Wars and ConflictsΒ permalink
Angola - a country of contradictions?
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Message 1.Β
Posted by shivfan (U2435266) on Tuesday, 1st September 2009
I find the history of Angola's struggle for independence a curious series of contradictions....
In other parts of Africa, the white and mixed-race elites tended to side with the colonial masters. However, in Angola, the Euro-Africans were the founding fathers of the MPLA, and became the communist resistance and eventually the government. In another contradiction, in the post-Cold War era, the MPLA shed its communist image, and became a great proponent of capitalism.
This mestizo elite now forms the government, even though this group forms less than five percent of the population. In a seeming contradiction, apartheid South Africa supported the black rebels led by Savimbi in UNITA, and when apartheid ended, and the black majority took control in South Africa, the ANC supported the MPLA.
The Cubans, the Russians, the Americans and the South Africans all invaded Angola at one stage or another, and they switched sides when the Cold War ended.... -
Message 2
Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Wednesday, 2nd September 2009
A few problems with your interpretation, Shiv.
Firstly, you say it was a contradiction for aparthied SA to work with black political movements. Actually, the SA government operated very successful divide and conquer policies inside SA. This is just an extension of that.
Also, your definition of 'invasion' is odd. Forces invited in by a government are not invaders. -
Message 3
Posted by JB on a slippery slope to the thin end ofdabiscuit (U13805036) on Wednesday, 2nd September 2009
The Angolan Civil War came about when the post-revolutionary govt. in Portugal left Africa (and East Timor; another story) in 1975, nigh on five hundred years after arriving as the first, and eventually the last European colonial power in Africa.
The Portuguese African resistance grew up under the rule of the Fascist dictatorship in Lisbon and so was naturally joined by the local Communists.
Because of its large oil rserves, the various militia in the civil war could afford arms and courted allies. The Marxist MPLA were joined by Cuban 'volunteers,' and the Anti-Marxist UNITA, largely a creation of the various Western Security services, were joined by Apartheid South Africa's conscripts who found this a useful way of making friends in Washington DC. -
Message 4
Posted by shivfan (U2435266) on Wednesday, 2nd September 2009
I'm reading about Angola's history for the first time, Tim, so forgive me for using the wrong language....
yes, I accept that the apartheid regime successfully operated a divide-and-rule policy. that was clearly their policy in supporting Savimbi and UNITA in their rebellion against the MPLA. However, having said that, you could understand the grouses of Savimbi, given that UNITA represented an ethnic group that was about a third of the population.
It is indeed true that the MPLA invited the Russians and the Cubans to assist the government in fighting against UNITA and South Africa. And the Cubans defeated the apartheid army, with their superiority in arms, etc. However, wouldn't MPLA consider the Cubans to be invaders? Being Africanist in nature, it seems that UNITA considered the MPLA to be 'foreignors' as well, even though the Euro-Africans who made up the leadership of the government had been in Angola for centuries. It does seem curious the way the mestizo elite quickly embraced communism, and received support and training from the Portuguese communist party. -
Message 5
Posted by Frank Parker (U7843825) on Wednesday, 2nd September 2009
This thread has reminded me of the time when I worked on a project in S Africa. Flights to/from SA were operated jointly by BOAC and South African Airways. Outward bound from UK the stop-over was Nairobi. However, the return trip on SAA was not permitted to stop in any of the East African sates due to the SA gov'ts apartheid policy. So the stop-over was Luanda.
Our flight home took place at the end of January 1975 about the time of the revolution in Portugal so, whereas in Nairobi we'd not been allowed off the plane, in Luanda we were taken under armed guard to a waiting area. A bit scary!
I often wonder where aircraft refuelling would have taken place had Angola achieved a black government whilst apartheid was still in place in S.Africa! -
Message 6
Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Thursday, 3rd September 2009
"...However, having said that, you could understand the grouses of Savimbi, given that UNITA represented an ethnic group that was about a third of the population..."
Yes. For an outside regime to exploit a division, that division will already be in existence. It is much harder to create a division from outside. Much easier to exploit what is aready there.
"...However, wouldn't MPLA consider the Cubans to be invaders?..."
Well, possibly. But it is a position a neutral outsider might struggle to agree with. But viewpoint is important. -
Message 7
Posted by dennisjunior1 (U10997961) on Saturday, 5th September 2009
Angola, has many contractions and many things to overcome....
=Dennis Junior= -
Message 8
Posted by shivfan (U2435266) on Saturday, 5th September 2009
Why did I say MPLA might consider Cubans to be invaders?
Obviously not, since they invited them in. What I meant was, wouldn't UNITA consider the Cubans to be invaders? That makes more sense, doesn't it?
Given all those contradictions in recent Angolan history, you do get a sense that this country is a ticking time bomb....
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