Ruth First

About the Author

Ruth First was a pioneering South African journalist, academic, and anti-apartheid activist whose incisive writings exposed the brutal realities of racial oppression and colonial injustice. Born in Johannesburg in 1925 to Jewish immigrant parents, she immersed herself in the struggle against apartheid from an early age, joining the Communist Party and editing radical publications like Fighting Talk. Her fearless reporting led to repeated arrests and exiles, culminating in her assassination in 1982 by South African security agents while in Mozambique. First's work bridged journalism and scholarship, blending personal narrative with sharp political analysis to illuminate the human cost of systemic racism. Through her memoir 117 Days: An Account of Confinement and Interrogation Under the South African 90-Day Detention Law, she vividly recounted her harrowing detention experience, offering a testament to resilience amid tyranny. Her legacy endures as a beacon for global justice movements.