“Drive the old and new colonialists out of Africa!” Propaganda Poster, 1964

This Chinese propaganda poster, dated August 1964, was designed by Chinese painters Wang Datong and Du Yongqiao and published by the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House in Beijing. The poster’s text reads “Drive the old and new colonialists out of Africa!” (Ba xin lao zhimin zhuyi zhe ganchu Feizhou qu!). It features a Black man bound by a chain on one arm and holding up a gun with the other, standing against a backdrop of flames and a group of armed fighters. The poster is illustrative of an era during which the Chinese government strove to position itself as a model for struggles against imperialism worldwide, in part through its support of African nations’ struggles for independence. During the 1960s, the Chinese government extended support to African liberation movements through friendly public relations with their leaders, as well as military and financial aid. These forms of international solidarity aimed to increase the influence of the PRC among Africans and globally. While the relationship between China and Africa was strategic, complex, and often unequal, this poster portrays an uncomplicated image of support for Africans’ liberation and their right to self-determination.