Pub Date : 2019-10-10DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00301004
H. Agyekum
Graduates of Ghana's defunct Army Boys’ Company, a specialized military training institution for boys, participated to varying degrees in all five successful coups in the West African country. Most significantly, their prominent role in the coups of 1979 and 1981 catapulted them into the heart of the Ghanaian political arena. They thus became political actors; a position with far reaching consequences for the Boys’ Company. Coups in Ghana have received considerable academic attention. However, the focus of this body of literature tended to be on the coup leaders with rarely any attention for the soldiers who facilitate the power seizures by conducting the fighting. This article addresses this lacunae by assessing how the so-called “ex-Boys” radicalized politically, while bringing to the fore their experience at the Army Boys’ Company and in the military. Additionally, the article scrutinizes the conditions that led to demise of the Boys’ Company.
{"title":"The Rise and Demise of the Boys’ Company","authors":"H. Agyekum","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00301004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00301004","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Graduates of Ghana's defunct Army Boys’ Company, a specialized military training institution for boys, participated to varying degrees in all five successful coups in the West African country. Most significantly, their prominent role in the coups of 1979 and 1981 catapulted them into the heart of the Ghanaian political arena. They thus became political actors; a position with far reaching consequences for the Boys’ Company. Coups in Ghana have received considerable academic attention. However, the focus of this body of literature tended to be on the coup leaders with rarely any attention for the soldiers who facilitate the power seizures by conducting the fighting. This article addresses this lacunae by assessing how the so-called “ex-Boys” radicalized politically, while bringing to the fore their experience at the Army Boys’ Company and in the military. Additionally, the article scrutinizes the conditions that led to demise of the Boys’ Company.","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132781987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-10-24DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00202002
Enock Ndawana, Mediel Hove
This article examines the role of traditional leaders during Zimbabwe’s war of liberation. Contrary to the generalisations that traditional leaders and their subordinates were either absolutely supportive of the liberation war or were against it supporting the Smith regime, this paper uses the case of Buhera District to demonstrate that traditional leaders and their subordinates contributed in various ways to Zimbabwe’s war of liberation. Guided by a combination of primary and secondary sources, the article argues that traditional leaders were in a dilemma because they were victims of the contending forces. However, they employed various survival tactics as they faced equally dangerous conflicting forces who put them in complex, ambiguous and contradictory relationships. The article concludes that the strategies and tactics employed by the Rhodesian Security Forces and the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army guerrillas had debilitating effects on traditional leaders and their subordinates during the liberation war.
{"title":"Traditional Leaders and Zimbabwe’s Liberation Struggle in Buhera District, 1976–1980","authors":"Enock Ndawana, Mediel Hove","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00202002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00202002","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the role of traditional leaders during Zimbabwe’s war of liberation. Contrary to the generalisations that traditional leaders and their subordinates were either absolutely supportive of the liberation war or were against it supporting the Smith regime, this paper uses the case of Buhera District to demonstrate that traditional leaders and their subordinates contributed in various ways to Zimbabwe’s war of liberation. Guided by a combination of primary and secondary sources, the article argues that traditional leaders were in a dilemma because they were victims of the contending forces. However, they employed various survival tactics as they faced equally dangerous conflicting forces who put them in complex, ambiguous and contradictory relationships. The article concludes that the strategies and tactics employed by the Rhodesian Security Forces and the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army guerrillas had debilitating effects on traditional leaders and their subordinates during the liberation war.","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128340298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-10-24DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00202003
Oliver Coates
{"title":"Black Tommies: British Soldiers of African Descent in the First World War, by Ray Costello","authors":"Oliver Coates","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00202003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00202003","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123005261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-10-24DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00202001
Douglas A. Anthony
Three separate observer missions operated in Nigeria during the country’s 1967–1970 war against Biafran secession, charged with investigating allegations that Nigeria was engaged in genocide against Biafrans. Operating alongside UN and OAU missions, the four-country international observer group was best positioned to respond authoritatively to those allegations, but problems with the composition of the group and its failure to extend the geographical scope of its operations beyond Nigerian-held territory rendered its findings of limited value. This paper argues that the observer missions offer useful windows on several aspects of the war and almost certainly delivered some benefits to Biafrans, but also effectively abdicated their responsibility to Biafrans and the international community by allowing procedural politics to come before commitment to the spirit of the Genocide Convention.
{"title":"“What Are They Observing?”","authors":"Douglas A. Anthony","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00202001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00202001","url":null,"abstract":"Three separate observer missions operated in Nigeria during the country’s 1967–1970 war against Biafran secession, charged with investigating allegations that Nigeria was engaged in genocide against Biafrans. Operating alongside UN and OAU missions, the four-country international observer group was best positioned to respond authoritatively to those allegations, but problems with the composition of the group and its failure to extend the geographical scope of its operations beyond Nigerian-held territory rendered its findings of limited value. This paper argues that the observer missions offer useful windows on several aspects of the war and almost certainly delivered some benefits to Biafrans, but also effectively abdicated their responsibility to Biafrans and the international community by allowing procedural politics to come before commitment to the spirit of the Genocide Convention.","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134082836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-10-24DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00202004
T. Parsons
{"title":"Soldiers in Revolt: Army Mutinies in Africa, by Maggie Dwyer","authors":"T. Parsons","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00202004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00202004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114887117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-10-24DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00202006
J. Thornton
{"title":"West African Warfare in Bahia and Cuba: Soldier Slaves in the Atlantic World, 1807–1844, by Manuel Barcia","authors":"J. Thornton","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00202006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00202006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123324242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-22DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00201005
William Fitzsimons
This short essay makes the case that the theories and practices employed by European armies during the “small wars” of nineteenth-century imperialism were military innovations produced within the distinctly modern and global context of colonial conquest. Colonial military experiences spurred new tactics and strategies which were captured in treatises written by British and French military theorists at the same time that they transformed the nature of warfare in colonized spaces—often with devastating effects. Military approaches developed in response to these “small wars” have important legacies, both in shaping the contours of military operations within postcolonial Africa and contributing to worldwide “counterinsurgency” theories of the twenty-first century. Understanding the specific historical context in which colonial violence was produced can contribute to a fuller understanding of the meaning, impact and multiple legacies of imperial warfare.
