The NPA was formed in 1939 as a humanitarian organisation with emergency relief and development aid programmes. It was the voluntary organisation of the trade union movement. It started to support the liberation movements in Southern Africa financially during the 1970s and became the main channel for Norwegian assistance to the ANC.
The IISH holds many collections of the international trade union secretariats and international human rights organisations. It also holds the archives of most Dutch trade unions and Anti-apartheid Movements.
The CPN was founded in 1935 and existed till 1991 when it merged with other political parties. The Working Group South Africa of the Party organised its solidarity work with South Africa and maintained contacts with the national AAMs and international solidarity organisations.
Karel Roskam was a radio journalist with the progressive broadcaster Vara. He was also a member of Omroep voor Radio Freedom. He produced numerous radio programmes and interviewed many people during the period 1961-1992.
Karel Roskam was a radio journalist with the progressive broadcaster Vara. He was also a member of Omroep voor Radio Freedom. He produced numerous radio programmes and interviewed many people during the period 1961-1992.
Tom Newnham was a New Zealand political activist. He was involved in several causes, including attacking institutional racism in New Zealand, and opposing the 1981 Springbok Tour and apartheid in general. He was national president and secretary of the Citizens Association for Racial Equality (CARE) at various times.
Dr Dennis Vincent Brutus was a Zimbabwean-born South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to have apartheid South Africa banned from the Olympic Games. His efforts eventually led to the country’s expulsion from the Games in 1970. Following 18 months on Robben Island and another year of house arrest, Brutus and his family were allowed to leave South Africa, settling in London in 1966. In 1970 he moved to the USA, and was granted political asylum in 1983. He was president of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SAN-ROC).
Dr Dennis Vincent Brutus was a Zimbabwean-born South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to have apartheid South Africa banned from the Olympic Games. His efforts eventually led to the country’s expulsion from the Games in 1970. Following 18 months on Robben Island and another year of house arrest, Brutus and his family were allowed to leave South Africa, settling in London in 1966. In 1970 he moved to the USA, and was granted political asylum in 1983. He was president of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SAN-ROC).
Dr Dennis Vincent Brutus was a Zimbabwean-born South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to have apartheid South Africa banned from the Olympic Games. His efforts eventually led to the country’s expulsion from the Games in 1970. Following 18 months on Robben Island and another year of house arrest, Brutus and his family were allowed to leave South Africa, settling in London in 1966. In 1970 he moved to the USA, and was granted political asylum in 1983. He was president of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SAN-ROC).
Dr Dennis Vincent Brutus was a Zimbabwean-born South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to have apartheid South Africa banned from the Olympic Games. His efforts eventually led to the country’s expulsion from the Games in 1970. Following 18 months on Robben Island and another year of house arrest, Brutus and his family were allowed to leave South Africa, settling in London in 1966. In 1970 he moved to the USA, and was granted political asylum in 1983. He was president of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SAN-ROC).
The Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House (commonly known as Rhodes House Library), was opened in 1929. It specialises in the history and current affairs - political, economic and social - of the Commonwealth and sub-Saharan Africa, including the offshore islands.
WJH (Joe) Harris was a carpenter and member of the Queensland branch of the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia. He became a freelance journalist writing on the history of the labour movement. He played an active role in, amongst others, the campaign against the South African Springbok Rugby tour.
WJH (Joe) Harris was a carpenter and member of the Queensland branch of the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia. He became a freelance journalist writing on the history of the labour movement. He played an active role in, amongst others, the campaign against the South African Springbok Rugby tour.
WJH (Joe) Harris was a carpenter and member of the Queensland branch of the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia. He became a freelance journalist writing on the history of the labour movement. He played an active role in, amongst others, the campaign against the South African Springbok Rugby tour.
Hazel Rose Jones was a lifelong campaigner for social justice who became a leading activist of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Australia. In 1960 the Sharpeville massacre impelled Jones to the forefront of anti-apartheid activism. In 1967 she became a founding member of Friends of Africa in Sydney. She joined the Executive Committee of the Southern Africa Defence and Aid Fund (SADAF) in December 1970. She served as both Honorary Secretary of SADAF and of its successor, Community Aid Abroad (Australia) (CAASA).
