@ Work

This has been a busy year for the PMP, in fact we never slowed down in 2007 and just continued to churn out one project after the next. Currently, some 16 PMP projects are in various stages of development and implementation nationally. These projects range from oral history projects aimed at affording, mainly marginalised women, the opportunity to share their experiences with each other and the world, to projects aimed at sharing African folklore with young learners.

In addition to dedicating time to completing the Amazwi Abesifazane (Voices of Women) workshops and launching the African Sky Stories Book around the country, another major project undertaken by the PMP this year, is the Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale...

Commemorating the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The Presiding Officers of the South African Parliament believed it to be an ideal opportunity to recommit South African society, through Parliament, to the quest for global solidarity and also to pay homage to the thousands of foreign compatriots who paid the ultimate price for ensuring South Africa’s liberation.

The Battle is marginalized in Western mainstream scholarship, frequently ignored, almost as if it had never occurred. However, the overarching significance of the battle cannot be erased; it was the turning point in the struggle against apartheid, and Namibian and Angolan independence. As former President, Nelson Mandela, remarked in an address in Havana (Cuba) in 1991:

"The defeat of the racist army at Cuito Cuanavale has made it possible for me to be here today! Cuito Cuanavale was a milestone in the history of the struggle for southern African liberation!"

Background

In 1987 and 1988, in a remote corner of Angola, shielded from the international media and therefore largely unreported, the town of Cuito Cuanavale suffered under siege by South African Defence Forces for over ten months in one of the biggest, and what turned out to be the last, battles of the Cold War. During that time the Angolan government under the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) substantially supported South African liberation movements in political education and military training. Whilst the apartheid government and the United States of America (USA) supported the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in its campaign against the legitimate government of Angola under the MPLA, the latter was supported by a Cuban contingent of between 36 000 and 55 000 combatants. This disproportionately high Cuban deployment resulted in a major domestic security risk for the Cubans in aid of their Southern African compatriots. In the words of one Cuban commentator, Maria Zamora1, the solidarity displayed by Cuban internationalists was for them also viewed as the paying of a moral debt to Africa from where former generations of Cubans came as slaves.

Despite its significance, the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale is an obscured milestone in the history of twentieth century humanity. Twenty years later, while South Africa is already experiencing the second decade of liberation, there still exists a gigantic task in revealing parts of our modern history that was either distorted or ignored by the previous regime. This is not only crucial for the sake of memorability for the post-Apartheid generation, it is of paramount importance to internalise the values, such as internationalism and selfless human solidarity that inspired and informed the South African liberation. When reflecting on the 1980s it is not only the brutality of the former regime that should be recalled, but the global solidarity displayed by nations far beyond our borders that eventually led to the fall of the apartheid regime. In a globalizing world we are often reminded of the greater level of interdependence that exists between citizens of our world. The need to strengthen the common pursuit for peace, development and the quest for universal human rights, are today as important as it was twenty years ago.
In this regard there exists a moral obligation to create a space for the generations of our people who were involved in the liberation movements, to transfer the values that underpinned the struggles against injustice and suppression, to the next generation. Youth today are often enveloped by a culture of individualism, spurred on by popular media encouraging material enrichment. It is of paramount importance to make this generation of South Africans aware of the sacrifices made, to ensure the conditions of freedom they enjoy today. This should further sensitize them to the responsibilities resting on their shoulders to play a meaningful role in improving the quality of life for all in our global village.

The South African Parliament’s commemorative projects will aspire to create partnerships across the erstwhile political and military divide in an attempt to facilitate dialogue towards greater reconciliation in our country’s continued quest for building a united nation, at peace with its past. The campaign will include contributions from Angolan, Namibian and Cuban representatives in both its conceptual development and execution.

The Campaign includes four programmes: firstly, a Cultural Exchange Programme, which will use various forms of art and culture activities to stimulate interest and awareness of the Battle, as well as to strengthen cross-cultural links between participating countries; secondly, a Historical Documentation Programme, which will use different forms of media to build knowledge and encourage dialogue and awareness of the significance of the Battle within the South African community, especially amongst the youth; thirdly, an Education Campaign that will ensure the memorability of the significance of Cuito Cuanavale, as well as, inculcating the value of internationalism in our formal education system, and lastly, a Living Heritage Campaign (including a de-mining campaign) that aims to ensure a lasting impact of the campaign on the lives of the people in and around Cuito Cuanavale.

For more detail on the project visit: http://www.pmpsa.gov.za/