UN Decade for Women 1976–1985

This poster is a fascinating artifact from a pivotal, highly charged moment in 20th-century international geopolitics and global feminism: the World Conference on the UN Decade for Women, held in Nairobi, Kenya, in July 1985.

The Climax of a Cold War Ideological Battleground

While the UN Decade for Women (1976–1985) was intended to focus globally on equality, development, and peace, the conferences themselves became intense proxy battlegrounds for the Cold War and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The two previous conferences (Mexico City in 1975 and Copenhagen in 1980) had nearly imploded due to deep political divisions between Western delegations and the Soviet/Non-Aligned blocs. This poster, issued by the All Arab Women Federation, perfectly captures that friction. By tearing through the American flag to reveal a stylized Cuban flag (the single white star in a blue triangle with red and white stripes), the imagery directly links the Arab feminist struggle to Marxist, anti-imperialist, and pro-revolutionary movements of the era.

Subverting Western Civil Rights Imagery

The inclusion of the phrase "WE SHALL OVERCOME" (and its Arabic translation Sanantazir, سننتصر) is a brilliant piece of political rhetoric. By adopting the iconic anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement, the creators subverted a famous Western symbol of resistance and turned it against US foreign policy, aligning the Arab women's struggle with global liberation movements.The High Stakes of the Nairobi Conference

Nairobi 1985 was a make-or-break moment for global UN women's conferences. The US delegation, led by Maureen Reagan (President Ronald Reagan’s daughter), had threatened to walk out if the final document contained resolutions equating Zionism with racism or leveling wholesale condemnations of Western imperialism, which had derailed previous summits.

Against all odds, intense late-night negotiations led by the Kenyan chairperson, Margaret Kenyatta, resulted in a compromise. The conference successfully adopted the "Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women," a landmark document that set the global agenda for women's rights up to the year 2000.

A Rare Ephemeral Survivor

From a material culture standpoint, posters like this—printed by non-governmental organizations or regional federations for use at specific global forums—were highly ephemeral. They were meant to be tacked up on conference walls, distributed at workshops, or carried in rallies, making surviving copies quite scarce. The minor tearing and tape marks on this piece speak directly to its lived history as an active tool of 1980s political propaganda.

Torn; creased; sellotape residue.

355mm x 500mm

R4,000