The case of Caprivi in Namibia represents an example of independence movements operating within the (multi-) national states in the contemporary Southern Africa. An armed secessionist uprising in August 1999, although quickly stifled by the Namibian government, revealed the singular historical roots of this movement, as well as a presently widespread popular feeling of discontent and aspiration for separate Caprivian citizenship. This article explores some key visions of the local population y s experience of their membership of the Namibian state and seeks to explore the possibility — real or not – of an independent Caprivi equipped with a shared ethnic identity. The aim is to address (at least partially) the gap found in research scholarship about Caprivian secession in terms of the views and preferences of the Caprivian population itself. On the basis of ethnographic field research, it has been possible to explore popular perceptions of the events of 1999, the idea of independence, and the general feeling of neglect by the Namibian government.

Journal of Southern African Studies is an international publication for work of high academic quality. It aims to generate fresh scholarly inquiry and exposition in the fields of history, economics, sociology, demography, social anthropology, geography, administration, law, political science, international relations, literature and the natural sciences, in so far as they relate to the human condition. It represents a deliberate effort to draw together the various disciplines in social science and its allied fields. Southern Africa represents a unique opportunity for the study of a wide variety of social problems. The journal presents work, which reflects new theoretical approaches, and work, which discusses the methodological framework in general use by students of the area. The region covered embraces the following countries: the Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland; Angola and Mozambique; Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe; and occasionally, Zaire, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mauritius.

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