The WRI was established in 1921 as an organisation against war. Its members refuse to support war or preparations for war in various forms, such as refusing to engage in military service, pay taxes to support the military, etc. It is fundamentally committed to nonviolent action as a form of social struggle. WRI has provided training in nonviolence and held a number of international conferences. WRI was involved with solidarity work with the End Conscription Campaign and the Conscientious Objectors Support Group, which was formally affiliated with WRI.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has produced numerous programmes about apartheid and the activities of Canadians against apartheid. Its first anti-apartheid programme dates back to 1961, and covers the Sharpeville massacre of 1960.
The ILO is a specialised agency of the UN, and was founded in 1919 to work for the betterment of people in their place of work under conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. It organised numerous conferences on South Africa and apartheid and was active on boycott issues related to workers’ rights.
In December 1916, a New Zealand branch of WILPF was established in Auckland. Branches in other cities were soon organised. In 1981 WILPF NZ organised a Women Against the Tour march in Auckland. Seven hundred people took part and 550 signed a petition, urging that the South African rugby team’s tour of NZ be cancelled. WILPF NZ members also took part in protests held when the tour went ahead. In 1989 the section’s name was officially changed to WILPF Aotearoa.
Cleveland Robinson was an African American trade union leader and civil rights activist and was active in anti-apartheid campaigns. In addition to his union activity, Robinson was a stalwart of the civil rights movement. He was administrative chairman and one of the key organizers of the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. A friend and advisor on labor matters to Martin Luther King, Jr, he was an active member of the National Urban League and the NAACP, a director of the Southern Christian leadership Council, and a trustee of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta, GA. He was also a leader in the struggle to mobilise American opposition to apartheid in South Africa and supported movements for labor and human rights in many African nations.
ES Reddy was born in India and moved to the USA to study at New York University. He held several positions at the United Nations and a driving force behind the Special Committee against Apartheid (of which he was Secretary from 1963 -1965) and its Centre against Apartheid (of which he was Director from 1976-1983). He also served as Director of the UN Trust Fund for South Africa and the Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa.
ES Reddy was born in India and moved to the USA to study at New York University. He held several positions at the United Nations and a driving force behind the Special Committee against Apartheid (of which he was Secretary from 1963 -1965) and its Centre against Apartheid (of which he was Director from 1976-1983). He also served as Director of the UN Trust Fund for South Africa and the Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa.
Hannah Stanton was a missionary and anti-apartheid activist who worked in South Africa and the UK. Following the increased violence and activities of the South African police, culminating in the Sharpeville Massacre of 21 March 1960, she found herself under surveillance. On 30 March 1960 she was arrested and held without charge, and without access to a lawyer until 21 May 1960, when she was deported to the UK. During this time she was held at Pretoria Central Gaol, where she shared a cell with Helen Joseph. After her deportation she became involved in various anti-apartheid campaigns, including those of the AAM.
ES Reddy was born in India and moved to the USA to study at New York University. He held several positions at the United Nations and a driving force behind the Special Committee against Apartheid (of which he was Secretary from 1963 -1965) and its Centre against Apartheid (of which he was Director from 1976-1983). He also served as Director of the UN Trust Fund for South Africa and the Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa.
John de Courcy Ireland was, amongst others, Secretary of the Central Branch of the Labour Party, and was involved in numerous progressive organisations. He had a distinguished and lifelong commitment to Irish and international maritime history and affairs, to radical politics and to humanism. He and his wife, Betty, were affiliated with The Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement. He was also a founding member of the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
Born in 1909 in Birmingham, Richard Albert Etheridge had a lifelong involvement with the Amalgamated Engineering Union. In 1940 he started work at the Austin Motor Co.'s Longbridge plant, and was elected shop steward in the following year. He was also elected secretary of the Austin AEU Shop Stewards' Committee. In 1946, Etheridge was elected to the AEU's Birmingham District Committee, remaining a member until 1965 when he was elected President of the newly-created Birmingham West District, a post he held until 1975. In 1963, and again from 1966 to 1974, he was elected an AEU to the annual Trades Union Congress. A lifelong supporter of the Communist Party, he helped formulate Party policy with regard to the motor industry, and stood as a candidate in the 1950 general election. From 1961 to 1973, Etheridge was a member of the Party's Executive Committee. He died in 1985.
