ISBN: HB: 9780300254341

Yale University Press

July 2020

160 pp.

29,2x21,6 cm

115 colour illus., 17 black&white illus.

HB:
£30.00
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People Shall Govern!

Medu Art Ensemble and the Anti-Apartheid Poster, 1979-1985

Formed in the late 1970s, Medu Art Ensemble forcefully articulated a call to end the apartheid system's racial segregation and violent injustice through posters that combined revolutionary imagery with bold slogans. Advocating for decolonization and majority (nonwhite) rule in South Africa and neighboring countries, Medu members were persecuted by the South African Defense Force and operated in exile across the border in Botswana.

"The People Shall Govern!" features nearly all the surviving posters that Medu created between 1979 and 1985. These objects are exceedingly rare, as they were originally smuggled into South Africa and mounted in public places, where they were regularly confiscated or torn down on sight. Offering new insight into the conceptual framework of Medu's working practice and featuring a beautiful silkscreened cover, this volume examines the continuing relevance and impact of its poster production.

About the author

Antawan I. Byrd is associate curator in the Department of Photography, and Felicia Mings is academic curator in the Department of Academic Engagement and Research, both at the Art Institute of Chicago.