Ngwabi Bhebhe, Terence Ranger, eds.. Society in Zimbabwe's Liberation War. Oxford: James Currey, 1996. vi + 250 pp. $37.98, cloth, ISBN 978-0-85255-660-3. Reviewed by David Gordon Published on H-Africa (December, 1998) "Please bear with me in case some of the de‐ vides the background. Lan's research area, the tails sound strange and far-fetched ..." writes Pau‐ isolated Dande region where mhondoro mediums los Matjaka Nare in his contribution to this vol‐ were powerful and ZANU/ZANLA guerillas closely ume. "The fact is that life was strange" (p. 130). tied to the local peasantry, is often thought to con‐ For anyone who has read the several books about trast with other regions where African religion Zimbabwe's War of Liberation, the details do in‐ was not as strong in consolidating a peasant/ deed seem bizarre and at times horrific beyond guerilla alliance.[4] Such was the case, so the ar‐ comprehension. It was a war where spirit medi‐ gument goes, in Matebeleland, where the suppos‐ ums strengthened the ties of Marxist guerillas to edly more secular, proletarian-based ZAPU/ZIPRA the land,[1] where a vitriolic settler racism pro‐ held sway for most of the war's duration.[5] In the vided the background for especially brutal first chapter Ranger and Ncube attempt to con‐ counter-insurgency tactics,[2] and where, it can‐ front this argument. Using oral sources, they con‐ not be denied, guerillas also used brutality and vincingly show that the Mwali cult, associated terror against those for whom they claimed to be with resistance to European conquest and based fighting.[3] Society in Zimbabwe's Liberation War in southern Matebeleland, witnessed a revival is the second in a two-volume series that emerged during and after the war years. While sufficient out of an international conference held in July evidence is presented for the revival of Mwali 1991. While the frst volume concentrates on sol‐ shrines, I remained unsure as to the extent ZIPRA diers, the second describes the involvement, will‐ guerillas actively sought legitimacy from the ful or not, of civilians in the war. In this interest‐ Mwali cult, as ZANLA guerillas did from the spirit ing work two renowned scholar-activists, Ngwabi mediums. Bhebhe and Terence Ranger, once again bring to‐ The second subject of this section is the col‐ gether the conference participants, combatants laboration (or its lack) between guerillas and the and academics, in an effort to spread a better un‐ Christian church. The relationship between the derstanding of the traumatic years of war out of guerillas and churches is explained in terms of which Zimbabwe arose. the depth of trust between the local community The frst section of the book, by far the most and the church leaders. Where ties where strong, interesting and polished, is an exploration of guerillas and the church existed in a symbiotic re‐ Christian and African religion during the war. lationship; where weak, guerillas attacked the David Lan's work on spirit mediums, of which church and the church was forced to rely on the there is no specific discussion in this volume, pro‐ Rhodesian security forces for protection. While H-Net Reviews this explanatory framework assumes a strong cation in ZAPU and ZANU camps. Fay Chung's ac‐ guerilla/peasantry alliance, which is often not count of ZANU schools seems celebratory com‐ proved, it remains convincing in the examples pared to Paulos Matjaka Nare's poignant testimo‐ given in this volume. Janice McLaughlin describes ny of ZAPU's schools. They are both worth read‐ Avila mission, where, under the guidance of the ing. Yet the lack of critical analysis left me won‐ Irish Catholic Bishop Donal Lamont, the local laity dering whether the difference between the ac‐ supported the guerillas even when faced with counts reflected the persuasions of the authors or marxist-inspired ideological opposition: "Spirit a substantial difference between ZANU and ZAPU mediums were now joined by Christians as moti‐ camps. And if this was the case, what explains the vators and mobilizers" (p. 101). Such support frac‐ difference? tured any previous alliance between the Catholic The fnal section deals with the legacy of the church and the settler state, and made way for a war. Ngwabi Bhebhe turns again to religion and new Catholic church in an independent Zimbab‐ tells the story of the Evangelical Lutheran Church we. David Maxwell, in his interesting contribu‐ of Zimbabwe (ELCZ) during and after the war. In tion, blames the horrific Vumba massacre of nine this case the consequence of the war on the missionaries and their four children on the dis‐ church was not as benign as in the examples of placement of the missionaries from Elima where McLaughlin and Maxwell. While the war caused they were