Abstract:
Since coming to political power, the anti-colonial liberation movements in
Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa (all former
settler colonies) have remained in control over their societies. During their
struggles, an international solidarity movement offered them support for
their legitimate demands for national sovereignty, the right to self-determination
in independent states and the elimination of racial discrimination.
This article suggests that solidarity should be understood as a living moral,
ethical and political obligation that entails empathy with and loyalty to the
fundamental human values of equality and dignity. In this sense, solidarity
is not confined to a particular era or stage of historical processes. It is an
ongoing commitment and engagement. From this point of departure, the
following reflections deal with the limitations of the liberation gospel once it
became implemented in post-colonial and post-apartheid Southern African
societies.
