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Living history: staff member of UN anti-Apartheid radio unit retires

Living history: staff member of UN anti-Apartheid radio unit retires

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Human rights are for everyone to enjoy, a former anti-Apartheid activist has concluded after 36 years of service at the United Nations.

The UN led a campaign from 1950 onwards to eliminate South Africa’s system of legalized racial discrimination known as Apartheid.

Derrick Mbatha, a former producer at the underground Radio Freedom, the broadcast arm of the now ruling African National Congress (ANC), moved to New York in 1979 at age twenty-four to work for the UN’s Anti-Apartheid Radio Unit.

When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, Derrick joined the English Radio team.

He shares some of his history with his colleague, Jocelyne Sambira.

Duration: 5’00’’

Photo Credit
UN Photo/Mark Garten