OLD PROTEST TREASURES
If it wasn’t for Michele Pickover, the now-retired archivist at Wits, this important cache of material would be lost to history. In the ’80s it was forbidden to store material that challenged the authority of the state, but Pickover clandestinely accepted documents that no other archives would host. Here you’ll find posters from the End Conscription Campaign with slogans like “No to Botha’s Army. Don’t Vote.” and evidence and speeches from the Rivonia Trial. A highlight of the collection is Nelson Mandela’s handwritten draft of his defence statement, and his “I am prepared to die” speech signed by all eight defendants.
●
Historical Papers Research Archive, William Cullen Library, University of the Witwatersrand. Open Monday- Friday, 9am - 5pm