June 16, the conference that started it all!

Events leading up to the tragic June 16 students' march in Soweto can be attributed to a number of factors. But there is a credible determinant factor which may have been the kick-off point - the South African Student Movement (SASM) Conference on May 28, 1976.

At the said conference, the movement passed a resolution to protest against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools. Following this conference, the message was spread across primary and secondary schools.

Reportedly, there was already a momentous resistance and tension against the introduction of the language and students were apparently fired up already.

Through a co-ordinating committee group which represented various schools across townships, there were subsequent meetings to consolidate strategies for the June 16 march which ended in a bloodbath between the armed police forces and unarmed students.

SAHA and Youth in the Struggle

To commemorate the contribution by the South African youth in the struggle against unjust laws, SAHA created a virtual exhibition for Youth Month, June, titled ‘The Futures is Ours - Commemorating Youth in the Struggle'. SAHA also developed a kit for a physical outdoor exhibition which is available for loan to community organisations, schools and heritage organisations.

Visit the virtual exhibition
Read how you can loan the kit

For youth struggle posters, visit the following SAHA collection:

AL2446 The SAHA Poster Collection