The Motshabi Commission Report
The Motshabi Commission Report On 2 May 1975, the Motshabi Commission delivered an interim report on the condition of the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) existing People’s Army abroad. The “Commission on the State of Affairs in Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in East Africa” was established by the ANC Revolutionary Council on 17 April 1975, with a mandate to investigate the causes of and possible remedies for the “deterioration of the standard of military life and…
18 April World Heritage Day: From Kongwa to Freedom Park
18 April World Heritage Day: From Kongwa to Freedom Park On 18 April, World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is celebrated annually to promote awareness of cultural heritage, diversity, and the importance of preserving historical sites and monuments. Established in 1983 by The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the day highlights the vulnerability of…
Oliver Tambo – The Spirit of Bandung
Oliver Tambo – The Spirit of Bandung (On 18 – 24 April 1955, the first large-scale Afro–Asian Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference, which was a meeting of Asian and African states, most of which were newly independent, took place in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. We take extracts of an Address to the International Conference in Support of the Liberation Movements of Southern Africa and in Support of the Frontline States by O. R.…
Ray Alexander: Women’s Federation – Thirty Years
Ray Alexander: Women’s Federation – Thirty Years (Sechaba Interview with Ray Alexander on the 30 th Anniversary of the Federation of South African Women, Sechaba, April 1984). On the 17th of April 1954, the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) was born at a conference attended by more than 150 delegates representing over 230 000 women. Representatives of women’s organisations came from different areas of South Africa, including many towns in the Cape, as well…
Fidel Castro: What the Imperialists Cannot Forgive
Fidel Castro: What the Imperialists Cannot Forgive On 16 April 1961, shortly before the United States’ Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, Fidel Castro proclaimed the “socialist” character of the Cuban revolution. Following the attack on Cuban airfields on 15 April 1961 to prepare the way for the Bay of Pigs invasion two days later, Fidel Castro gave a speech on 16 April to honour the seven Cubans killed during the attack. Convinced that the…
15 April World Art Day: Evoking the Medu Arts Ensemble
15 April World Art Day: Evoking the Medu Arts Ensemble April 15 is celebrated annually as World Art Day, which was a global initiative dedicated to promoting the understanding, development, diffusion and enjoyment of art, as well as strengthening the connection between artistic creations and society. This day, which initiated by the International Association of Art (IAA) in 2012, was proclaimed in 2019 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), highlighting the…
Boycott All SA Racist Sports: UN Special Committee on Apartheid
Boycott All SA Racist Sports: UN Special Committee on Apartheid (Amended version of the Editorial Notes, “S.A. Racialism and World Sport”, The African Communist, No. 42, Third Quarter 1970). On 14 April 1970, the United Nations Special Committee on Apartheid urged a boycott of all South African racist sporting organisations and supported the African bloc’s proposal to exclude the country from both the Munich Olympics and the Olympic Movement itself. Subsequently, on 15 May 1970,…