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The Indonesian massacres of 1965 and 1966 were described by the CIA as ‘one of the ghastliest and most concentrated bloodlettings’ of the Cold War—and were responsible for up to a million deaths, according to some estimates. As such, they are comparable with some of the worst mass killings of the Century, but have remained relatively unknown. In this podcast, the Institute for Continuing History explores the growing body of research on the massacres that has emerged since the fall of Indonesia’s military regime in the late 1990s.

Episode 4 investigates the abduction by bandits of six foreign tourists in Matabeleland during 1982. Robert Mugabe’s government accused Joshua Nkomo’s party, Zapu, of sponsoring ‘dissidents’—and alleged that the people of Matabeleland were working hand-in-glove with such ‘hyenas’ to subvert national security. A close examination of the incident—and of what members of government were saying behind closed doors—shows the allegations to have been propaganda. Key decision-makers knew that there was no elaborate conspiracy at play in Matabeleland, but used the tourist abduction to militarise the continuing assault on Zapu and its supporters. For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH’s basic introduction to the topic: https://www.continuinghistory.org/zim-background

Episode 3 examines the arms caches ‘crisis’ of 1982—the ‘discovery’ of massive reserves of weapons that belonged to Zipra, the former military wing of Robert Mugabe’s rival, Joshua Nkomo. Zanu-PF declared it had nipped a coup plot in the bud, and terminated the unity government with Nkomo that had been formed at independence. Repressive measures against Nkomo’s party and former members of Zipra intensified alongside an increasingly shrill official narrative, which portrayed Zanu’s opponents as an imminent and escalating threat to national security. Yet events behind the scenes show clearly that the arms caches crisis was staged by Mugabe because Nkomo had refused demands for Zapu to be absorbed into Zanu-PF. Like most of the turning points that formed the backdrop to the Gukurahundi, the arms caches affair was driven by politics and hatred, not the treacherous activities of a nefarious rival.

This series, ‘Smooth Lies and Sharp Knives: the Road to Gukurahundi’, investigates the events and ideas that led to mass killings in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, during 1983 and 1984. Episode 2 looks at the Entumbane fighting of 1980-81 between the forces of Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. Zanu-PF propaganda represented this (and other incidents) as one of a series of subversive acts which eventually necessitated the deployment of 5 Brigade in 1983. But a close examination of the Entumbane ‘disturbances’, based on historical documents, demonstrates that it was Mugabe and Zanu, not Nkomo and Zapu, who provoked this showdown. The aim was destroy Zapu’s militarily shield so that the party would be incapable of resisting an open assault. For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH’s basic introduction to the topic: https://www.continuinghistory.org/zim-background

This series, ‘Smooth Lies and Sharp Knives: the Road to Gukurahundi’, looks at the events and ideas that led to mass killings in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, during 1983 and 1984. Episode 1 traces the development of the ideology that made the killings possible—namely, a desire for absolute domination and an obsession with its political manifestations. A one-party state was the most prized of those symbols because it encapsulated the obliteration of all opposition and the unchallenged supremacy of the ruling party. After independence in 1980, Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party set themselves to attain a one-party state, a determination that explains the most tumultuous events of Zimbabwe’s first decade. For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH's basic introduction to the topic: https://www.continuinghistory.org/zim-background

'Continuing History' is a podcast produced by the Institute for Continuing History (ICH), a professional research body that investigates acts of state-sponsored or communal violence which continue to have a major impact on the lives of individuals and nations. Listen to the trailer to learn more.