African National Congress
Video Interviews
"Whenever you mentioned their name at home, older people used to shiver ... and hush you quickly ..." Video interview segment with Shepi Mati [1:27]
June 18, 2007 Cape Town, South Africa.
"Fortunately, 1976 came as a gift of liberation I would say... It reopened up everything that was beginning to rot in me." Video interview segment with Roseberry Sonto [3:03]
2007 Cape Town, South Africa.
"I remember at Victor Verster, on one Christmas, in 1986, we made an ANC flag design in prison, and we had a Christmas celebration in an ANC mode." Video interview segment with Roseberry Sonto [4:44]
2007 Cape Town, South Africa.
"We had switched from non-violence to violence... There was just no more avenues of peaceful protest left." Video interview segment with Ahmed Kathrada [2:38]
March 24, 2006 East Lansing, Michigan, United States.
"The ANC had to take the decision whether they should take the struggle one step higher ... and involve the ANC in armed struggle." Video interview segment with Laloo Chiba [2:14]
June 16, 2007 Cape Town, South Africa.
"Walter and Madiba said to me that we have a responsibility, that these people, just as much as we, were victims of apartheid." Video interview segment with Laloo Chiba [3:06]
June 16, 2007 Cape Town, South Africa.
"This towering man spoke for about three hours... It was the first time the Indians had heard an African... He was a natural leader." Video interview segment with Kader Asmal [2:30]
Durban, South Africa.
Summary
Founded in 1912 as the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), the ANC initially worked within the law to oppose racial oppression. The ANC was banned in 1960 but continued to function underground inside South Africa and in exile. In 1961, the previously non-violent ANC adopted a policy of armed resistance, establishing Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) or MK as its armed wing. President F. W. de Klerk removed the ban on the ANC in 1990 and ANC leaders engaged in negotiations with white leaders which led to the 1994 democratic elections. The ANC is the dominant political party in South Africa, having won more than two-thirds of the vote in the 2004 national elections.Related Multimedia Resources:
Web Documents
Historical Document: "Programme of Action: Statement of Policy Adopted at the ANC Annual Conference"
December 17, 1949
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December 17, 1949
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Personal Letter: "Exchange of Correspondence between the African National Congress, the South African Indian Congress, and the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa between 21 January and 20 February 1952"
By D.U. Mistry, Y.A. Cachalla, Y.M. Dadoo, M. Aucamp, W.M. Sisulu, J.S. Moroka 1952
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By D.U. Mistry, Y.A. Cachalla, Y.M. Dadoo, M. Aucamp, W.M. Sisulu, J.S. Moroka 1952
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Interview: Walter Sisulu interview by George Houser
September 1954
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September 1954
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Historical Document: 'The struggle is my life': Press Statement Issued on 26 June 1961
By Nelson Mandela [more info]
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By Nelson Mandela [more info]
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Resource: "Conscripts to Their Age: African National Congress Operational Strategy, 1976-1986"
By Howard Barrell 1993
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By Howard Barrell 1993
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Recommended Websites
African National Congress - Political and Liberation Organisations
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