the largest ethnic group of the country, the Ovimbundu.

Based on extensive fieldwork conducted in Angola, including oral testimonies and life stories, participant-observation, and archival materials, this book shifts the viewpoint from the colonial enterprise, international politics and ideological alignments to focus on African experiences and responses. The author analyses the transformations introduced by Christianity and colonialisation and how they contributed to politicised modern notions of ethnic identity, creating communal imaginaries that began manifesting during Angolan’s anti-colonial war. He then explains how the weaving of this ethno-political landscape assisted UNITA’s mobilisation of significant parts of the Ovimbundu during the civil-war, essentially deepening popular belief in the axiom Ovimbundu-UNITA, and how the latter created a national imaginary that echoed social anxieties and moral discourses. The book then explores the links between ethnicity, politics and war on the quality of post-war citizenship in Angola, particularly on people’s integration in the citizenry or marginalisation from it.

Articulating a reading of ethnicity that connects high politics and elite based explanations with how ordinary people feel and discuss ethnicity, politics and citizenship, this book will be of interest to scholars of African history and politics, as well as ethnicity and nationalism.

O projecto-piloto de extensão rural do Andulo (Bié, Angola) tem sido apresentado como instrumento ao serviço da contra-subversão portuguesa no contexto da guerra colonial e está sobretudo associado ao engenheiro alemão Hermann Pössinger, seu proponente e orientador técnico. Com base numa pesquisa em fontes de arquivo, no método biográfico e na história oral, apresenta-se uma história mais complexa e global dessa experiência, seguindo e conectando percursos profissionais e institucionais. Verifica-se que o projecto se insere numa circulação que envolve a América, a Europa e a África, beneficiou do trabalho prévio da Missão de Inquéritos Agrícolas de Angola, teve subjacente o conhecimento das estruturas sociais e económicas dos Ovimbundu e uma visão de desenvolvimento integral dos camponeses africanos. A dimensão participativa e potencialmente emancipadora do projecto reenvia-nos para a contradição dialéctica da política colonial portuguesa nas vésperas do fim do Império.

This document represents part of a post-conflict interaction and reconciliation process between retired Special Forces Operators of the South African Special Forces and retired Special Forces personnel of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) who fought against one another during the War in Namibia in the 1970s and 1980s.