Paper short abstract:

Books and reading were central to the political life of MK trainees. Camp libraries were resourced through transnational networks that I trace in the paper. By looking at what people read, I engage the production and exchange of ideas which shaped MK militants’ political views and imagined futures.

Paper long abstract:

This paper focuses on the role of books and reading in the making of South Africa’s Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in the late 1970s. This period, which saw a mass influx of recruits into MK and reinvigoration of military struggle following the 1976 Soweto uprising, also coincided with the opening of new military camps in Angola, with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries providing the bulk of provisions. Along with weapons, communication systems, uniforms, food and medical supplies, books and other reading material were viewed as essential to camp logistics, and camp libraries were created and resourced thanks to transnational solidarity networks which are traced in the paper. In order to give meaning to the notion of MK as a political army, meaning the subordination of MK to the political leadership of the ANC, political education was an integral part of military training and books were seen as important for the political life and welfare of trainees. Moreover, books were not just an ideological tool, but also a source of pleasure and enjoyment in an otherwise harsh environment. By looking at what people read and the discussion of these texts in the camps, the paper engages the production and exchange of ideas which shaped MK militants’ political views and imagined socialist futures. Although the latter remain to be achieved post-liberation, the political upbringing of MK cadres has had a lifelong impact on their understanding of the world.