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“A nossa lâmpada não se apaga”: The Mnemonic Return of Angola’s Jonas Savimbi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2020

Vasco Martins Open the ORCID record for Vasco Martins [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

Rehabilitating the legacy of deceased leaders is a phenomenon particularly salient in Southern Africa, insofar as memories of liberation wars provoke considerable debate. After a protracted civil war, Angolans remain divided about the contributions of their historical leaders. Jonas Savimbi sits at the center of this division, a binary representation of both heroism and villainy. Martins demonstrates how Savimbi’s memory is invoked both as a moral source of hope for an alternative Angola—one imagined and disseminated by Savimbi and UNITA and appropriated by social protest—and as a technology of fear and control employed by the MPLA to assert political dominance.

Resumé

Resumé

La réhabilitation de dirigeants morts est un phénomène en Afrique Australe, on fait encore des grands débats sur les mémoires des luttes de libération. Malgré une longue guerre civile, Angola est divisée par les héritages de leurs dirigeants historiques. Savimbi est au centre de cette division, comme un héros ou un vilain. Martins démontre comment Savimbi est évoqué, d’un côté comme source morale et d’espoir pour un pays différent, imaginé et diffusé par lui-même et par l’UNITA et dans des récits de protestation sociale; d’autre, comme technologie de peur et contrôle, utilisée par le MPLA pour assurer sa domination politique.

Resumo

Resumo

A reabilitação de líderes falecidos é um fenómeno saliente na África Austral, onde as memórias das lutas de libertação suscitam grandes debates. Depois de uma longa guerra civil, Angola continua dividida pelos legados dos seus líderes históricos. Jonas Savimbi situa-se no centro desta divisão, posicionado entre herói e vilão. Martins demonstra como Savimbi é invocado por um lado como fonte moral e de esperança para um país diferente, imaginado e disseminado pelo próprio e pela UNITA, e apropriado em narrativas de protesto social; e por outro, como tecnologia de medo e controlo utilizada pelo MPLA para assegurar domínio político.

Keywords

Southern AfricaAngolamemorywarliberationUNITAJonas Savimbi
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 64 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 242 - 265
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of African Studies Association

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