4.6 Women Fighting Apartheid

Shanthini Naidoo is a South African writer and former Sunday Times journalist. She is the author of the book which in South Africa is entitled: "Women in Solitary: Inside the Female Resistance to Apartheid" and in North America is entitled: "Women Surviving Apartheid Prisons". The book uses rich interview material to share the stories of four anti apartheid women leaders and activists who were part of “Trial 22” in 1969. They were held in solitary confinement and subjected to brutal torture in a bit to force them to testify against their comrades. They refused to do so, which forced the trial effort to collapse.

We speak about:

• how mainstream media depicts women’s stories
• the role of women leaders in the struggle against apartheid
• the context of the “Trial of 22’ that happened in 1969 South Africa
• the intergenerational legacy of trauma
• storytelling as a tool for healing
• the importance of remembering historical struggles for freedom - and much more!

Shanthini joins us from Johannesburg, South Africa.