Africa South – Vol. 2 No. 1, Oct–Dec 1957 – Edited by Ronald M. Segal

Africa South, Volume 2, Number 1, October–December 1957, is an important original issue of the influential South African political and literary quarterly edited by Ronald M. Segal. Published in Cape Town during the height of the apartheid era, Africa South provided a platform for writers, academics, activists and political commentators examining race, segregation, African nationalism, culture and contemporary political affairs.

This substantial 128-page 1957 paperback issue Africa South contains an impressive selection of contributions. Of particular collectable interest is “The Prisoners” by Gerard Sekoto, the internationally recognised South African modernist artist. Other contributions include “Out of the Darkness” by Alex La Guma, “Towards an African Literature (II)” by A. C. Jordan, “Race Zoning in Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Leo Kuper, “The Ghetto Act” by Yusuf Cachalia and “South West Africa” by Jariretundu Kozonguizi.

The issue also features Harry Bloom’s “The South African Police”, George Clay and Stanley Uys on the press and Prime Minister J. G. Strijdom, Arnold Benjamin’s “Portrait of a Suburb: Hillbrow”, and A. Creech Jones discussing the challenge of Federation.

The magazine’s list of sponsors further illustrates its historical significance, bringing together prominent South African and international figures associated with civil rights, liberal politics and opposition to racial discrimination. Among those listed are Chief Albert Luthuli, Alan Paton, Margaret Ballinger, Helen Suzman and Martin Luther King Jr.

Africa South is an excellent original primary-source publication for collectors and researchers interested in apartheid-era South Africa, African political history, resistance literature, Gerard Sekoto, Alex La Guma and twentieth-century Africana.

Condition – Very Good

Very good 1957 paperback. The original illustrated wrappers show general shelf wear, rubbing and surface scuffing consistent with age and handling, with some wear around the edges and corners. Internally the 128 pages are well preserved overall with expected age-related toning. A very presentable surviving copy of this nearly 70-year-old South African periodical.