Cuba and Africa, 1959-1994: Writing an alternative Atlantic history

Description

A history of Atlantic solidarity between Cuba and Africa, in struggle for African independence from colonial powers The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom, and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character.’ As Nelson Mandela states, Cuba was a key participant in the struggle for the independence of African countries during the Cold War and the definitive ousting of colonialism from the continent. Beyond the military interventions that played a decisive role in shaping African political history, there were many-sided engagements between the island and the continent. Cuba and Africa, 1959-1994 is the story of tens of thousands of individuals who crossed the Atlantic as doctors, scientists, soldiers, students and artists. Each chapter presents a case study – from Algeria to Angola, from Equatorial Guinea to South Africa – and shows how much of the encounter between Cuba and Africa took place in non-militaristic fields: humanitarian and medical, scientific and educational, cultural and artistic. The historical experience and the legacies documented in this book speak to the major ideologies that shaped the colonial and postcolonial world, including internationalism, developmentalism and South–South cooperation. Approaching African–Cuban relations from a multiplicity of angles, this collection will appeal to an equally wide range of readers, from scholars in black Atlantic studies to cultural theorists and general readers with an interest in contemporary African history. 01.0_pp_i_iv_Frontmatter 02.0_pp_v_vi_Contents 03.0_pp_vii_viii_Figures_and_Table 04.0_pp_ix_xii_Foreword 05.0_pp_xiii_xiv_Acknowledgements 06.0_pp_xv_xviii_Acronyms_and_Abbreviations 07.0_pp_xix_xxii_Timeline_of_Historical_Events 08.0_pp_xxiii_xxiv_Map_of_Africa_1994 09.0_pp_1_26_Reconfiguring_the_CubaAfrica_Encounter 10.0_pp_27_28_Politics_and_Solidarity 10.1_pp_29_49_Cubans_in_Algiers_The_political_uses_of_memory 10.2_pp_50_67_Cuban_Policy_and_African_Politics_Congo-Brazzaville_and_Angola_19631977 10.3_pp_68_84_Motivation_and_Legacies_of_the_Cuban_Presence_in_Equatorial_Guinea_from_1969_to_the_Present 10.4_pp_85_106_Cuban_Internationalism_in_Africa_Civil_cooperation_with_Angola_and_its_aftermath 11.0_pp_107_108_Trajectories 11.1_pp_109_129_The_Experience_of_a_Multidisciplinary_Research_into_Angolas_National_Question_Anthropology_in_a_war_ 11.2_pp_130_158_Cuban-Congolese_Families_From_the_Fizi-Baraka_underground_to_Havana 12.0_pp_159_160_Voices 12.1_pp_161_182_Atlantic_Voices_Imagination_and_sound_dialogue_between_Congolese_and_Cuban_singers_in_the_1950s 12.2_pp_183_204_Cultural_Diplomacy_in_the_Cold_War_Musical_dialogues_between_Cuba_and_West_Africa_19601970 13.0_pp_205_206_Reconstructing_History_Reconnecting_Roots 13.1_pp_207_232_The_Construction_of_a_Spiritual_Filiation_from_Havana_to_Ile-Ife 13.2_pp_233_260_The_Island_the_Peninsula_and_the_Continent_Cuban_American_engagements_with_Africa 14.0_pp_261_264_Contributors 15.0_pp_265_279_Index