Women’s March 1956

Lilian Ngoyi

This day of mass action is an example of ‘Strength in Unity’. Lilian’s face is depicted here as one of the approximately 20,000 women who marched on Pretoria in protest at the regime’s restrictions on freedom of movement for Black South Africans. It led to the 9th August being the date when the contribution of women in the fight against Apartheid is marked every year in South Africa.

By Anna Kotouckova, 2023