ICH PODCASTS
'Continuing History', the podcast, explores episodes of mass murder, their perpetrators and their impacts, drawing on original research by ICH into some of the world's most egregious and forgotten acts of violence. The series also explores avenues for further research which are being pursued by ICH or other organisations. Continuing History is available below—and through all the major podcasting platforms, including Apple and Google podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, Stitcher and others. Listen to the trailer.
Series 1: Smooth Lies & Sharp Knives—The Road to Gukurahundi
Episode 1: The One-Party State
7 December 2020
This series, ‘Smooth Lies & Sharp Knives: the Road to Gukurahundi’, looks at the events and ideas that led to mass killings in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, during 1983 and 1984. Episode 1 traces the development of the ideology that made the killings possible—namely, a desire for absolute domination and an obsession with its political manifestations. A one-party state was the most prized of those symbols because it encapsulated the obliteration of all opposition and the unchallenged supremacy of the ruling party. After independence in 1980, Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party set themselves to attain a one-party state, a determination that explains the most tumultuous events of Zimbabwe’s first decade. Listen here.
For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH's basic introduction to the topic.
Episode 2: The Entumbane fighting, 1980-81
14 December 2020
Episode 2 looks at the Entumbane fighting of 1980-81 between the forces of Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. Zanu-PF propaganda represented this (and other incidents) as one of a series of subversive acts which eventually necessitated the deployment of 5 Brigade in 1983. But a close examination of the Entumbane ‘disturbances’, based on historical documents, shows that it was Mugabe and Zanu, not Nkomo and Zapu, who provoked this showdown. The aim was destroy Zapu’s militarily shield so that the party would be incapable of resisting an open assault. Listen here.
For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH's basic introduction to the topic.
Episode 3: The Arms Caches 'Crisis', 1982
27 January 2021
Episode 3 examines the arms caches ‘crisis’ of 1982—the ‘discovery’ of massive reserves of weapons that belonged to Zipra, the former military wing of Robert Mugabe’s rival, Joshua Nkomo. Zanu-PF declared it had nipped a coup plot in the bud, and terminated the unity government with Nkomo that had been formed at independence. Repressive measures against Nkomo’s party and former members of Zipra intensified alongside an increasingly shrill official narrative, which represented Zanu’s opponents as an imminent and escalating threat to national security. Yet events behind the scenes show clearly that the arms caches crisis was staged by Mugabe because Nkomo had refused demands for Zapu to be absorbed into Zanu-PF. Like most of the turning points that formed the backdrop to the Gukurahundi, the arms caches affair was driven by politics and hatred, not the treacherous activities of a nefarious rival. Listen here.
For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH's basic introduction to the topic.
Episode 4: The Tourist Abduction, 1982
9 February 2021
Episode 4 investigates the abduction by bandits of six foreign tourists in Matabeleland during 1982. Robert Mugabe’s government accused Joshua Nkomo’s party, Zapu, of sponsoring ‘dissidents’—and alleged that the people of Matabeleland were working hand-in-glove with such ‘hyenas’ to subvert national security. A close examination of the incident—and of what members of government were saying behind closed doors—shows the allegations to have been propaganda. Key decision-makers knew that there was no elaborate conspiracy at play in Matabeleland, but used the tourist abduction to militarise the continuing assault on Zapu and its supporters. Listen here.
For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH's basic introduction to the topic.
The Indonesian Massacres, 1965-1966
14 July 2021
The Indonesian massacres of 1965 and 1966 were described by the CIA as ‘one of the ghastliest and most concentrated bloodlettings’ of the Cold War—and were responsible for up to a million deaths, according to some estimates. As such, they are comparable with some of the worst mass killings of the Century, but have remained relatively unknown. In this podcast, the Institute for Continuing History explores the growing body of research on the massacres that has emerged since the fall of Indonesia’s military regime in the late 1990s. Listen here.
The Taste of Poision: Apartheid's black ops in Zimbabwe: Episode 1
22 November 2022
This series, ‘The Taste of Poison: Apartheid’s black ops in Zimbabwe’, examines the acts of espionage, assassination, sabotage and subversion conducted by South Africa within the borders of its northern neighbour during the 1980s. It also looks at the men who pulled the triggers and planted the bombs, as well as the impact of their actions, in what was a turbulent and sometimes devastating period for Zimbabwe and the region.
Episode 1 outlines the genesis of the Apartheid state’s policy towards Zimbabwe, and investigates its first cross-border operations, including the killing of ANC representative Joe Gqabi. Listen here.
The Taste of Poision: Apartheid's black ops in Zimbabwe: Episode 2
20 January 2023
Episode 2 covers the escalation of the clandestine battle at the end of 1981, investigating the fallout from the Gqabi killing, the sabotage of Zimbabwe’s national ammunition depot, the bombing of Zanu (PF) headquarters, and CIO’s intensifying pursuit of South African moles. Listen here.