Free Mandela

The Festival of African Sounds at Alexandra Palace in north London, marking Nelson Mandela’s 65th birthday in July 1983,  was the first big concert held for Mandela. It featured new music by African musicians. The all-star line-up included Hugh Masekela, Jazz Afrika, Dudu Pukwana and the Ipi Tombi dancers. The concert was sponsored by the Musicians Union, the Arts Council and Greater London Arts Association.

Poster advertising the Festival of African Sounds, held at Alexandra Palace, north London on 17 July 1983, the eve of Nelson Mandela’s 65th birthday. The concert featured new music by African musicians. The all-star line-up included Hugh Masekela, Jazz Afrika, Dudu Pukwana and the Ipi Tombi dancers. The concert was organised by the AAM and sponsored by the Musicians Union, Arts Council and Greater London Arts Association.

Mug telling the story of a black South African worker sentenced to 18 months in gaol for writing ‘Release Nelson Mandela’ on his tea mug.

T-shirt first produced by Barnet Anti-Apartheid Group in 1982 for the campaign to free Nelson Mandela. The group pioneered the production of T-shirts publicising AAM campaigns. From the late 1970s it produced T-shirts and sweatshirts in a range of colours featuring the AAM logo. 

In 1982 Leeds City Council renamed the gardens in front of Leeds City Hall Nelson Mandela Gardens.

Leeds City Council formally welcomed ANC representative Ruth Mompati to Leeds in the winter of 1982. In the picture with Ruth Mompati is the Deputy Lord Mayor Rose Lund. The Council named the gardens in front of the Civic Hall the Nelson Mandela Gardens. Leeds was one of many local authorities to show its opposition to apartheid in the 1980s.

Over 2,000 mayors from 56 countries signed a declaration calling for the release of Nelson Mandela in 1982. The Declaration was initiated by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Michael Kelly, after Glasgow conferred the Freedom of the City on Mandela. This booklet lists the mayors who signed the Declaration.

These stickers reproduced the logo for the 1982-83 ‘Release Mandela!’ campaign. The logo was used on material advertising events organised under the umbrella of the Free Nelson Mandela Co-ordinating Committee.