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Namibia SWAPO Will Make the Sun Rise

A work made of screenprint in red and black on white wove paper.

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  • A work made of screenprint in red and black on white wove paper.

Date:

1981

Artist:

Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele
South African, 1948-1985

About this artwork

South Africa conquered Namibia from Germany during World War I and ruled the country as a province from 1915 to 1990. Under this occupation, black Namibians were subjected to apartheid laws and denied political rights, economic opportunity, and social freedoms.

This broadside and the adjacent one were made to support the South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO), a Namibian political party that led the country to independence in 1990. When Thamsanqa Mnyele presented the initial poster (left) to the Medu collective for feedback, fellow artist Mongane Wally Serote jokingly remarked that the language read like an advertisement for detergent. Unfazed, Mnyele streamlined his language and made a bolder depiction of the SWAPO guerrillas (right).

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele

Title

Namibia SWAPO Will Make the Sun Rise

Place

South Africa (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1981

Medium

Screenprint in red and black on white wove paper

Dimensions

61 × 42.8 cm (24 1/16 × 16 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Artworkers Retirement Society

Reference Number

2018.437

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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