Search Help

How does this work?
There are many ways to search the collections of the Freedom Archives. Below is a brief guide that will help you conduct effective searches. Note, anytime you search for anything in the Freedom Archives, the first results that appear will be our digitized items. Information for items that have yet to be scanned or yet to be digitized can still be viewed, but only by clicking on the show link that will display the hidden (non-digitized) items. If you are interested in accessing these non-digitized materials, please email info@freedomarchives.org.
Exploring the Collections without the Search Bar
Under the heading Browse By Collection, you’ll notice most of the Freedom Archives’ major collections. These collections have an image as well as a short description of what you’ll find in that collection. Click on that image to instantly explore that specific collection.
Basic Searching
You can always type what you’re looking for into the search bar. Certain searches may generate hundreds of results, so sometimes it will help to use quotation marks to help narrow down your results. For instance, searching for the phrase Black Liberation will generate all of our holdings that contain the words Black and Liberation, while searching for “Black Liberation” (in quotation marks) will only generate our records that have those two words next to each other.
Advanced Searching
The Freedom Archives search site also understands Boolean search logic. Click on this link for a brief tutorial on how to use Boolean search logic. Our search function also understands “fuzzy searches.” Fuzzy searches utilize the (*) and will find matches even when users misspell words or enter in only partial words for the search. For example, searching for liber* will produce results for liberation/liberate/liberates/etc.
Keyword Searches
You’ll notice that under the heading KEYWORDS, there are a number of words, phrases or names that describe content. Sometimes these are also called “tags.” Clicking on these words is essentially the same as conducting a basic search.

Search Results

Panel Discussion on the current state of Congo. Panel Discussion on the current state of Congo.
Call Number: AFR 062Format: Cass A & BCollection: Zaire-DRC
Panel discussion on the current state of Congo. Zairian Political Scientist Ilunga Kabongo speaks about the past struggles of Congo, and about former Congo Prime Minister and revolutionary Patrice Lumumba’s efforts in the struggle for liberation in Congo. He speaks about how FLN (National Liberation Front) was restricted because of revolutionary mercenaries from South Africa and other neighboring countries. He speaks about Congo’s abundance of natural resources as well. Next, Nzongola Ntalaja, Congolese Political Scientist, speaks about the continuing struggles in Congo, and about the struggle for autonomy in that country. He calls for the complete liberation of the Congolese people, and speaks about the struggle against Sese Seko Mobutu, president/dictator of Congo from 1930 - 1997, who had usurped power through a coup and was backed by Western powers. Ntalaja speaks about the struggle for a “second independence”, and the need to continue the struggle for liberation against Mobutu’s regime. On Side B, Dr. Tshiteya Mukona of Penn State University speaks about Mobutu’s Development policy of bribery, and how American foreign policy in Zaire (DRC - Democratic Republic of Congo) is supportive of Mobutu. Lastly, he speaks about the US’s role as a superpower and how it can influence other countries without destroying them.
Interview with Congolese National Liberation Front representative Interview with Congolese National Liberation Front representative
Date: 5/4/1985Call Number: AFR 072Format: Cass A & BCollection: Zaire-DRC
Interview with a representative of FLNC (Congolese National Liberation Front). He speaks on conditions in Congo, and revolutionary organizations, as well as the threat of outside influences on the organizations. Speaks about the role of the proletariat, and how they are exploited in third world countries but are key to the FLNC. The struggle continues, he says, and it is an international problem, which requires an international solution and cooperation between countries. Speaks about fighting against Sese Seko Mobutu in Congo, and lastly speaks about supporting Angola, SWAPO (Southwest African People’s Organization), Namibia, and South Africa - “their struggle is our struggle”. On Side B, the interviewer speaks about the FLNC, and understanding the United States government’s influence on Mobutu and in Congo.