Pinback buttons for an African Street Festival: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

2013.68.6.1: A yellow pinback button with green and red lettering. The green letters are centered in the top perimeter of the button and read [African]. Directly below, black text reads [Street Festival]. Between the two words is a face. Below, in red ink, is the date [1990]. In the center of the button is an image of Nelson Mandela. Shown from the waist up, he stands with his right arm raised in the air. The lower part of his torso creates the form of the African continent. Below the image is a Zulu phrase in red ink that reads [Si Munye]. Beneath, in black text, is the English translation, [We Are One]. The back of the button has a pin with a clasp.

2013.68.6.2: A pinback white button with green and red lettering. The green letters are centered in the top perimeter of the button and read [African]. Directly below is black text that reads [Street Festival]. Between the two words is a face. Below, in red ink, is the date [1990]. In the center of the button is an image of Nelson Mandela. Shown from the waist up, he stands with his right arm raised in the air. The lower part of his torso creates the form of the African continent. Below the image is a Zulu phrase in red ink that reads [Si Munye]. Beneath, in black text, is the English translation, [We Are One]. The back of the button has a pin with a clasp.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1990
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Nelson Mandela, South African, 1918 - 2013
• Type: buttons (information artifacts)
• Medium: ink on paper on metal with plastic
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2013.68.6.1): 2 9/16 × 2 9/16 × 5/16 in. (6.5 × 6.5 × 0.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2013.68.6.2): 2 1/4 × 2 1/4 × 5/16 in. (5.7 × 5.7 × 0.8 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Africa
• Topic: African diaspora
• Topic: Arts and music festivals
• Topic: Holidays and festivals
• Topic: Justice
• Object number: 2013.68.6.1-.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of T. Rasul Murray
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.