Amandla Ngawethu Matla ke a Rona
SAHA T-shirt archive, photographed for Common, curated by Khanya Mashabela for Common, 6 May–26 July 2023. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
Title
Amandla Ngawethu Matla ke a Rona
Date
1980s
Type
Archival garment
Digital record
Digital record
Associated organisations
African National Congress (ANC)
Dimensions
57 x 78 cm
AMANDLA NGAWETHU MATLA KE A RONA PEOPLE`S VICTORY DIE STRYD DUUR VOORT A LUTA CONTINUA (front)
The slogans emblazoned on the T-shirt includes multiple languages. Translated to English, the T-shirt says "The power is ours" in isiXhosa and isiZulu, and then again in Sesotho, Setswana, and Sepedi. "The struggle continues" in Afrikaans, and again in Portuguese.
The exact date and origins of the T-shirt are unclear, but based on similar designs (as seen in the book Images of Defiance: South African Posters of the 1980s), it seems most likely that it was produced in the 1980s.
