'The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom, and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character.' As Nelson Mandela states, Cuba was a key participant in the struggle for the independence of African countries during the Cold War and the definitive ousting of colonialism from the continent. Beyond the military interventions that played a decisive role in shaping African political history, there were many-sided engagements between the island and the continent. Cuba and Africa, 1959-1994 is the story of tens of thousands of individuals who crossed the Atlantic as doctors, scientists, soldiers, students and artists. Each chapter presents a case study - from Algeria to Angola, from Equatorial Guinea to the Congo - and shows how much of the encounter between Cuba and Africa took place in non-militaristic fields: humanitarian and medical, scientific and educational, cultural and artistic. The historical experience and the legacies documented in this book speak to the major ideologies that shaped the colonial and postcolonial world, including internationalism, developmentalism and South-South cooperation. Approaching African-Cuban relations from a multiplicity of angles, this collection will appeal to an equally wide range of readers, from scholars in black Atlantic studies to cultural theorists and general readers with an interest in contemporary African history.

Angola erlangte als einer der letzten afrikanischen Staaten 1975 seine Unabhangigkeit vom portugiesischen Kolonialreich. Die Dekolonisierung und Grundung der jungen Nation im sudlichen Zentralafrika war das Ergebnis einer einzigartigen transatlantischen Kooperation, einer Sud-Sud-Verbindung zwischen Angola und Kuba. Kubas Regierung unterstutzte die befreundete Unabhangigkeitsbewegung MPLA und forderte bis 1991 die angolanische Regierung nicht nur militarisch, sondern auch zivil. Christine Hatzky richtet mit ihrer Studie erstmals den Blick auf die zivile Kooperation und insbesondere auf die Zusammenarbeit im Bildungssektor. Deutlich wird, wie beide Regierungen uber die Distanz des Atlantiks hinweg zusammenarbeiteten und dabei durchaus eigene Interessen uber die Konfliktlage des Kalten Krieges zu stellen wussten. Neben der politischen und strukturellen Geschichte beleuchtet die Autorin insbesondere auch den Alltag der Bildungsarbeit, an der nicht weniger als 10.000 kubanische Lehrer und Padagogen beteiligt waren."

Angola, a former Portuguese colony in southern central Africa, gained independence in 1975 and almost immediately plunged into more than two decades of conflict and crisis. Fidel Castro sent Cuban military troops to Angola in support of the Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (MPLA), leading to its ascension to power despite facing threats both international and domestic. What is less known, and what "Cubans in Angola" brings to light, is the significant role Cubans played in the transformation of civil society in Angola during these years. Offering not just military support but also political, medical, administrative, and technical expertise as well as educational assistance, the Cuban presence in Angola is a unique example of transatlantic cooperation between two formerly colonized nations in the global South.