Search Help

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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

Nangula Hamutenya and Aaron Mushimba of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) Women’s Council Nangula Hamutenya and Aaron Mushimba of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) Women’s Council
Date: 9/15/1981Call Number: AFR 024Format: Cass A & BCollection: SWAPO- Namibia
Nangula Hamutenya, Department officer and Regional secretary for information and political orientation for SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) Women’s Council, speaks about the creation of the women’s council as one of SWAPO’s wings to reflect all of Zambia. She stresses that the SWAPO women’s council is against inequality, and for the active participation of women in the struggle for liberation. She talks about the council’s goals to organize the women of Namibia and to take care of the refugee women and children. She calls on women all over the world to fight with other women for their rights. Aaron Mushimba, chief representative for SWAPO at the Lusaka, Zambia office, talks about the attacks by the South African government on liberation struggles in Namibia, Zambia, and Angola. He emphasizes that SWAPO freedom fighters receive ideological and military training in helping the Namibian struggle, and also mentions that women freedom fighters are equal in all respects, except some of the tougher military training.
Interview of a representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) of Namibia by American students Interview of a representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) of Namibia by American students
Call Number: AFR 026AFormat: Cass ACollection: SWAPO- Namibia
Begins with African people singing about Namibia. A representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) is interviewed by a couple of American students who are trying to help SWAPO. The SWAPO representative stresses the need for basic materials for schools in Namibia, such as books, chairs, scholarships, and uniforms.
Ahmed Obafemi of the RNA (Republic of New Africa) speaks on struggle in Namibia and the South West African People’s Organization. Continuation of AFR 032. Ahmed Obafemi of the RNA (Republic of New Africa) speaks on struggle in Namibia and the South West African People’s Organization. Continuation of AFR 032.
Date: 2/27/1982Call Number: AFR 033AFormat: Cass ACollection: May 19th Communist Organization
Continuation of AFR 032. Ahmed Obafemi, East Coast Region Vice President of RNA (Republic of New Africa) speaks about three different fronts in Namibia: one being the people’s front against United States and South African imperialism, the second one being the international fronts of solidarity with liberation movements in Africa, and the third being the primary front, armed struggle. He comments on SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) giving aid to Namibia through all means, material and morale. Lastly he talks about the history of SWAPO and how it has grown. Tape 3, 2/27/82 DTB Forum SWAPO
Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Southern Africa Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Southern Africa
Call Number: AFR 035Format: Cass A & BCollection: African liberation movements
Continuation of AFR 034 See enclosed note in AFR 035 Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. A representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) speaks about the international community being in solidarity with Southern African countries, and asks for support for SWAPO’s continued struggle for liberation in Namibia. A member of the Zimbabwe admission to the United Nations speaks about the bonds formed between liberation fighters in Africa and internationally. He speaks about the leaders of ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union), the ANC (African National Congress), and the PAC (Pan African Congress). He speaks on the history of the struggles for independence and human rights in Southern Africa, and the contued struggle for liberation. Sylvia Baraldini of the May 19th Communist Organization speaks on the National Campaign in solidarity with the ZANU Women’s League. She talks about the lessons of the struggle for liberation in Zimbabwe and looks at the process of reconstruction. A permanent representative of the PAC of Azania to the United Nations speaks about South Africa. He comments on South African president P.W. Botha’s refusal to erode Apartheid through economic means. He talks about a socialist solution incorporating equal distribution of wealth and power, and calls people to work together to fight oppression.
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.
AZAPO and conditions in Southern Africa AZAPO and conditions in Southern Africa
Call Number: AFR 081Format: Cass A & BCollection: South Africa
Program on AZAPO and the state of Southern Africa. AZAPO chairman Pokela, SWAPO representative, and AZAPO representative Nick Tucker speak. AZAPO (Azanian People’s Organization) chairman Pokela speaks about the lack of knowledge people in the United States and Europe have about the struggles in Azania. He also speaks about how the native African people lost their land and their rights to the white imperialists. He says that in order for Africans to fight back, they must remove their inferiority complexes (as Robert Sobukwe, former president of the PAC (Pan African Congress), suggests). He speaks about the injustices of the Pass Laws in South Africa, and encourages blacks to go to the prisons and challenge the police to arrest them. Next, a woman representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization - dedicated to opposing injustice in Southern Africa) speaks about the problems of violence in South Africa, and also about the bloody war going on in Namibia. She speaks about the policy of “Destabilization” that was designed by the white Nationalists, and about the Western media’s perception, pressure, and influence on events in South Africa. Lastly, Nick Tucker of AZAPO speaks about AZAPO and the current events and conditions in Southern Africa, mourning the large number of murders in the area. He quotes Amilcar Cabral, “We should tell no lies and claim no easy victory”. Tucker speaks about two theories that determine revolutions: 1) To have a revolution, one must have a revolutionary theory and convey it to the masses. 2) Continued economic depression will heighten revolutionary anarchy and the masses will want to organize and revolt. He says that AZAPO is trying to do the former strategy. Lastly, Tucker speaks about the formation of black worker’s unions - that they form under Black Consciousness because black men can truly understand the hardships and oppression of other blacks, and can then translate that idea to whites.