Sewing Unity through Visuals: the Global South

Whereas the 90s generations were introduced to the working of empires through video games such as Civilization and Age of Empire; the 70s and 80s generation were initiated onto the background of empires and imperialism through a plethora of political posters, that tried to weave a global discourse of unity and resistance. Most of these transnational posters were published in Cuba, during the period of the cold war, by OSPAAAL, the Organization for Solidarity with the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Many of these posters were commissioned from local artists in the various countries and regions, and promoted a global discourse of resistance, anti-imperialism, and unity of the people against oppression and injustice, They tackled such a variety of political issues, ranging from the Palestinian Question, to the question of Yemen's division, to the war in Afghanistan, to the Polisario question, to the civil war in Lebanon, to and treated each of these issues as a global one, that should be of concern to humanity at large, across national and political borders. These posters are extremely valuable in that they constitute a lively testimony to a discourse that was fueling many resistance movements across the globe in the 70s and 80s: using powerful imagery, a keen eye, references to both local and international symbolism and iconography, sleek visuals and top notch printing techniques, the posters constitute a vivid art testimony to humans socio-political struggles and aspirations in this era.