The laboratory of hate

Radio played an important role in the 30-year war in Angola. For Jonas Savimbi’s UNITA rebels broadcasting provided a means of recruiting supporters, sustaining rebellion and appealing for external support. In addition to lauding Savimbi and instilling hatred of the enemy - the ruling MPLA and its Cuban/Russian allies - UNITA’s broadcasting featured anti-communist rhetoric and grandiose claims of military victories. For this, it had the unwavering support of South Africa’s apartheid regime and the Reagan and Bush administrations in the USA. But UNITA also had its dissidents, and when they defected they revealed the inner operations of a clandestine radio station. Radio was also a vital instrument for the Angolan government’s propaganda war against UNITA. However, although state radio always publicized Savimbi’s human rights abuses, it refrained from criticizing government violations such as corruption and censorship.