Department Of History And International Studies The Plight Of Inmates At Wha Wha Detention Camp (1960 - 1980)

ABSTRACT

The period between 1960 and 1980 saw the rise of militant nationalism against the colonial

government in Rhodesia. The colonial regime responded by detaining thousands of nationalists

and activists. The plight of inmates in these detention centers has largely been ignored by postcolonial

historians. Isn this study I focus primarily on the experiences of African political

detainees at Wha Wha Detention camp. Generally this study argues that instead of being places

of places of political rehabilitation and political reorientation, detention camps in particular

Wha Wha were places of brutality, violence and ill treatment guided by racial abuse. The study

seeks to establish that political detainees were exposed to deplorable conditions and were worse

off than convicted prisoners. The study also argues that life in detention was harsher for women

than it was for male detainees. Methodologically this study depends mainly on oral testimonies

of former detainees. The study also refers to documentary evidence such as parliamentary

debates, court records and pictures.

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