A rare signed copy of the first edition of Ruth First’s 1972 collaboration, The South African Connection, from the collection of a contemporary Manchester-based activist, and inscribed: “With all good wishes & for the liberation struggle!”; in 1972-3 First was Simon Research Fellow at the University of Manchester (where her daughter, Gillian Slovo, was also studying as an undergraduate), having been exiled from South Africa in 1964, following her detention and solitary confinement for 117 days. She was assassinated in Mozambique in 1982 by a parcel bomb sent by the South African police.
Ruth First (1925–1982) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and Communist Party member, investigative journalist and scholar. Writing in 1969, she “explained how her life was dedicated ‘to the liberation of Africa for I count myself an African, and there is no cause I hold dearer’. First was an influential figure who saw activism, solidarity work (for the anti-apartheid struggle) and her research and writing [such as this 1972 volume about the political economy of apartheid] as inextricably linked.” (‘Ruth First Papers,’ ICwS). Embarking on an academic career following her exile from South Africa, First’s fellowship at Manchester was followed by a Lectureship in Sociology (Development Studies) at Durham University, where First shared a house with fellow DU academic Diana Collecott. Her legacy continues at Durham via the Ruth First Educational Trust, while the Ruth First Papers are held by Senate House Library, London. On the 10th anniversary of First’s death, Nelson Mandela, paid tribute to his friend: “Ruth spent her life in the service of the people of Southern Africa. She went to prison for her beliefs. She was murdered because of her acute political acumen combined with her resolute refusal to abandon her principles. Her life, and her death, remains a beacon to all who love liberty.”
‘Ruth First Papers,’ Institute of Commonwealth Studies (IcwS), School of Advanced Studies, University of London.