In July 1986, Trindade, in the state of Goiás, became the stage for a dynamic gathering. The 6th Inter-ecclesial Meeting of Base Ecclesial Communities brought around 1,600 people together in a Brazil that was taking its first steps toward redemocratization. During the debates and religious celebrations, the central role of these communities in the struggle for social justice was highlighted. Agrarian reform, racism, gender inequality, and violence against Indigenous peoples featured on the agenda, always approached from an ecumenical and Latin American perspective. The poster carries the message of the event: “People of God in Search of the Promised Land,” rallying everyone to a collective exodus toward land and dignity.

The poster “Forward to People’s Power” was produced by the African National Congress (ANC) during the fierce struggle against apartheid in South Africa. It is a visual cry for freedom and justice. With lines that evoke the strength of woodcuts and the urgency of stencils, it depicts a Black woman breaking chains. The illustration is a symbol of the collective desire for freedom. The ANC was at the forefront of resistance to the segregationist regime, and its most recognizable figure was Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in prison before becoming president in 1994, signaling a new era. The poster captures the soul of a movement that would not remain silent in the face of oppression, inspiring a historic people’s movement against racism.

Under the shadow of the civil-military dictatorship, the invitation to the 1st Brazilian Meeting of Homosexuals (EBHO) made a provocative call: “Only you are missing!” In 1980, the Ruth Escobar Theater in São Paulo became the stage for a historic gathering of over 500 participants from diverse groups and regions across the country. That call marked a decisive step in the formation of what would become the Brazilian homosexual movement. In a decade characterized by the invisibility of lesbians, bisexuals, and trans people within the organization of the movement, police repression on the streets, and the devastating advance of the HIV/Aids epidemic, the meeting laid the foundations for a national mobilization centered on the rights and citizenship of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The FRELIMO (Mozambique Liberation Front) poster celebrated September 25, 1973, a date symbolizing the struggle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule. Bearing the slogans “Study, Produce, Fight”, the poster evokes the pillars of national resistance led by the movement, founded in 1962. Set against the backdrop of the liberation war that mobilized broad sectors of Mozambican society—shaped by 500 years of colonization—the poster goes beyond the call to armed struggle. It points to a nation-building project underpinned by political engagement, collective work, and valuing knowledge, reflecting the growing voice of the anti-colonial movements across the African continent.

“El pueblo exige justicia” (The people demand justice) is the direct appeal printed on the poster that rallied the people to Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires during Argentina’s redemocratization process. The poster was produced by organizations such as the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo) and the families of the detained-disappeared. It denounces the impunity of the crimes committed during the dictatorship (1976–1983) and demands that those responsible be tried by civil, not military, courts. The illustration shows the figure of Justice with her scales tipped in favor of the military courts, symbolizing loss of life and liberty. The poster anticipated the “Trial of the Juntas”, the first civil prosecution of military officers for crimes against humanity, based on testimonies and documents from the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons. To this day, the poster is significant in a political landscape marked by disputes over the role of the judiciary and the armed forces in democracy.

“Kita harus lebih takut kepada rasa takut itu sendiri” (in English, “We should fear nothing more than fear itself”) is the warning printed on this poster paying tribute to Munir Said Thalib (1965–2004), one of the leading voices in the fight for human rights in Indonesia. The piece was produced by the organization KontraS. It depicts the face of the activist alongside a quote attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt, appropriated and reinterpreted by Munir. Poisoned during a flight in 2004, Munir paid with his life for denouncing human rights violations and forced disappearances committed by the security forces of the military regime that ruled the country from 1965 to 1998. The poster asserts his legacy as a symbol of democratic resistance and serves as a warning of the paralyzing effects of fear in the face of injustice.

The poster for the “Primer Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres Asalariadas” (First National Meeting of Wage-Earning Women) called women workers to a national meeting on July 11-12, 1987, at the Centro Médico (IMSS), in Mexico City. The poster was produced by the 19th September Seamstresses’ Union—formed after the 1985 earthquake—with support from other organizations. It expresses the independent organization of wage-earning women in defending labor rights and political recognition. Against the backdrop of growing feminist and workers’ movements in Mexico, the poster reflects grassroots coordination among seamstresses, intellectuals, and activists. The piece illustrates the strength of popular and union-based feminism that organized independently of political parties and governments, and stands as a record of the struggles led by women in the 1980s.