Voltron Character or 20th Century Political Movement?

N.B. This is something I compiled a few years back but (surprise, surprise) never found a place to publish.

PART I: POP QUIZ

For each numbered item, select the character that appeared on the television series Voltron: Defender of the Universe from the list of twentieth-century political parties, movements, and armed insurgencies.

1. a) GRAPO b) ASALA c) LOTOR d) DIKO

2. a) IRENE b) PASOK c) ZANU d) CORAN

3. a) SVEN b) DASHNAK c) AZAPO d) MEP

4. a) FRELIMO b) ALLURA c) PUDEMO d) LURD

5. a) JEM b) SWAPO c) PAGAD d) MOGOR

6. a) GERAKAN b) FISH MAN c) FARC d) RENAMO

7. a) SLORC b) UNITA c) LORN d) RUKH

8. a) PIDGE b) MOLIRENA c) KISS d) GRUNK

9. a) FUNCINPEC b) VOLTRICIA d) GOLKAR c) FIG

10. a) FODEM b) FANK c) MILF d) ZARKON


answers: 1c, 2d, 3a, 4b, 5d, 6b, 7c, 8a, 9b, 10d



PART II: GLOSSARY


ALLURA: Blue lion pilot (once held hostage by ZARKON)

ASALA: Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (seeks Turkish reparations for the 1915 genocide, founded 1975)

AZAPO: Azanian People’s Organization (South Africa; outgrowth of the Black Conscious Movement; founded 1977)

CORAN: Royal advisor to ALLURA (in charge of Castle Control)

DASHNAK (also ARF): Armenian Revolutionary Foundation (founded 1890; banned by Soviets; reformed post-independence; banned again; participant in current government)

DIKO: Democratic Party (Cyprus; center-right movement, founded 1976)

FANK (formerly FARK): Khmer National Armed Forces (Military component of Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic; founded 1953)

FARC: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Marxist, rural-based insurgency, founded 1966)

FIG: Fighting Islamic Group (Libya; advocates overthrow of Muammar Qadhafi’s government; founded 1995)

FISH MAN: Victim of transgenic experiments (restored to health by daughter’s flute-pipe)

FODEM: Democratic Forum for Modernity (Central African Republic; founded 1997)

FRELIMO: Mozambique Revolutionary Front (independence movement turned ruling party; fought lengthy civil war against RENAMO; founded 1962)

FUNCINPEC: National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (current royalist ruling party, founded 1981)

GERAKAN: Malaysian People’s Movement (center-left, non-racial party, founded 1968)

GIA: Armed Islamic Group (Algeria; terrorist group advocating overthrow of secular government; founded 1992)

GOLKAR: Functional Groups (Indonesia; state political party during the Suharto dictatorship; founded 1964)

GRAPO: First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (Spain; extreme left terrorist movement; founded 1975)

GRUNK: Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea (Cambodia; government in exile, closely linked to FUNK, the political-military National United Front, both founded 1970)

IRENE: Integration, Representation Message of Hope (Venezuela; personal political party of former Miss Universe and Caracas municipality mayor Irene Saez; founded 1992)

JEM: Army of Mohammed (Pakistan; fighting for annexation of Kashmir; founded 2000)

KISS: Keep it Straight and Simple Party (South Africa; advocates minimal government; founded 1994)

LORN: Lieutenant in the Galaxy Alliance

LOTOR: Warrior son of ZARKON (fell love with ALLURA)

LURD: Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (fought to oust president Charles Taylor; founded 2000)

MEP: Electoral Movement Party (Aruba; social-democratic party, founded 1971)

MILF: Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Philippines; Islamist insurgency in Mindanao; founded 1977)

MOGOR: Commander of the Doom Forces (refused to serve LOTOR when ZARKON was made to pilot a lookalike Robeast)

MOLIRENA: National Republican Liberal Movement (Panama; founded 1982)

PAGAD: People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (South Africa; community anti-crime group turned anti-Western terrorist organization; founded 1996)

PASOK: Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Greece; nationalist party; founded 1974)

PIDGE: Green lion pilot

PUDEMO: People’s United Democratic Movement (Swaziland; founded 1989)

RENAMO: National Resistance of Mozambique (right-wing insurgency backed by Rhodesian and South African governments; fought civil war against FRELIMO; founded 1976)

RUKH: Ukrainian People’s Movement for Restructuring (moderate nationalist party, founded 1988)

SLORC: State Law and Order Restoration Committee (Myanmar; military government, founded 1988)

SVEN: Blue lion pilot (killed early on, then resurrected; place in Lion Force taken by ALLURA)

SWAPO: Southwest Africa People’s Organization (Namibia; Marxist-Leninist insurgency, formed to fight South African colonial regime; founded 1960)

UNITA: National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (backed by South Africa, fought post-independence civil war against ruling MPLA government; founded 1966)

VOLTRICIA: Baby born during one of ZARKON’s village raids; named for Lion Force rescuers.

ZANU: Zimbabwe African National Union (fought civil war against white Rhodesian government; founded 1964)

ZARKON: Drule king of Planet Doom (father of LOTOR)