{"title":"Sizing Up the “Small Wars” of African Empire","authors":"William Fitzsimons","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00201005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00201005","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This short essay makes the case that the theories and practices employed by European armies during the “small wars” of nineteenth-century imperialism were military innovations produced within the distinctly modern and global context of colonial conquest. Colonial military experiences spurred new tactics and strategies which were captured in treatises written by British and French military theorists at the same time that they transformed the nature of warfare in colonized spaces—often with devastating effects. Military approaches developed in response to these “small wars” have important legacies, both in shaping the contours of military operations within postcolonial Africa and contributing to worldwide “counterinsurgency” theories of the twenty-first century. Understanding the specific historical context in which colonial violence was produced can contribute to a fuller understanding of the meaning, impact and multiple legacies of imperial warfare.","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134113558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-22DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00201002
M. Page
Although some scientific innovations and technologies came to their continent during the process of colonization, only during the First World War did Africans experience the full potential of new weapons and engineering breakthroughs as well as transformative transportation methods and medical possibilities. The resulting encounters sometimes left them awe-struck, but Africans frequently seized the newer technologies and turned them into opportunities. Only a few rejected them as antithetical to tradition, though occasionally some Africans expected what seemed to be revolutionary advances alone to change and improve their lives. Ultimately few Africans were unaffected by the awesome wartime scientific and technological alterations brought to their lands and peoples as a result of the First World War.
{"title":"Africa’s First “High Tech” War","authors":"M. Page","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00201002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00201002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Although some scientific innovations and technologies came to their continent during the process of colonization, only during the First World War did Africans experience the full potential of new weapons and engineering breakthroughs as well as transformative transportation methods and medical possibilities. The resulting encounters sometimes left them awe-struck, but Africans frequently seized the newer technologies and turned them into opportunities. Only a few rejected them as antithetical to tradition, though occasionally some Africans expected what seemed to be revolutionary advances alone to change and improve their lives. Ultimately few Africans were unaffected by the awesome wartime scientific and technological alterations brought to their lands and peoples as a result of the First World War.","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130364849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-22DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00201001
M. Leśniewski
The Battle of eThaleni was an important Zulu victory during the early stages of the Zulu-Boer War of 1838–1840. There is a surprisingly large number of studies on this battle, yet most focus on the deaths of Piet and Dirk Uys, and the heroic circumstances of their deaths, rather than on the battle itself. The lack of classical studies on this battle has led to the persistence of several assumptions concerning this battle and the causes of the Voortrekker defeat. Among these are the crucial role played in the defeat by the conflict between Potgieter and P.L. Uys, and Potgieter’s over-cautiousness during the battle, which supposedly put P.L. Uys in danger and led to his death. The goal of this text is to discuss and question these assumptions. The author argues that blame should be more evenly distributed, and that P.L. Uys was no less responsible than Potgieter for the defeat. Moreover, this text seeks to better appreciate the role of the Zulu commander, Nzobo kaSobadli, whose generalship was crucial to the Zulu victory.
{"title":"Deconstructing the Myth of the Deaths of Piet and Dirk Uys","authors":"M. Leśniewski","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00201001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00201001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The Battle of eThaleni was an important Zulu victory during the early stages of the Zulu-Boer War of 1838–1840. There is a surprisingly large number of studies on this battle, yet most focus on the deaths of Piet and Dirk Uys, and the heroic circumstances of their deaths, rather than on the battle itself. The lack of classical studies on this battle has led to the persistence of several assumptions concerning this battle and the causes of the Voortrekker defeat. Among these are the crucial role played in the defeat by the conflict between Potgieter and P.L. Uys, and Potgieter’s over-cautiousness during the battle, which supposedly put P.L. Uys in danger and led to his death. The goal of this text is to discuss and question these assumptions. The author argues that blame should be more evenly distributed, and that P.L. Uys was no less responsible than Potgieter for the defeat. Moreover, this text seeks to better appreciate the role of the Zulu commander, Nzobo kaSobadli, whose generalship was crucial to the Zulu victory.","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115209019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-22DOI: 10.1163/24680966-00201004
C. Roberts
{"title":"Canada & Africa in the New Millennium: The Politics of Consistent Inconsistency, by David R. Black & Canada in Africa: 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation, by Yves Engler","authors":"C. Roberts","doi":"10.1163/24680966-00201004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/24680966-00201004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":143855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of African Military History","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122918639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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