SOLDIERS IN ZIMBABWE'S LIBERATION WAR (Social History of Africa)

Zimbabwe's Liberation War began with incursions by tiny guerrilla groups and then gathered strength until the white settler regime was forced to negotiate a settlement in 1980. This book looks at the realities of that war and its aftermath, rather than at the comfortable myths and legends. Both heroic and terrible deeds are recorded here, both idealistic hopes and cynical compromises. This collection is centered on ordinary soldiers and people who sacrificed their lives to achieve advances and victories, as well as those who suffered the consequences of retreats and defeat. It is history told and experienced by the soldiers themselves, not the "official" and "authorized" accounts of leaders and politicians. Various authors compare strategies used by the main players--ZIPRA, ZIPA, ZANLA, and the Rhodesian Forces. They discusses the Nhari rebellion and the March 11 Movement, the Fifth Brigade and the "dissidents." The volume examines the integration of the armies after 1980, the politics of creating war heroes, and life after the war for ex-combatants.