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Dossier

Vol. 26 No. 1 (2023): Viaggio e lotta politica in Italia e nel Mediterraneo

Experiencing Arab-African Solidarity: Basotho in Cairo in the 1960s and 1970s

  • Matteo Grilli
Submitted
June 24, 2024
Published
2024-06-24

Abstract

Since 1952, the Basutoland African Congress (BAC, renamed Basutoland Congress Party, BCP, in 1959) – a protagonist of Lesotho’s struggle for independence – entertained close relationships with several African countries, including Egypt. Cairo’s BCP office operated under the regime of Gamal Abd El-Nasser (1954-1970), who promoted a strong African policy, which saw Egypt as one of the safe havens for African liberation movements. Many BCP members travelled to Cairo to wait for a scholarship to study overseas, mainly in Europe. But, as argued in this article, Cairo soon became more than just a staging post to further destinations. Living in Egypt was also an important political experience for many young Basotho. There, as demonstrated in the article, they encountered new ideas about the liberation of Africa, socialism and capitalism. They learned about the Arab-Israeli confrontation and reflected on its political and racial implications. They concretely experienced Arab-African solidarity and pondered the differences and similarities between the Arab and African worlds.[i] In Cairo, the BCP produced its own propaganda and participated in the activities of the African Association. This article will provide important information on Egypt’s African policy, the history of the African Association and the history of the BCP office in Cairo through documents and interviews with the protagonists of the events. It will also provide the memories of freedom fighters who passed through Cairo – which were collected in recent interviews – and their experiences of Arab-African solidarity.