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Call number
Sc MIRS South
Physical description
19 moving_image_recordings
Language
English
Preferred Citation
South Africa Apartheid news programs collection, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division, The New York Public Library
Sponsor
An anonymous donor funded preliminary processing for this collection. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supported a research library-wide grant for the digitization, and funded the Schomburg for the description and production of the finding aid as part of The Next Century of Black Studies Project.
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division
Access to materials
Appointment preferred: Request an in-person research appointment.

The South Africa Apartheid news programs collection consists of nineteen videos, primarily compilations of news and other television programs from 1985 and 1986, documenting the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

Biographical/historical information

In 1985, South Africa, under President P.W. Botha, faced intensified anti-apartheid resistance. Imprisoned African National Congress deputy leader Nelson Mandela had rejected Botha's offer for conditional release at the beginning of the year, and in July, Botha declared a partial State of Emergency to suppress protests and boycotts, giving security forces vast powers to detain people without trial, ban organizations, and censor news coverage. Security forces made mass arrests in a brutal crackdown on protesters throughout the country, while internationally, civilians, artists, activists, and organizations engaged in protests, demonstrations, and divestment campaigns to demand the end of apartheid.

On August 15th, Botha delivered a highly anticipated speech, known as the Rubicon speech, declaring that his government would not give in to outside demands. In the US, public and congressional pressure urged the Reagan administration to implement sanctions against South Africa, which led President Reagan to issue an executive order imposing limited sanctions. Anti-apartheid leaders and a bipartisan majority in Congress viewed these actions as insufficient. In response, Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (CAAA) in 1986, which banned most new US trade and investment with South Africa, and overrode Reagan's veto.

The 1985 emergency was a precursor to a more severe, country-wide State of Emergency declared in June 1986.

Scope and arrangement

The South Africa Apartheid news programs collection consists of nineteen videos, primarily compilations of news and other television programs from 1985 and 1986, documenting South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle. They are arranged chronologically. Item titles are devised based on the content of the recordings. Item dates represent likely broadcast dates.

News programs were broadcast on channels including ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, C-SPAN, FOX 5, NBC, and PBS. Television programs include 60 Minutes, Bill Moyers Journal, Larry King Live, Like It Is, and The Phil Donahue Show. Documentaries and special programs include Allan Boesak: Choosing for Justice (1984); Apartheid's People (1985), a three-part MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour special series on the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa; Land of Fear, Land of Courage (1982); Lights, Action, Africa! (1981), an African wildlife documentary; "No Easy Walk to Freedom" on Bill Moyers Journal, based on Nelson Mandela's book of the same name; and "South Africa: A Gathering Storm" on Eyewitness News.

Recurring appearances include Herbert Beukes, South African ambassador to the US from 1985 to 1986; Allan Boesak, South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric, politician, and anti-apartheid activist; P.W. Botha, South African president from 1984 to 1989; Clive Derby-Lewis, South African politician with the Conservative Party; Jerry Falwell, American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist; Walter Fauntroy, American civil rights activist and Washington DC delegate; Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister; Winnie Mandela, South African politician, anti-apartheid activist, and second wife of Nelson Mandela; Robert McFarlane, national security advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1983 to 1985; and Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican bishop, theologian, and anti-apartheid and human rights activist.

Administrative information

Processing information

Collection inventoried by Christopher Arena. Collection processed and described by Ornella U. Baganizi, archivist. Finding aid published in 2026.

Related Material

South Africa Black Consciousness Movement audio collection, Sc MIRS South Africa 1991-62.

South Africa news collection, Sc MIRS 2010.

Recordings related to South Africa can also be found in Series II: Winnie Mandela Research, Gloria Foster audio and moving image collection, Sc MIRS Foster 2008-17.

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Third Floor

Access to materials

Appointment preferred: Request an in-person research appointment.