item details
David Kent; designer; 1981; New Zealand
Chris Lipscombe; designer; 1981; New Zealand
HART (Halt All Racist Tours); publisher; 1981; New Zealand
Overview
This poster was created for protests against the 1981 tour of New Zealand by the South African Springbok rugby team. Many New Zealanders objected to the tour because of South Africa's policy of racial apartheid.
The poster called for a nationwide mobilisation on 1 May 1981 in an effort to force the New Zealand government to reconsider the tour. The poster features a crowd of black South Africans with their arms raised in the clenched-fist salute. The image of a protesting crowd is important to protest propaganda as it shows solidarity with a cause.
Thousands of people marched throughout the country on 1 May and on a second mobilisation on 3 July 1981. The tour went ahead, but protest action continued throughout, sometimes resulting in violence between protesters, supporters and police, eventually forcing the cancellation of two games.
Wellington Media Collective
The poster was designed and printed by Dave Kent and Chris Lipscombe of Wellington Media Collective. WMC was established in November 1978. Its mission statement 'We will work with you, not for you' enabled communities and activists to create advertising and protest material with the support of professional designers.