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Esther Barsel interview transcript

Theme: Against The Common Enemy


Call Number: A02.06.1
Identifier: AL2460_A02.06.1
Title: Esther Barsel interview transcript
Date: August 1985
Subject: Esther Barsel;
Julie Frederikse;
Non-racialism;
Communist Party of South Africa - CPSA;
Friends of the Soviet Union - FSU;
The Unbreakable Thread
Description: This is a transcript of an interview with Esther Barsel, conducted by Julie Frederikse for her book 'The Unbreakable Thread: non-racialism in South Africa', published by Ravan Press, 1990. Esther Barsel was detained in 1964 and launched a hunger strike with fellow women prisoners, which she continued for 35 days. She was charged with twelve others, including Bram Fischer, with reconstituting the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) underground, and was sentenced to three years in prison. On her release she was house arrested for six years. She was 'unlisted' with the unbanning of the SACP, and immediately re-entered public political activity. She was also active in the Friends of the Soviet Union (FSU) in the 1940s and 1950s. Born: 1924 in Lithuania. Died: October 2008. Interviewed: 1985 in Johannesburg. Included in the SAHA online repository 'Tracing the unbreakable thread: non-racialism in South Africa today'
Creator: Interviewer: Julie Frederikse; interviewee: Esther Barsel
Type: Transcript
Format: Access copy - PDF
Preservation copy - Tiff
Source: SAHA Collection AL2460
Language: English
Coverage: South Africa
Rights: Julie Frederikse
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