Our history

Detaljer

Senast uppdaterad torsdag, 04 november 2010 14:26

Our history as part of the Swedish anti-apartheid movement

Swedish South Africa Committee

In 1961 a Swedish South Africa Committee was founded as an umbrella organisation to engage Swedish NGOs around the objective to start a consumers boycott of South African goods. The aim was also to get the Swedish government to apply sanctions against apartheid South Africa. The Committee later included support for the armed liberation struggle in its platform.

The Committee succeeded in getting some local authorities, state owned companies and co-operative organisations to stop using South African products. The Swedish South Africa Committee dominated the anti-apartheid work in Sweden during the 1960s, but its activities decreased for various reasons, and other organizations stepped in.

Africa Groups of Sweden (AGIS) 1974 - 1992

In 1974, a national solidarity organisation, the Africa Groups of Sweden (AGIS), was formed by five local Africa Groups. The objective was to support the liberation struggle in Southern Africa against colonialism, imperialism and racism, and give unconditional support to the liberation movements.

The first priority for the early Africa Groups was mobilising support for the struggle in the then Portuguese colonies. After the Portuguese colonial empire collapsed, campaign focus shifted over to ANC, SWAPO and the Patriotic Front, in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, while development co-operation was established with the newly independent countries.

AGIS early established itself as an information and knowledge centre on Southern Africa, used by many organisations of different orientations. This position, and the close links to the representatives of the liberation movements, gave weight to lobbying efforts to influence the Swedish government and institutions. While AGS as a lobby group did not agree with the sanction politics of the Swedish government, common ground was often found to jointly increase support to the struggle. Campaigns, fundraising and information activities gradually grew.

Tours with African guests were arranged annually. This gave liberation movements and other partners opportunity to present their view and respond to grass-root questions. AGIS published books, booklets and other information material and arranged conferences and seminars on different subjects. The international co-operation with other anti-apartheid organizations became intensive, especially with the other Nordic countries.

The Africa Groups Recruitment Organisation (ARO) 1978-1992

When Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau became independent states in 1975, the need for health care personnel, teachers and administrators was immense. The new governments asked the solidarity movements and governments that earlier had supported the freedom struggle to help. In 1978, AGIS' fast growing solidarity and development cooperation made it necessary to form a special organisation to cope with the many and complex logistic problems.

The Africa Groups' Recruitment Organisation (ARO), started up in Mozambique, then went on to work in Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and Angola, and later also in independent Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. During the struggle, ARO also supported ANC's freedom college, SOMAFCO, in Tanzania and SWAPO's refugee camp, Kwanza Sul, in Angola with material and volunteers. The volunteers were mainly engaged in health care and education.

Isolate South Africa Committee (ISAK) 1979 - 1995

In 1978 AGIS, in collaboration with some political and Christian youth organizations, initiated the establishment of the Isolate South Africa Committee (ISAK). ISAK was constituted in January 1979.

The mission was to arrange an annual campaign for isolating apartheid South Africa using the following slogans:

• Do not buy South African products;

• Free the Political Prisoners;

• Dismantle Swedish Investments in South Africa;

• No Trade with South Africa;

• No Sport or Cultural Exchange with official South Africa;

• Support the Liberation Struggle;

• Support ANC;

• South Africa Out of Namibia;

• Support SWAPO.

These were also the objectives of the organization.

All national Swedish organizations, which could agree with these objectives, were welcome to become members under the ISAK umbrella. AGIS, with its focus on Southern Africa, worked closely with ISAK.

ISAK became a very influential lobby organisation. Private and official decision-makers had to take ISAC into consideration when planning their activities involving Southern Africa in some way. At its peak, ISAK had 70 member organisations representing around 1.5 million people. All sectors of the Swedish society were represented except for the business sector, the Conservative party and the extreme right wing parties, all of whom choose to stay out.

Several campaigns ran in parallel over the years and tours with representatives for ANC, SWAPO, African trade unions and others were organised.

Together with the Africa Groups of Sweden, ISAK participated in annual Nordic meetings to co-ordinate the solidarity work in the different Nordic countries and also arranged information meetings with the Frontline states' ambassadors to the Nordic countries. ISAK also took part in the international anti-apartheid co-operation.

In 1986 the whole Swedish anti-apartheid movement was assembled for a so-called People's Parliament arranged by ISAK and the Swedish UN Association which manifested the broad and vital popular opinion for strong action against apartheid.

ISAK was dismantled in 1995 when the aims of the organisation were reached and the people of Namibia and South Africa had elected parliament and government in their countries.

The Africa Groups of Sweden after 1992

For the Africa Groups of Sweden the period 1992-94 meant completing and rounding up the campaign work of sanctions and preparing for a new era. A new, more low profile umbrella, the Network Southern Africa, was formed to support in particular local initiatives. Former ISAK national member organizations mainstreamed their South Africa and Southern Africa work.

From the mid 1980s, AGIS had handled part of the Swedish governmental aid to different legal organisations and institutions in South Africa and Namibia in one or another way active against apartheid. This aid included health care policy and land reforms, as well as media, supporting education of black journalists and publications such as Weekly Mail, Work in Progress, Vrye Veekblad and others. When apartheid eventually collapsed and Namibia became independent it was natural for AGIS to support the reconstruction of South Africa and Namibia.

Joining ARO and AGIS

As their objectives thus came to be very similar, the Africa Groups Recruitment Organisation (ARO) and AGIS re-merged in 1992, under the name of Africa Groups of Sweden (AGS). Membership was also opened for support groups, organisations and institutions. AGS has since grown gradually, adapting to changing work conditions, retaining its profile as a well-informed, small, with around 2000 members, but active organisation. It retains its role as the main organisation in Sweden with a focus on Southern Africa.

A unique feature compared to most of our former anti-apartheid colleagues is that we continue to combine the traditional political mobilisation work at home with development co-operation activities in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

A significant part of AGS activities takes place in Sweden, where we carry out various activities such as lobbying, fundraising, campaigning, civic education, and information, to contribute to a more diverse image of Africa. Our campaign and lobby activities have turned to global issues like debt relief and fair trade, to mobilise for local activities and to influence the Swedish government to become more active on the international scene on these issues. In this, our continued presence and close relations to our partners in the region, give weight and credibility to our activities. We want to continue to be one of many bridge builders from North to South, from South to North!

More on AGS and the liberation struggle from The Nordic Africa Institute