International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa

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The International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa , sometimes only Defense and Aid (short IDAF or D & A) was 1972-1991 a humanitarian aid organization of a political nature, its structures since 1956 at the instigation of John Collins , a Canons ( canon ) at the St Paul's Cathedral in London . It developed out of the Christian Action (CA) organization he founded in 1946 , which was created for reconciliation with Germany. The formal year of foundation is 1964, the US subsidiary was founded in 1972.

effect

John Collins visited South Africa in 1954 and was impressively confronted with the effects of apartheid several times during his stay . When 156 people were charged with treason in the Treason Trial in 1956 on charges of anti-apartheid engagement, John Collins sent £ 100 to Ambrose Reeves , the Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg (1949-1961). In response, they asked for further support from Christian Action funds to pay for defense lawyers, court costs and aid activities for the benefit of the families concerned. This communication is considered the starting point for the founding of the predecessor organization British Defense and Aid Fund Southern Africa (BDAF) (then name), which was established between 1958 and 1961. Over a period of 25 years, the organization managed to transfer over £ 100 million to South Africa.

The purpose of this aid organization was to find peaceful and constructive solutions to problems that arose from South Africa's apartheid policy. This organization collected donations for this purpose in order to be able to support victims of the apartheid regime including their families in the processes as well as through legal support.

In 1965 the activities of London began to expand worldwide and as a result further offices were created in Great Britain, New Zealand ( New Zealand Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa 1967–1991), Scandinavia, the Netherlands and India. There were also branch organizations in the United States ( International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa - US Committee, USA ) and in Canada ( International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa (IDAFSA), Canada ).

On March 18, 1966 took the then Justice Minister Vorster , the South African Defense and Aid Committee , the South African branch of the organization, with a spell available and classified the Fund under the Suppression of Communism Act one as unlawful organization ( "unlawful organization"). Later, those who continued to participate in transfers of funds in support of the cause were threatened with imprisonment and their actions were treated as capital crimes under the Terrorism Act . This punitive reinforcement also applied to contacts with foreign governments.

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London has extensive archive records on this organization in its library. The facility has a collection of microfiche copies of contemporary documents from South Africa and Namibia . This includes around 500,000 newspaper clippings from southern Africa and the British press between 1975 and 1990. They comprehensively document the conditions of apartheid structures in Namibia and South Africa. The documents also contain information on international relations in this area and on relevant social, cultural and economic issues. The estate of the British Defense and Aid Fund Southern Africa is at the University of Oxford ( Bodleian Library ) .

When Collins died in 1982, Horst Kleinschmidt took over the management of the organization that same year , which he held until its end in 1991. In the same year he received the Bruno Kreisky Prize for services to human rights .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Carol King: Guide to the International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa Records . New Haven (Con.) 1991. on www.drs.library.yale.edu (English)
  2. ^ New Zealand Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa. on africanactivist.msu.edu (English)