The Coventry Labour Representation Committee was founded in December 1902. The Coventry Borough Labour Party, which grew out of it and was established in 1906, expanded its influence so that by 1923 Coventry had returned its first Labour MP. The party was instrumental in establishing the Coventry Anti-apartheid Committee in 1960. The early records of the party were destroyed during the blitz on the city in 1940, and the surviving records mostly date from after the war.
The Coventry Labour Representation Committee was founded in December 1902. The Coventry Borough Labour Party, which grew out of it and was established in 1906, expanded its influence so that by 1923 Coventry had returned its first Labour MP. The party was instrumental in establishing the Coventry Anti-apartheid Committee in 1960. The early records of the party were destroyed during the blitz on the city in 1940, and the surviving records mostly date from after the war.
The Coventry Labour Representation Committee was founded in December 1902. The Coventry Borough Labour Party, which grew out of it and was established in 1906, expanded its influence so that by 1923 Coventry had returned its first Labour MP. The party was instrumental in establishing the Coventry Anti-apartheid Committee in 1960. The early records of the party were destroyed during the blitz on the city in 1940, and the surviving records mostly date from after the war.
Frances E. Williams was a notable African-American actress and activist in Los Angeles from the early 1940s until her death in 1995. As an activist, she was an outspoken advocate for social justice and equality, and her political activism spanned outside her local community to around the world. She was most notably involved in the South African anti-apartheid movement and communist solidarity activities, including the National Anti-Imperialist Movement in Solidarity with African Liberations (NAIMSAL), the Los Angeles Chapter, and Art against Apartheid.
The Labour Movement Archives and Library hold substantial collections of the Swedish labour movement from around the 1950s. It holds records from political parties and other organisations as well. It concentrates on archives of the central and Stockholm-based local organisations. It holds a big Africa collection.
The Miners' International Federation was founded in Jolimont, Belgium in 1890. The MIF was affiliated with the International Labour Organisation, which organised numerous conferences on South Africa and apartheid and was active on boycott issues related to workers’ rights. In 1995 the MIF merged with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).
Mr A. Philip Randolph, an African American labour and civil rights activist, was a member of the Committee of Americans for South African Resistance (AFSAR), founded in 1952 to support the Defiance Campaign. He was also a member of the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) and headed the Committee on Conscience against Apartheid, formed by ACOA. He was very active in the End Loans campaigns.
In December 1989, the Federated Cooks and Stewards of NZ, the NZ Seamen's Union and the North Shore Ferry Employees merged to form the NZ Seafarers' Union. The Maritime Union of New Zealand was formed in 2002 when the New Zealand Waterfront Workers’ Union and the New Zealand Seafarers’ Union joined together.
The TUC is a federation of trade unions in the UK which started in 1868. It gave direct support to unions in South Africa and was active in boycott campaigns nationally and internationally.
The TUC is a federation of trade unions in the UK which started in 1868. It gave direct support to unions in South Africa and was active in boycott campaigns nationally and internationally.
NZAAM merged with HART in 1980 to form HART: NZAAM. It became one of the major AAMs in New Zealand and was very active in boycott campaigns and actively lobbied the government to take a strong stance against apartheid. In the last decade of its existence it focused increasingly on race issues in New Zealand.
Prexy Nesbitt is an activist and academic from Chicago who was active in the struggle to end apartheid and worked to end colonialism in Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Namibia. He founded the Antioch Committee for a Free South Africa, which succeeded after a ten-year campaign to achieve the divestment of Antioch College’s holdings from companies involved with apartheid. Nesbitt worked for the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) where he coordinated the National Committee to Oppose Bank Loans to South Africa from 1976-1979. From 1979-1983 he was Program Director for the Program to Combat Racism of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. He has also worked for the Institute for Policy Studies, the American Friends Service Committee and Africa Action.
Rutgers University, New Jersey, holds a collection of materials related to anti-apartheid and divestment activities. It includes material on the Coalition in Solidarity with South African Liberations and the Rutgers Coalition for Total Divestment.
The Antigua and Barbuda AAO was affiliated with the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), a radical socialist and Pan-African political party founded in 1968. The party supported anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa and organised African Liberation Day celebrations in Antigua.
The ICS has a substantial collection of papers concerning the ant-apartheid struggle including the papers of Ruth First, Mary Benson, Baruch Hirson and many ANC documents.
