Paper short abstract:

In the final years of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle over 8,000 guerrillas were trained in Angola by Cuban and Soviet instructors. The paper explores guerrillas' stories of cultural exchange and embodied practices, and the legacies of their military identities.

Paper long abstract:

In the final years of Zimbabwe's war for independence more than 8,000 ZAPU guerrillas were trained in Angola by Cuban and Soviet instructors. This massive effort is little more than a footnote in Cold War histories of the region, and barely features in nationalist accounts. We offer a new view point, through a focus on soldiers' stories of cultural exchange and embodied, performed identity. This identity was expressed in marching styles and forms of address as well as in military attitudes, summed up in the Cuban exhortation 'Adelante!'. These men hailed from diverse backgrounds but came to consider themselves embodiments of a particular kind of military efficacy and radicalism that they contrasted with comrades trained in other times and places. Such distinctions caused violent conflict during the war, and have continued to powerfully shape allegiances into the present. An exploration of these military identities offers an important means of understanding the divisive politics of liberation movements, as well as the ongoing valence of veteran fidelities.