The Struggle over Information and Interpretation

Abstract

During the period of the international Anti-Apartheid struggle, antiapartheid activists all over the world came to realize the increasing importance of media work in order to mobilize national public opinion and influence governments. The British AAM developed contacts with journalists working for large established newspapers, such as The Sunday Times, in the early 1960s.¹ If many other organizations came later, it is fair to say that in the 1980s, media work dominated the activities of most Anti-Apartheid organizations outside of South Africa.

It is my personal belief that there has been no other liberation movement in modern history that has coincided with the media revolution in such a way and exploited it, and used it, sometimes accidental, certainly initially accidental, but waking up alongside that.

Tariq Mellet (Patric de Goede), ANC

Every political movement, it’s success or failure, is dependent on what sort of coverage it gets in the media. It’s different from a repressive society, but you are dependent to get your message across.

Bertil Högberg, the Africa Groups

So your question is really, what did we do, what was our strategy? I think that certainly to cultivate particular journalists, which we did, quite effectively.

Ethel de Keyser, AAM