Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before his release in February 1990. During that time, a global anti-apartheid campaign took off, and his international influence grew exponentially. Below are some of the posters used in the campaign.
1967
Organization in Solidarity With the People of Africa, Asia and Latin America. From the personal archive of Lincoln Cushing.
1967
In November 1962, the General Assembly called upon members of the United Nations to impose economic sanctions on South Africa because of its policy of racial segregation.
1968
Organization in Solidarity With the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America, by Berta Abelenda. From the personal archive of Lincoln Cushing.
1968
Although the United States had condemned the apartheid in the 1960s, it would take nearly two decades for the American government to impose strict sanctions.
1970
Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives Committee. Design by Malcolm Gluck.
1970
This poster was from a campaign by the British Anti-Apartheid Movement. The organization forced the cancellation of a 1970 tour of Britain by the all-white South African cricket team.
Christabel Gurney, former editor of the Anti-Apartheid Movement’s newspaper, talks about the campaign against the tour.
1977
Page of a calendar from the American Committee on Africa. Original poster by Birgit Walker. From the Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections.
1977
The illustration is an homage to Hector Petersen, a student killed during the uprising in the Soweto township of Johannesburg (photo). In June 1976, students rose up against the government’s decision to enforce education in Afrikaans. More than 570 people were killed in the months of violence that followed. The uprising was a turning point for the resistance.
Sam Nzima
1979
Dutch Anti-Apartheid Movement. From the Southern Africa archive project, International Institute of Social History.
1979
This poster, titled “Total Economic and Military Boycott of South Africa,” was designed for the Dutch Anti-Apartheid Movement. It shows several Dutch companies that were then doing business with South Africa and was part of a campaign calling for a boycott.
Kier Schuringa, former archivist of the Dutch Anti-Apartheid Movement, talks about the anti-apartheid movement in Europe.
1980
From the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives Committee.
1980
In March 1980, South Africa’s Sunday Post newspaper published a petition for the release of Nelson Mandela. The British Anti-Apartheid Movement produced a campaign in support, which was endorsed by trade unions, artists, academics and many members of the British Parliament.
1980
Design by David King. From the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives Committee.
1980
This poster was created for a rally commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, a statement by the South African Congress Alliance, an association of groups opposed to apartheid. The charter called for equal rights for all races in South Africa.
1981
MASS Divest. From the Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections.
1981
This poster was part of a campaign for a bill requiring Massachusetts pension funds to sell stocks and bonds in companies doing business in South Africa. The bill passed in 1982. Several other American states and cities passed similar legislation.
1981
Liberation Support Movement. Design by Rupert Garcia. From the Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections.
1981
During the 1970s and 1980s, many North American groups campaigned in support of national liberation movements in Africa. This poster was created for the Liberation Support Movement, which was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, and had branches in California and New York.
1982
Illustration by Dumile Feni. From the David Wiley African Poster Collection, Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections.
1982
In the early 1980s, local groups worked to explain apartheid to the American public. This poster was created for a two-part forum on South Africa and apartheid, held at a high school in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Richard Knight, from the African Activist Archive Project at Michigan State University, talks about the anti-apartheid movement in the United States.
1984
From the Inkworks Press Poster Archive.
1984
In the mid-1980s, a campaign to impose economic sanctions on South Africa gained support among American politicians and artists, like the actor Danny Glover, who is featured in this poster.
1988
From the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives Committee.
1988
A concert by the British Anti-Apartheid Movement brought 72,000 people to London’s Wembley Stadium in June 1988, as part of the “Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70” campaign. Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and Sting were among the performers. The concert was broadcast to 60 countries.
1990
From the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives Committee.
1990
This poster celebrated Mr. Mandela’s release from prison in February 1990 and called for the release of other South African political prisoners. Mr. Mandela visited Britain in April and spoke at a concert at Wembley Stadium.
1990
From the Inkworks Press Poster Archive.
1990
In June 1990, Mr. Mandela embarked on an eight-city American tour. A crowd of 58,000 people attended his appearance in Oakland, Calif.
1994
From the private collection of Gerald Lenoir, retrieved from the African Activist Archive Project.
1994
This button is from the 1994 South African presidential campaign, the first democratic non-apartheid elections in the country.
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