'South Africa's Vietnam'? Literary History and Cultural Memory of the Border War

This article derives its title from a poster produced for the End Conscription Campaign (ECC), an organization which proposed national service during the 1970s and 1980s. The ECC provided a support network for those (white) conscripts who objected to the call-up on conscientious or religious grounds...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African Historical Journal 2003-11, Vol.49 (1), p.172-192
Main Author: BAINES, GARY
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1970s
1980s
Apartheid
Border conflicts
Border regions
Comparative analysis
Cultural history
Ethnic relations
Foreign occupation
Literary history
Memory
Military history
Military personnel
Namibia
Political campaigns
Political literature
Politics-Africa
Public policy
Religion
Religious beliefs
Social Classes
South Africa
United States
Vietnam War
War
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Summary:This article derives its title from a poster produced for the End Conscription Campaign (ECC), an organization which proposed national service during the 1970s and 1980s. The ECC provided a support network for those (white) conscripts who objected to the call-up on conscientious or religious grounds and attempted to make the general public aware that the lives of the country's young men were being sacrificed in support of the apartheid regime. The graphic image suggests that the South African Defence Force (SADF)'s illegal occupation of Namibia was analogous to the United States of America's presence in Vietnam and that the outcome would be the same for South Africa as it had been for the USA. The analogy was invoked not only by those who opposed the SADF's illegal occupation of Namibia, but by the soldiers involved in the conflict as well. Indeed, America's war in Vietnam became a point of reference for South African soldiers who served on the so-called Border. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0258-2473
1726-1686
DOI:10.1080/02582470308671453