Cuito Cuanavale was the site of a conventional military battle in the late eighties. This battle, fought by the armies of Angola, the Angolan rebels, Cubans and South Africans, is widely believed to have been lost by the Angolan rebels and apartheid South African, the Angolans and Cubans being the victors.
Shortly after the battle, the South Africans relented on South West Africa, paving the way for Namibian independence and the unbanning of South African political parties, and the release of political prisoners, which in turn paved the way for a political settlement in South Africa.
So, Cuito Cuanavale is credited with being the catalyst for bringing about a profound change to the political landscape of the southern African region, and peace.
I am interested in the significance of the area of Cuito Cuanavale in this regard, as a signifier for the various processes which beset the entire African continent, as well as all smaller and weaker regions around the globe which are subjected to various abuses in the pursuit of geopolitical power and the dominant control of scarce resources.
