50 Years of the Freedom Charter

by Suttner, Raymond; Cronin, Jeremy

• ISBN13: 9781868883752
• ISBN10: 1868883752
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-01
• Publisher: Unisa Press

Summary

A revised edition of the earlier 30 Years of the Freedom Charter, which was banned for possession under apartheid. Such banning meant that the book could no longer be sold but even having it in one's possession could lead to prosecution. The work tells the story of the creation of the Freedom Charter in 1955. The adoption of this democratic document followed an unprecedented process, where volunteers travelled throughout the country in order to hear what ordinary people wanted remedied in their lives and their vision of an alternative, free South Africa. These demands were brought together into the Freedom Charter, which was adopted at the Congress of the People, attended by over 2000 delegates in Kliptown, outside Johannesburg on 26 June 1955. The Charter was later made the basis for a treason trial of 156 leading figures, lasting over four years, but leading to the acquittal of all the accused. This new edition contains the original text of 30 Years but a substantial new introduction dealing with the contemporary significance of the Charter in democratic South Africa.