From: f54oguocha@edison.usask.ca
Subject: RE: Angola: See what Savimbi is up to now (was Re: Great Victory in
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 03:17:24 GMT

In a previous article, pmmst8+@pitt.edu (Paul M Mweene) wrote:

>Wrong, again. Jonas Savimbi began as >a minister< in MPLA. However,
>the weatern imperial powers detected the opportunism in him and used him to
>rebel against and reduce the power of MPLA (IN 1964). 
                                            **********      
Oooooh! when did MPLA start ruling Angola? Your sense of history and judgement
makes me laugh. I hope you are not writing all these in order to gain favour
(ministerial appointment!) from the MPLA. Just remember that no condition is 
permanent. From the way you write I can see you switching support in the 
nearest future. I think you are the 'opportunist' you are accusing Dr Savimbi
to be.

>he was but a marginal element and Poruguese policy as late as the early 70s
>regarded MPLA as the only threat in Portugals most important province Angola.
> 
It is difficult to find out whether your annoyance with Dr Savimbi stemed from
the fact that he helped in founding UNITA and later became its leader or that
he approached the national issues through a path divergent from that of your
MPLA. All the analyses you have been feeding us with for sometime now have no
practical relevance to the problems in Angola today. The main problem at hand is
how best the different political parties in Angola can be brought together into
harmonious existence, so that genuine peace can return to our beloved Angola.
I think I am getting tired of your incongruent, inaccurate, and biased  histor-
cal analyses and 'dig-ups'. So, let's move a step further and address the most
pressing problems of the moment.
>
>In those days Savimbi served the interests of the Portuguese in somewhat the
>same way that Buthelezi serves that of the Boers. In this light MPLA realized
>very early the reactionary disposition of UNITA.
>
Can you tell us who amongst the present crop of political heavyweights in 
Angola that did not, in one way or the other, benefit by the presence of the
colonial Portuguese? Perhaps, except you!
> 
>>when the Portuguese had left. Can you now tell us how much Cuba and the
>>estwhile USSR spent in post-independent Angola?
> 
This is one simple question you have never answered! Please, answer this
simple question because it will help a lot in the ongoing discussion.
>
>Please show me one liberation movement in Southern Africa that was ever funded
>by the west so that it effectively waged a millitary campaigfn against a colo
>nial power.
>
Funding comes in different shades. For example, when a western country says 
she is giving some humanitarian aids to a liberation force, or a country that is
known to be supporting a particular liberation force, what do people like you
think she is doing? When a western country starts laying trade embargoes on
on a colonial regime in your part of Africa, what do you think is going on?
Afterall, most of us know the kind of shady, 'backyard' businesses that go on 
during such struggles. How are we sure you are not one of the beneficiaries of
one western aid or another? I really don't understand the kind of arguement you
you are putting across to us in this newsgroup.
>
>How could anyone ever equate the role the USSR played in the liberation of 
>our subcontinent to the role of the imperial powers.
>
*The imperial blood suckers taught you how to read and write. They forced their
language and culture on you and there is no doubt your are enjoying a bit of
that now, otherwise how can you be writing in a language I can understand? What
did the Soviets teach you? Can you write your name in any of the Soviet langu-
ages?
*At least you are living in a western country now. Why don't you go and live in
your sweet CIS (formery USSR)? I think your are a hypocrite!
>
>............................., that in one instance the west would play
>oppressor and in another liberator, with the Soviets taking the opposite side
>each time?
>
The anwser is simple. Take a lesson from Ethiopia and Somalia. Do you need more
examples?
>
>The communist countries for altruist or other reasons consistently stood on 
>the right side. It was becuase of theirunflinching support that the likes of
> Zimbabwe are now counted among the free.
> 
This shows how much you know the history of liberation struggles in Southern
Africa. Have you forgotten the role played by African countries like west-
oriented Nigeria in the Zimbabwan debacle? Have you forgotten how Nigeria 
nationalised British coys in her teritory in order to make the Lancaster accord
go the right way? Even in Angola, did you not know how the then head of state
of Nigeria (Mohammed) pumped in millions of dollars and human resources to 
ensure total millitary success of MPLA in the liberation struggle? Can we ever
forget the role of Kenya in the Zimbabwan struggle? Remember the role of your
African brothers in all these struggles before ever mentioning the Soviets.
Soviets had one single objective in southern Africa and other parts of Africa:
to install and maintain communism at all cost. No more, no less. Now, see what
they have left behind! See what they have done to Africa!
>
>The western powers and their churches constituted the colonial order which 
>subjugated Africans. The western powers stood to gain more from the continu
>ance of colonialism and helped it for as much as it was worth. 
>
No wonder you neither go to church anymore nor believe in God. It is a pity.
>
> 
>You reveal amazing ignorance by claiming that the problems of Angola began in
>1975.
>
When did the Angolan civil war, I don't mean liberation war, start? When can
you ever understand what is going on? 
>
>Angola and Zaire were the most exploited colonies in Africa.
>
Where did you read that? How do you measure the degree of colonial exploitation?
I think you are becoming overly sentimental. Go to Equaorial Guinea and see ano-
type of exploitation.
>
>The Portuguese who occupied Angola moved African from ther land and killed  
>thousands of them. I hope you are not implying that the millitary campaign
>by MPLA was unnecessary and that the Africans should have been grateful for
>the conditions in which they existed.
>
What I am saying, and I believe many members of this newsgroup are saying the
same except you and your cohorts, is that the killing of Angolans by Angolans
should stop. People like you should stop thinking the way you are thinking
right now, so that this vicious cycle of killing should cease. We want peace
in our beloved Angola. No more, no less. So, let's see peace coming out of
your mind for the first time!
> 
>The last time you invoked the example of the Nigerian war in order to warn agai
>nst the dangers of suach conflicts. It should be pointed out that the conflict
>in Nigeria has little relevance to events in Angola. While the conflict in Nige
>ria was predicated primarily upon ethnicism, that in Angola was upon opportun
>ism and foriegn imperialism. 
>
Once again you have shown that you don't have good knowlege of African history.
In any case, war is war whether it is ignited by ethnicism or western and east-
ern idelogical differences. I still believe strongly that Angolans have a useful
lesson to learn from the Nigeria. One thing is to fight a bitter war, another
thing, and the most important at that, is to live together in peace after the
hostilities. That's where the Nigerian lesson comes to bear. That is why I want
people like you to start talking about peace processes in post war Angola, not
preaching vengance. Since neither UNITA nor MPLA could win the war outright, 
the question of retribution should not arise in any way. There is no need for
any war-time trials. Once again, I urge you to talk peace to the readers of this
newsgroup. Angola shall know peace! Let's give peace a chance.

Oguocha

Xref: sparky soc.culture.african:5268 soc.culture.europe:8924 soc.culture.latin-america:3808 soc.culture.misc:400 soc.culture.usa:7765 soc.misc:1019 talk.abortion:42515 talk.environment:4197 talk.politics.drugs:6771 talk.politics.mideast:21085