1981-82: SOUTH AFRICA EDUCATION SERIES

In 1981, WPIRG took the lead in educating campus on one of the most important political issues of the modern era: apartheid in South Africa and the African continent. Programming centred around women-led, worker-organized, and national liberation movements in South Africa (such as the ANC, later led by the revolutionary Nelson Mandela). Programming critically highlighted Canada’s complicity in upholding the white settler regime and emphasized strategies for action.

A close look at the programming and posters of the time maps out a campus active at a critical moment of resistance, global awakening, and solidarity.

From the below 1981 info sheet:

“Southern Africa remains the last bastion of white rule and colonialism in Africa today. Mozambique and Zimbabwe have only recently achieved independence, and liberation struggles are presently underway in Namibia. The crucial step is, undoubtedly, the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa.”

“Ms. Adjee emphasized the significance of international solidarity and urged us not to underestimate the effect on morale of solidarity actions taking place in Canada. She stated that information about such actions does get passed on to ANC members within South Africa and that this contributes enormously to maintaining the morale of freedom fighters.”

Divestment was a central strategy of international solidarity action and played a major role in dismantling South African apartheid by 1990 (officially — its legacies are undoubtedly still alive today) .

“Despite the blatant abuses and denial of human rights perpetrated by the government of South Africa, investment in South Africa by Canadian companies and chartered banks continues […] Banks claim that they continue loaning money to South Africa because such loans will have liberalizing effects by making the South African economy flourish. Unfortunately, history would seem to indicate that this liberalizing effect is unlikely. In the last 30 years our loans have brought only further repression.

The pass laws are being more strictly enforced now than ever before. The government is spending more and more on crowd control equipment and enforcing censorship laws against anyone who speaks out against the injustices. More and more people are being locked away without trial.”