"We need not kneel, our cause is high, of true men theres no dearth And our victorious rallying cry shall be: we want the earth We only want the earth...poster" [NMLH.2023.40]

Catalogue Number
NMLH.2023.40

Object Name
Poster

Title
We need not kneel, our cause is high, of true men theres no dearth And our victorious rallying cry shall be: we want the earth We only want the earth...

Date
1972-1982

Description
The Poster Collective was a collective formed in 1971 at the Slade School of Art,  a group formed to initially produce posters in response to the miners strike and on the wars in both Vietnam and Ireland. It was formed on the basis of developing a coherent visual style, which addressed the political issues of the time. This included the armed struggles against colonialism in Africa, the struggle of women for equal rights and the continuing struggle against racism. The collective was active in the 70's and 80's, producing posters on a wide range of issues, including for educational purposes. The group was not-for-profit and used a variety of hand-printing techniques to create their posters. It's a blue and black poster. There is a huge human face printed in the centre. At the top and bottom of the poster are written ‘ We need not kneel, our cause is high, of true men theres no dearth And our victorious rallying cry shall be: we want the earth We only want the earth...’ and ‘No
revolutionary movement is complete without its poetical expression. If such a inovement has caught hold of the imagination of the masses, they will seek a vent in song for the aspirations, the tears and hopes, the loves and hatreds engendered by the struggle. Until the movement is marked by joyous, defiant, singing of revolutionary songs, it lacks one of the distinctive marks of a popular revelutienary movement; it is a dogma of a few, and not the faith of the multitude.JAMES CONNOLLY’