DENNIS BROE finds much to praise in the new South African Netflix series, but wonders why it feels forced to sell out its heroine
Many words for solidarity
SYLVIA HIKINS is moved by a comprehensive anthology of the literature that emerged from the International Brigades
Members of the International Brigade in the British cookhouse at Albacete raise their fists in the Communist salute.
[Vera Elkan/CC] 
CARL DEATH introduces a new book which explores how African science fiction is addressing climate change
In his second round-up, EWAN CAMERON picks excellent solo shows that deal with Scottishness, Englishness and race as highlights
Fiery words from the Bard in Blackpool and Edinburgh, and Evidence Based Punk Rock from The Protest Family
MATTHEW HAWKINS is mesmerised by a performance that dissolves the line between audience and performer
MATTHEW SHARPE recommends the essays of a Renaissance politician that instruct and unnerve after 400 years
GAVIN O’TOOLE welcomes the reissue of a seminal work of revolutionary theory that have genuine relevance in the current context
Remembering Spain - Essays, Memoirs and Poems on the International Brigades and the Spanish Civil War
Edited by Joshua Newmark, The Clapton Press, £17
BETWEEN 1936 and 1939 approximately 2,500 men and women from Britain and Northern Ireland served in the International Brigades, a force made up of anti-fascist volunteers who fought for the Spanish Second Republic during the Spanish Civil War, in an expression of international solidarity with the Spanish people’s struggle and a supreme effort to stop the spread of fascism.
The majority of British volunteers came from working-class backgrounds and had taken part in hunger marches, protests like the Kinder Scout Trespass, and activities aimed at bringing about political and social change. This was a Britain where for many the living conditions were grim, poverty rampant, and unemployment the norm.
The Brigade was truly international, with 35,000 volunteers heading for Spain from 52 countries. With Hitler and Mussolini already in power in Germany and Italy, they feared the fall of Spain would threaten the future of democracy in Europe and lead to another world war.
More from this author
SYLVIA HIKINS casts an eye across the contemporary art brought to a city founded on colonialism and empire
SYLVIA HIKINS is bowled over by a wonderful show that both entertains and educates
A manifesto for change, feminism in the digital age and a wordless play by Palestinians
SYLVIA HIKINS relishes a brilliant untold Merseybeat story of how four talented women dared to break the mould
