March Book of the Month: When South Africa Called, We Answered

As South Africa just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of apartheid, author and award-winning journalist, Danny Schechter is back with a new book, and Cosimo is proud to announce the new release of When South Africa Called, We Answered: How the Media and International Solidarity Helped Topple Apartheid as our March Book of the Month.

In this book, Schechter describes the crucial role media played in anti-apartheid achieving worldwide recognition, which enabled outsiders to support the anti-apartheid movement. In Schechter's view, it were ultimately the joint efforts by leaders like the late Nelson Mandela, freedom fighters, activists and media that led to the downfall of apartheid in South Africa.

When South Africa Called, We Answered is an inspiring and educational read for those interested in the role of the media in historic world events, the history of South Africa, journalism, and activism that mobilizes people for the greater good.

When South Africa Called, We Answered is available in paperback and eBook at leading online bookstores, including Amazon (Paperback, Kindle) and Barnes & Noble.

For more information on this timely new release and March Book of the Month, see our press release.

About the Author
Danny Schechter is a writer, television producer, and independent filmmaker who also speaks about media and financial issues. He is the editor of Mediachannel.org and blogs daily as the News Dissector at NewsDissector.net. Schechter is the author of sixteen books and has produced and directed more than thirty documentaries and television specials. His blog was named the 2009 "Blog of the Year" by the Hunter College Media Department of the City University of New York.

New Book by Danny Schechter: When South Africa Called, We Answered

As South Africa just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of apartheid, author and award-winning journalist, Danny Schechter is back with a new book, and Cosimo is proud to announce the release of When South Africa Called, We Answered: How the Media and International Solidarity Helped Topple Apartheid 

In this book, Schechter describes the crucial role media played in anti-apartheid achieving worldwide recognition, which enabled outsiders to support the anti-apartheid movement. In Schechter's view, it were ultimately the joint efforts by leaders like the late Nelson Mandela, freedom fighters, activists and media that led to the downfall of apartheid in South Africa.

With When South Africa Called, We Answered, Schechter shows he is not only a media veteran known for his work on radio, television, books and blogs, but is truly an expert on South Africa and apartheid. His expertise is previously shown in his other works such as his earlier book Madiba A to Z: The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela (Seven Stories Press, November 2013), a story-telling biography of Nelson Mandela, and in his numerous documentaries about South Africa and apartheid, including Mandela in America. 

In this book's Foreword, Tony Sutton (Editor of Coldtype in Toronto) aptly describes Schechter's role in South Africa:

" Look back at the major events in South Africa during the final decades of the apartheid era and you'll keep coming across the name of Danny Schechter --- organizing, cajoling, pulling strings and reporting the truth that an evil regime would have preferred to hide from an often ignorant and uncomprehending outside world"

Also other well-known public figures and journalists have praised Schechter for his work on South Africa:

“Danny Schechter's life-long involvement with the freedom movement in South Africa is very well known and respected."          

– Reverend Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader and President of Rainbow Push

“Here is story-telling that is unique, refreshing, and revealing, and the Nelson Mandela who emerges is someone you will want to know. You will be both surprised by Mandela’s profoundly complex personality and grateful for Danny Schechter’s creative journalism."
— Bill Moyers, leading veteran journalist on Madiba A to Z.

When South Africa Called, We Answered is an inspiring and educational read for those interested in the role of the media in historic world events, the history of South Africa, journalism, and activism that mobilizes people for the greater good.

When South Africa Called, We Answered is available in paperback and eBook at leading online bookstores, including Amazon (Paperback, Kindle) and Barnes & Noble.

Please see our press release for more information.

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013

Today the memorial for Nelson Mandela is being held in Johannesburg. The interfaith ceremony features prayers, eulogies by members of Mandela's family, and remarks by four presidents and a vice-president. It is expected that the 95,000-capacity stadium where the memorial will take place will be filled, and fittingly so for a man whose impact on the world he leaves behind is inexpressible. As South African President Jacob Zuma said:

"Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love."

We feature today an interview with Cosimo author Danny Schechter, who has spent years working in South Africa and released six films about Mandela. Schechter most recently published Madiba A to Z: The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela in conjunction with the release of the Mandela biopic Long Walk to Freedom. In an interview with Democracy Now!, Schechter talks about Mandela's enduring legacy and his experiences in South Africa.

For more on South African history and Mandela's influence, check out Schechter's Blogothon: Reflections and Revelations from the News Dissector, available for Kindle, Nook, and in paperback. In Blogothon, Schechter devotes a chapter to his experiences in South Africa over the first decade of the 21st century, including the corruption and deprivation he witnessed "Twenty-one Years After 'Freedom'". We also recommend readers interested in understanding the foundations of apartheid in South Africa pick up a copy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Great Boer War, which details the war in South Africa between the British Army and Dutch settlers (available in paperback at B&N and Amazon).

For more on Mandela's legacy--including musical tributes and a glimpse at how front pages around the world are memorializing this great man--see the New York Times' coverage.