1979 Photo Contest, Feature Picture, 1st prize
Photographer

Eddie Adams

The Associated Press

01 January, 1978

White life in Rhodesia: An 89-year-old widow with her gun. On 3 March 1978, after 14 years of civil war, Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and bishop Abel Muzorewa of the United African National Council signed an agreement, which became known as the Internal Settlement. In 1965 Smith, prime minister of the British colony since 1964, had declared Rhodesia unilaterally independent under white minority rule. The declaration not only sparked international outrage and economic sanctions, but also a guerrilla war against white rule by different political and military factions. By signing the Internal Settlement and organizing new democratic elections, it was expected that all sanctions would be lifted. However, the settlement was condemned by the United Nations' Security Council, and as not all significant parties had been involved in the process, the civil war continued. The war would not end before December 1979, when in Lancaster House, London, all parties came to a peace agreement and a new constitution, guaranteeing minor rights.

About the photographer

Eddie Adams

The photographic career of American photojournalist Eddie Adams (New Kensington, Pennsylvania 1933 - New York City 2004) spanned 45 years, in which he covered every possible subj...

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