It will be apparent to readers that the biographical entries vary greatly in the depth of coverage and in the personal details of the individual subjects. This is inevitable. Although we made every effort, both in Rhodesia and elsewhere, to interview all the leading nationalists, there were some whom we did not manage to see, either because they were in other parts of the world during the time we were working on the book, or because they had gone ‘underground’, or were in restriction. In these cases we have done our best to give a rounded picture, relying on secondary sources and on information given to us by friends, colleagues and relations. We very much hope that those subjects who have been inadequately handled will furnish us with fuller information so that improved biographical studies may be included in any future edition.
A complete list of African Members of Parliament from 1954 to the present day, as well as brief details of the African Ministerial appointments made in April 1976, has been included in appendixes IV and V., Although the persons listed in these appendixes do not strictly fall within the scope of a book dealing with African nationalists, we felt that, by playing a part in the contemporary political scene, they warranted a reference in order to round out the total picture.
Since the book is really only concerned with African political parties and groups up to the starting date of the Geneva Conference, we have not thought it appropriate to give details of the Zimbabwe United People’s Organisation (ZUPO), which was only launched at the end of December 1976.
After much consideration we decided to arrange the biographical entries in the order in which the individuals concerned made their first appearance on the political scene. We made this decision because we felt that those readers who wanted to acquire a connected picture of the development of African Nationalism in Rhodesia should be given the nearest possible approach to a continuous narrative. This treatment has meant that certain individuals of the greatest significance to the future history of the country appear only towards the end of the book. We can assure them and their followers that no reflection on their importance is thereby intended.
In a book of this nature it is impossible to give an authoritative source of every tact and comment without turning the work into a dry-as-dust reference book. What we have done is to use footnotes for giving supplementary information and for cross-reference between individuals. We have also included a full bibliography for the reader who wishes to carry his
reading further.
Following our interviews with the subjects we have naturally cross-checked as far as possible the information we have been given. It will be noted, however, that numerous short passages are enclosed between double inverted commas (“). ln all cases these are direct quotations from the subject himself, either as taken down during the interviews or culled from his published works.
ROBERT CARY
DIANA MITCHELL
Salisbury (Harare)
January 1977.