Research Note: the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) Pamphlet Collection

During the decolonisation of southern Africa (1960s-1990s), several national liberation movements benefited from support from the Nordic countries, where they established foreign missions and mobilized international aid. As a result, a considerable amount of African primary source material has been amassed over the years. This material is now accessible through the Pamphlet Collection of the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI). The Pamphlet Collection contains over 700 boxes with (primary) source material from the entire African continent, including unique material from national liberation movements that is difficult to find elsewhere. Scholars of the Cold War can use this fascinating collection to study African agency during an era that – often wrongly - seemed to be dominated by Great Power competition. This Research Note by Tycho van der Hoog explores contents of the Pamphlet Collection, with a particular focus on material from southern Africa.

 

 

 

This article appeared in Cold War Journal, volume 22 (2022). Milton Park: Taylor & Francis.