Liberation Struggle in Southern Africa: Old Sources Revisited, New Sources Analyzed

Convener: Prof. Vladimir G. Shubin (Institute for African Studies, Moscow, Russia);
e-mail: vlgs@yandex.ru

Two decades have already passed after the completion of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid in Southern Africa, but attention to its history in recent years increased. The 1st International Colloquium on the History of the MPLA was held in Luanda in December 2010, and several conferences were held in South Africa within a framework of the ANC centenary celebration. Moreover Joint Declaration on the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa, signed on March
26, 2013 envisages “activities to preserve the historical memory of cooperation in the struggle
against apartheid and education of young generations of both countries in the non-racial spirit”. The papers presented at the panel are expected, firstly, to revisit old sources on the liberation struggle in Southern Africa in the light of new information, for example, on the relationship between its participants, in particular, the ANC and the SACP, and secondly, to analyze the sources who became available in recent years, especially the memories of veterans of national liberation movements and their supporters.