The Antigua and Barbuda AAO was affiliated with the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), a radical socialist and Pan-African political party founded in 1968. The party supported anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa and organised African Liberation Day celebrations in Antigua.
The Antigua and Barbuda AAO was affiliated with the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), a radical socialist and Pan-African political party founded in 1968. The party supported anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa and organised African Liberation Day celebrations in Antigua.
The Antigua and Barbuda AAO was affiliated with the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), a radical socialist and Pan-African political party founded in 1968. The party supported anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa and organised African Liberation Day celebrations in Antigua.
The Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) is affiliated with the National Security Archive. DNSA holds a document collection of US government responses to historical events in South Africa. The primary source documents deal with most aspects of US policy towards apartheid South Africa, including sanctions, embargoes and nuclear collaboration.
The archives and library of the EU holds many materials, not only dealing with the EEC’s position on apartheid but also many national and international AAMs.
This national movement of local municipalities against apartheid organised solidarity campaigns, did information work and worked towards a boycott of South Africa in their own cities.
The Hoover Institution at Stanford University holds a substantial collection of materials related to South Africa. Its South African subject collection contains documents, campaign materials, press clippings, photographs and other audio-visual materials covering several countries and international organisations involved in the anti-apartheid struggle.
The Herskovits Library has a substantial African poster collection with over 4000 posters. Part of the collection is digitised. One of the themes is anti-apartheid organisations in the 1970s and 1980s.
Reverend Terence McCaughey is a Presbyterian minister, and served as president of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement. He is currently the president of Irish anti-war lobby group Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA), and is a former spokesman for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
Film producer and director Peter Davis was born and raised in England. He later emigrated to Sweden, and then North America. He became deeply involved in the anti-apartheid movement, and founded Villon Films in 1970. Davis has written, produced, and directed more than 70 documentaries.
Pieter Boersma is an Amsterdam-based photographer who had worked with the national AAMs and the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPAA) for many years. He took photographs of demonstrations and conferences, and visited projects of the ANC in Africa. He also attended numerous international anti-apartheid conferences.
The State Archives collection focuses mainly on the Dutch squatter movement, and includes material related to the movement's activities against apartheid. The movement carried out radical actions against companies dealing with South Africa, and operated in a semi-underground manner. The archive is housed at the International Institute for Social History in Amsterdam.
The Sterling Library holds the South African Apartheid Collection. It contains many documents of American and international pressure groups, as well as documents of the American government. It covers the period 1961-1991, but the bulk of the materials are from 1985-1988.
'The Road to Democracy in South Africa' is a series of books published by the South African Democratic Education Trust (SADET). Volume 3 is dedicated to the International Solidarity movement and organisations. Volume 5 deals with the African Solidarity movement.
The African Activists Archive Project at Michigan State University works to preserve the history of US organisations and people in the struggle against apartheid. The very substantial website contains a directory of archives with descriptions. The project also has a substantial section on organisations outside the USA.
The Free South Africa Committee operated in Edmonton. It was a community-based organisation that supported the boycott of South Africa and was also involved in direct material support of the liberation movements in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It was especially active in schools in Edmonton.
Prexy Nesbitt is an activist and academic from Chicago who was active in the struggle to end apartheid and worked to end colonialism in Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Namibia. He founded the Antioch Committee for a Free South Africa, which succeeded after a ten-year campaign to achieve the divestment of Antioch College’s holdings from companies involved with apartheid. Nesbitt worked for the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) where he coordinated the National Committee to Oppose Bank Loans to South Africa from 1976-1979. From 1979-1983 he was Program Director for the Program to Combat Racism of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. He has also worked for the Institute for Policy Studies, the American Friends Service Committee and Africa Action.
The international movement of solidarity with the struggle for freedom in South Africa was arguably the biggest social movement the world has seen. Virtually every country in the world has a history of anti-apartheid activity, in diverse forms. In many countries, anti-apartheid activities were linked (formally or informally) with local struggles against oppression of many kinds. Most anti-apartheid movements (AAMs) did not restrict their activities to South Africa, but supported liberation movements in Southern Africa more broadly. Besides individual countries, a range of regional and international organisations added their voices to the struggles against apartheid.
What follows is an overview of some of the extant archival records of this extraordinary history. It is a first step towards a more comprehensive picture; it is at this point but a marker.
