"African artillery in action" by Roland Davies, Date unknown

Catalogue ref: INF 3/394

An anti-Japanese poster, depicting troops of the African artillery in action. The main slogan is in Kiswahili: 'Askari wetu washinda wajapani', which translates as 'Our soldiers beat the Japanese'.

This poster is interesting in that it is an appeal to join the armed forces. More usually propaganda aimed at Africa was related to war production rather than front line roles.

Although seen as a serious threat by the British, the Asia-Pacific war was considered peripheral except for those with families directly involved. Many British and Americans saw the Japanese as racially inferior beings, scarcely to be regarded as a match for European forces(despite their astonishing victories in the early part of the Pacific war), with Punch in January 1942 depicting Japanese troops swinging from the trees in the jungle.