Abstract
Sweden’s relations with the South African
liberation movements date back to the 1960s,
when the Swedish anti-apartheid movement
arose. In addition to moral support and about
$400 million dollars in financial support, Sweden
became the first Western country to give official
political support to the anti-apartheid movement.
Such was the relationship between the African
National Congress (ANC) and Sweden, that the
latter became the first country outside of Africa
to be visited by Nelson Mandela in 1990, after his
release from decades of imprisonment. The aim
of this contribution is therefore to provide a brief
synopsis of the rich history of Sweden’s solidarity
with the South African liberation struggle and the
role played by the Swedish youth, the Swedish antiapartheid movement, civil society, trade unions,
and Olof Palme, former Swedish prime minister,
who was one of the most committed allies of the
liberation movements.