The British Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), founded in 1959, encouraged people to collectively join the struggle for human rights, equality, and democracy in South Africa. It has been described as “the most widespread and successful non-party political organisation of the twentieth century”.
The UK and South Africa share close political, economic, and cultural links that were shaped by a shared colonial history. The sheer depth of this relationship left almost no part of Britain untouched by political, economic, and cultural connections to apartheid. For example, even Dundee’s Chamber of Commerce sent regular trade missions to South Africa, while representatives of the apartheid government were invited to events organised by the Welsh Arts Council. As the anti-apartheid struggle gradually evolved, dedicated activists across the UK were able to expose and campaign against these links.
The aim of the AAM was to communicate and frame the injustices of apartheid to the public and to mobilise them into action. Although opposition to apartheid may seem uncontentious today, at times the AAM struggled to challenge entrenched political and economic interests and to change public attitudes. The reluctance of the British government to take decisive action was framed by Cold War concerns and fears over domestic job losses if sanctions were imposed. This was no simple task and one that took commitment, perseverance, and determination. The history of the anti-apartheid struggle in Britain is therefore the story of thousands of ordinary people, who devoted enormous amounts of time and energy to help the cause.
By the 1980s, the AAM was an impactful social movement with a national platform. For more than three decades it launched a range of innovative campaigns, the most recognisable being those against international sports teams visiting South Africa, musicians who toured South Africa, and crucially, multinationals such as Barclays Bank and Shell who continued to do business with the country.
One of the greatest successes of this international solidarity campaign was to promote Nelson Mandela as the embodiment of the struggle in the 1980s. The Free Nelson Mandela campaign provided a powerful symbol that acted as a focal point for resistance. This was epitomised by the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute at Wembley Stadium in 1988, which made him the most famous prisoner in the world. Only a year before, the then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher had called the ANC, which Mandela led, a “typical terrorist organisation”.
The anti-apartheid cause steady emergence into a widespread and popular British movement was backed by the existence of a network of local groups. The AAM encouraged the creation of local groups across Britain to ensure that it could build a nationwide base of supporters, raise greater awareness of apartheid, and enable multiple opportunities for people to participate in acts of solidarity. By 1987, there were 187 local AAM groups, which represented almost every region in Britain.
Perhaps the most significant element of anti-apartheid activism was the sense of individual agency it provided to this international cause. Ordinary people could make small, often very personal choices regarding consumerism or leisure activities, which collectively created a national momentum that did impact South Africa, and its allies. The anti-apartheid campaign enabled people to think globally but act locally. The most common example was the boycott of South African products, or the pickets of local shops organised by AAM groups, and other allied organisations. For instance, activists campaigned against the Scottish-based supermarket William Low’s, and the Exeter group created a local apartheid free shopping guide.
