Guerrilla Radios in Southern Africa

This collection of essays on the use of radio by southern African liberation movements offers new insights into the role of media in their independence struggles. With case studies from the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola and the white settler regimes of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Namibia, and South Africa, it offers a much-needed regional perspective with contributions from scholars of the region. Earlier studies have examined how colonial and settler states employed radio to shape Africans into docile subjects. This volume emphasizes African agency and shows how radio technology was subverted by exiled dissidents. Hampered by low literacy rates, poor roads, and the cost of print materials, they used radio to spread liberation messages, counter government propaganda, and galvanize popular support. Sources include sound recordings, interviews, and archival documents from government, political party, university, and museum collections. Unavoidably, the uneven maintenance and preservation of records have resulted in a volume that is skewed toward the settler states, which were better resourced and more concerned about local security. Liberation movements from these countries were also more successful in accessing outside funds, although they too reduced costs by recording over previous broadcasts. Highly recommended for scholars and academic libraries.

* Choi