Paul Robeson was once the most famous African American in the world. Not only was he a renowned singer and actor with a stunning bass baritone voice, he was also a former professional athlete, lawyer and civil rights activist. 

To the delight of his many fans, he and his wife, Eslanda—a notable civil rights activist, author, United Nations journalist and anthropologist—were finally able to tour Australia and New Zealand after a three decade delay, just as the Cold War tipped into the turbulent 1960s. 

The Robesons’ tour encompassed concerts, talks to unionists, fans, women’s organisations, communists, peace activists and Indigenous peoples and their struggles in both countries, encompassing intersections of race, gender and women’s political activism. 

Historian Ann Curthoys talks to Professor Lorena Allam of the University of Technology’s Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Research about how Paul and Eslanda’s trip energised new forms of First Nations protest.

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