The image of the USSR in the magazine “African Communist” (1959–1991)

Abstract

This article examines how the Soviet Union was portrayed in materials from the South African Communist Party (SACP) in the age of apartheid, using the magazine “African Communist” as an example. The issue of the USSR’s image in South African communist publications is connected to broader themes, such as how the Soviet Union was perceived in South African socio-political discussions during apartheid and the characteristics of the discourse in the global communist press during the latter half of the 20th century. These issues are particularly relevant given the current active development of Russian-South African relations and the related interest in the history of Soviet-South African relations. Additionally, problems associated with forming the image of another country - and the related discursive practices - are especially relevant in the era of digital media and accelerated information exchange. This work identifies the key features of the USSR’s image as a leading socialist power in the journal’s materials from its founding in 1959 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It uses the tools of imagology, an interdisciplinary field that studies the sociocultural dimensions of subjects. Despite changes in South Africa, the USSR, and the world, the main features of the Soviet Union’s image in the journal remained unchanged throughout the studied period. The USSR was largely mythologized in the “African Communist”: it was presented as a role model for developing countries and as the foundation of the global socialist movement. When discussing conflicts between the USSR and other socialist states, the magazine’s authors invariably took the USSR’s side. When mentioning contradictions within the USSR, the authors emphasized the Soviet leadership’s ability to admit mistakes. Such features of the Soviet Union’s image in the magazine can be explained by the USSR’s status as a key ally of the South African Communist Party and the important role its image played as a propaganda tool in shaping a picture of the socialist future of Africa.

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