Rhodesia

A soldier of Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe. They fought for the white segregationist government of Rhodesia against communist guerrillas and those who wanted Majority rule. They were incredibly good fighters, many of them went on to fight for South Africa when Mugabe came into power, and later many of them then became mercenaries. The war in Rhodesia was a dark and interesting war to me, a war with high stakes, a war that showed some of the worst and best in people.

I always liked the look of the Rhodesian soldiers, with their interesting camo and sun bleached beards. Everything about them seems to portray the intense heat of where they were fighting, and I wanted this painting to also show the oppressive heat of the African wilderness.