Cartoons for The Workers’ Herald, James Christie Scott (1920s)

Dr. Henry Dee uncovers the global footprint of radical black activism in 1920s South Africa, through the cartoons of James Christie Scott.

James Christie Scott’s cartoons illuminate black experiences of 1920s colonial capitalism. Commissioned by South Africa’s first major black trade union, his works subvert contemporary ideas of race, and imagine transformative moments of emancipation. ‘Scotty’ is best known today for his towering Black Samson mural. But arguably, his miniatures - his striking cartoons for the widely circulated The Workers’ Herald – had an even bigger global impact.

PRESENTER: Dr. Henry Dee, post-doctoral research fellow at the International Studies Group, University of the Free State.

ART: Cartoons for The Workers’ Herald, James Christie Scott (1920s).

IMAGE: ‘When He Awakes’ in The Workers’ Herald (1926).

SOUNDS: Uhadi.

PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic.

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