Tracing political communication history via the radio archive: the case of the ANC’s anti-apartheid Radio Freedom in South Africa

Purpose The audio archive as a repository of media history and historical developments is vital for media and communication scholarship.The focus of this paper is on South Africa’s African National Congress’s (ANC) Radio Freedom and its historical broadcasts. W hile historical accounts on South Africa’s media have been widely researched, the role of the ANC’s Radio Freedom continues to be underexplored, especially in research studies focusing on the country’s broadcasting history. From its initial broadcasts in 1963 in South Africa, to its exiled broadcasting initiatives, the ANC’s Radio Freedom grappled with the party’s political communication at a time when the ANC’s political voice was practically outlawed inside South Africa. This study aims to contribute to the history and the historical understanding of media institutions by focusing on Radio Freedom and how it enabled political communication through the broadcasts and communication planning strategies affecting the platform. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a case study approach in the archival analysis of the ANC’s Radio Freedom archive. Findings This paper illustrates the importance of media archives in tracing the history of political communication in South Africa. Through the analysis of archived data on Radio Freedom, the study concludes that the ANC meticulously planned and strategised its presence in South Africa to counter various forms of propaganda that were created by the apartheid government of the country. Originality/value This paper forms part of a bigger study that the author conducting on the history of political communication in South Africa. The findings of the paper are original and are an addition to the continuing that the author is doing on Radio Freedom.