Vintage “Free Nelson Mandela / Abolish Apartheid” poster, Jagmo (Nels Jacobson), Austin, Texas, July 18, 1986. Features the Xhosa/Zulu rallying cry “Mayibuye Afrika! Amandla Ngawethu!” and a caption describing Mandela as “a man of conscience and good will imprisoned unjustly since 1962 by the racist minority regime in South Africa.”

Designed by Jagmo, the pen name of Nels Jacobson — an Austin poster artist whose work is archived at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Austin Chronicle specifically identified this “Free Nelson Mandela” poster campaign as the work Jagmo is best known for. Created during the height of the international anti-apartheid divestment movement, four years before Mandela’s actual release in 1990.

From a private 1980s Austin creative archive directly connected to the cult film Future-Kill ~ a large and significant collection of music ephemera assembled in Austin during the underground scene era. Please see my other active listings for more items from the same collection.

Size & Condition ~ 11" x 17" on coated heavyweight paper ~ Very good condition ~ toning, marks/smudges, tape residue, creasing, edge wear ~ please see photos.

Perfect for framing and display. Ships protected in a rigid mailer. International buyers welcome. All items will be sufficiently insured and may require signature confirmation upon delivery. For multiple purchases, shipping will be combined at my discretion to either save you money or protect your item. 

CONDITION GRADING SCALE

Please review this guide to understand the condition of this vintage item.

• MINT (C10 / 10.0): Absolutely perfect as if just off the press. No blemishes, ink cracking, pinholes, or edge wear. Extremely rare for vintage items.
• NEAR MINT (C9 / 9.0): Virtually unused. May have the slightest signs of handling or very minor imperfections in the border only. The main artwork remains flawless.
• VERY FINE / EXCELLENT (C8 / 8.0): Still great-looking and crisp. May have minor edge creases, small pinholes in corners, or very minor wear along fold lines, but no significant damage to the image.
• FINE (C7 / 7.0): A nicely preserved "used but not abused" poster. May exhibit light handling, minor tears or paper loss in the margins, and light aging/toning of the paper.
• VERY GOOD (C5-C6 / 6.0): An average used poster with clear signs of age. May include multiple pinholes, small tape stains, fold separation, or minor fading. The image is still presentable but shows "vintage character".
• GOOD (C3-C4 / 5.0): Well-used with significant defects. May have larger tears (up to 1 inch), small holes, heavier paper loss, or tape on the front/back. Still reasonable for framing.
• FAIR / POOR (C1-C2 / 1.0-4.0): Heavily damaged. Exhibits major tears, staining, significant paper loss, or brittleness. Generally recommended for professional restoration or as a "filler" copy.

All of our items come from local estates, auctions, liquidations, etc. We do our best to describe everything accurately and provide good photos so that there are no surprises when you receive your package.  We absolutely want happy customers! Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions and thanks for looking!