The Guerrilla War of ZANLA and ZIPRA as Presented in Zimbabwean Nationalist Propaganda.

This article looks at a hitherto undeveloped area of the historiography of the Rhodesian Bush War/Zimbabwe War of Liberation, namely the ways in which the guerrilla forces presented themselves in their propaganda. The war in Rhodesia was a major media conflict and so the guerrilla forces had to carefully cultivate their image both domestically and on the international scene. ZANU and ZAPU knew that they had to overcome potential sources of negative press, surrounding, among other things, their early lack of military success, the nature of the insurgent war that they fought, and accusations of terrorism. It is argued here that they were able to generate a successful narrative which countered criticism, and that they were able to offer their supporters and sponsors a positive, dynamic version of the guerrilla forces in Rhodesia. Their propaganda may have lacked subtlety at times, however it was effective in portraying the guerrilla forces as viable challengers to the Rhodesian Security Forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]