trusted by the community to Vumba schisms between the head office and local parish‐ where they were unknown. Maxwell goes on to es, this did not lead directly to a more representa‐ argue that one of the consequences of the depen‐ tive locally-based church, but rather encouraged dence of the church on the local community dur‐ ethnic divisions within the church. Instead of uni‐ ing the war was the creation of a new Zimbab‐ fying and healing, the ELCZ became infected by wean church, with greater representation and the ethnic strife that continued after the national‐ participation from local members. After the war, ist victory. Only after the National Unity Accord a central role of this church was to remember and between ZANU and ZAPU did a new ELCZ emerge, heal: "rural Christians found it easier to theolo‐ which, Bhebhe hopes, was actually strengthened gize their experiences of the war than to histori‐ by the post-war crisis. The emphasis on religion cize them" (p. 87). Indeed, these three articles and healing is continued in Richard I. Werbner's combine to elaborate and underline the impor‐ final contribution to volume. Werbner writes an tance of religion in providing a valuable mecha‐ account of his return to a community in south- nism for civilians to deal with the traumas engen‐ western Zimbabwe where he frst did research in dered by the war. 1961. Here he listened to the horrors and hard‐ Unfortunately the rest of the volume does not ships endured over the last thirty years and no‐ display the consistency in subject and quality of ticed the revival of sangoma mediums in the area. the frst section. The second section on ideology The sangomas, unlike the mhondoro spirit medi‐ and education begins with a lengthy discourse ums, were healers who dealt with the legacy of analysis of a few rather silly white Rhodesian the war by making "voices of the past ... speak in novels. While this analysis may interest a certain the present in order to testify ... that certain mem‐ audience, it does little to penetrate the fears and ories have to be kept alive...memories of suffering ideological justifications of white settlers which and loss, of lapses from humanity, of the failure of led them to wage such a bitter and brutal war. In‐ kin, and not merely their triumphs in success or deed, the volume lacks an adequate reflection on achievement" (p. 205). Rembrance of those who settler society and the war. The discourse analysis died cruel deaths along with healing and purifica‐ is followed by two short activist accounts of edu‐ tion after the war was, once again, taken up by lo‐ 2 H-Net Reviews cal religious leaders. These two articles are a fne indeed go beyond the confines of her article, conclusion of the frst section on religion, and I which at least begins a critical reflection on the was left wondering if the volume might have been political limitations of agrarian transformation in more coherent if it focused solely on the role of Zimbabwe. religion in the war and its aftermath. The entire collection is accompanied by a All the articles examined thus far are not the valuable introduction which places the contribu‐ hagiographic accounts of the war which frst ap‐ tions in the context of both the conference and peared in the 1980s; yet, they remain within a na‐ Zimbabwe's attempts at healing the wounds of tionalist narrative that envisages a united and war. Important subjects omitted in the volume-- democratic Zimbabwe as the ultimate outcome of notably the role of women--are briefly dealt with the war. No-one denies the desirability of such an here. What the introduction lacks, however, is an outcome, but, as rioters take over Harare and Mu‐ attempt to place both the historiography and the gabe struggles to strengthen his grip over the history of the war and its legacy in a broader state, we need to recognize the increasing unlike‐ African context. This is not only of academic in‐ lihood of its realization in the near future. To terest: Africans throughout southern and central what extent does the experience and legacy of the Africa are currently dealing with war and its con‐ war explain the difficulties faced by Zimbabwe? sequences. A regional understanding of these pro‐ Only one article, dealing with political change in cesses desperately needs to be generated. This Zimbabwe's rural areas, begins to explore such a seems even more urgent as Zimbabwe's troops question. Jocelyn Alexander points out that the fight their frst post-colonial battle to defend the authoritarian Rhodesian bureaucracy survived interests of their leaders in the forests of the for‐ the war and simply co-opted the ZANU elite. mer Zaire. Meanwhile, the grassroots local party apparatus Notes: was weakened in favor of this bureaucracy, deny‐ [1].