They helped change the course of South African history, so it is only fitting that 60 anti-apartheid posters form part of this year's Open Design festival, which is themed Design for Change.
The posters were part of the Community Arts Project (CAP), a group of artists who started screen-printing resistance posters in Cape Town in 1983.
Artists were trained in silk printing and could anonymously print their messages on posters, T-shirts and buttons.
Artist Lionel Davis said that after the 1982 arts and culture festival in Botswana, there had been a "clarion call for all those who have the skills to come back to South Africa either to join anti-apartheid organisations or to form their own to impart the skills to those less fortunate".
He said screen-printing had been chosen as an area of focus because it had been difficult to print anti-apartheid materials.
"There was hardly any access for anti-apartheid organisations at established printing firms because they would phone the police. There were a few notable exceptions but screen-printing was definitely the way to go to print the T-shirts, banners and pamphlets."
Exhibition curator Emile Maurice said CAP had "addressed the desire of people who had no voice to express themselves and participate in democracy".
Interruptions: Posters from the Community Arts Project Archive is at the Open Design Cape Town festival, City Hall, from today until August 23, 10am to 5pm.
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