Political Identity and Conflict in Central Angola, 1975–2002 (African Studies, Series Number 134)

This book examines the internal politics of the war that divided Angola for more than a quarter-century after independence. In contrast to earlier studies, its emphasis is on Angolan people's relationship to the rival political forces that prevented the development of a united nation. Pearce's argument is based on original interviews with farmers and town dwellers, soldiers and politicians in Central Angola. He uses these to examine the ideologies about nation and state that elites deployed in pursuit of hegemony, and traces how people responded to these efforts at politicisation. The material presented here demonstrates the power of the ideas of state and nation in shaping perceptions of self-interest and determining political loyalty. Yet the book also shows how political allegiances could and did change in response to the experience of military force. In so doing, it brings the Angolan case to the centre of debates on conflict in post-colonial Africa. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series information 5 Title page 7 Copyright information 8 Dedication 9 Table of contents 11 A Note on Anonymous Sources 13 Acknowledgements 15 Introduction 17 The Angolan Case in Context 21 Angola and the Nature of Political Belonging 25 Imagining the State 29 The Problem of Identity 31 Sources and Method 33 Where, What and When 35 1 Anti-Colonial Mobilisation and the Portuguese Exodus 39 Colonial Rule, Nationalism and Resistance 40 The Portuguese Coup 47 Angola after the Coup 49 2 UNITA 1975–1976: From the Cities to the ‘Long March’ 63 Departure from Huambo and the ‘Long March’ 69 3 The MPLA and Urban State Making 81 Mass Organisations and Political Education 86 Military Conscription 92 4 Migration, Relocation and Identity 96 Conclusion 106 5 UNITA in the Central Highlands, 1976–1991 109 Political Education at the Bases 119 Conclusion 122 6 UNITA at Jamba 123 Political Education at Jamba 128 Social Organisation and Rule by Fear 129 Military Conscription 133 Foreign Connections and Imported Ideologies 135 Conclusion 138 7 The War of the Cities 141 Huambo 144 Kuito 151 Conclusion 157 8 UNITA’s Last Redoubts 159 The Mission 161 The Villages 166 Flight and Surrender 167 Conclusion 171 9 The Luena Agreement and Politics Today 175 Conclusion 190 Index 197 This book examines the internal politics of the war that divided Angola for more than a quarter-century after its independence. It emphasises the Angolan people's relationship to the rival political forces that prevented the development of a united nation, an aspect of the conflict that has received little attention in earlier studies. Drawing upon interviews with farmers, town dwellers, soldiers and politicians in Central Angola, Justin Pearce examines the ideologies about nation and state that elites deployed in pursuit of hegemony and traces how people responded to these attempts at politicisation. The book not only demonstrates the potency of the rival conceptions of state and nation in shaping perceptions of self-interest and determining political loyalty, but also shows the ways in which allegiances could and did change for much of the Angolan population in response to the experience of military force. This book examines the internal politics of the war that divided Angola for over a quarter-century after its independence. Drawing upon interviews with farmers, town dwellers, soldiers and politicians in Central Angola, Justin Pearce examines the ideologies about nation and state that elites deployed in pursuit of hegemony.