Rhodesians Never Die

A gripping insider's account of the final decade of white minority rule in Rhodesia, chronicling a society's struggle against the tide of history.

In Rhodesians Never Die, Peter Godwin and Ian Hancock offer a nuanced and critical look at the white community's response to the escalating guerrilla war and immense political pressure that defined the 1970s. The authors explore the profound impact of the conflict on Rhodesian society, examining the internal divisions, myths, and pervasive self-deception that characterised the white minority's attempts to maintain its privileged "way of life" in the face of inevitable change.

Drawing on parliamentary debates, newspapers, official reports, and personal interviews, Godwin and Hancock paint a vivid picture of a community under siege, living in a state of denial and unreality. They deconstruct the myth of Rhodesian unity and identity, detailing the deep fissures within white society and the psychological trauma, moral decay, and increasing emigration that signaled its unraveling.

Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, and the end of colonial rule in Africa, Rhodesians Never Die is a powerful and poignant tale of a society confronting the loss of its dominion. It offers invaluable insights into how a community can be willfully blind to the realities it refuses to accept, and the devastating consequences of that denial.