Voices of Liberation: A Comparative Study of Mahatma Gandhi and Sam Nujoma as Public Diplomats in the Global South

Abstract

This paper explores the public diplomacy legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Sam Nujoma as early architects of ―liberation diplomacy‖ in the Global South. While traditionally framed within their respective national liberation movements, both leaders effectively engaged international audiences, framing their struggles as moral imperatives that transcended borders. Drawing on public diplomacy theory, soft power, framing analysis, and the concept of liberation diplomacy, the study provides a comparative analysis of Gandhi‘s and Nujoma‘s strategic communication approaches, institutional engagements, and symbolic repertoires. Gandhi, operating in the early 20th century under British colonial rule, utilised nonviolence (satyagraha), visual symbolism, and global civil society networks to influence opinion in the imperial metropole and beyond. His public diplomacy was grassroots-driven and grounded in ethical resistance. In contrast, Nujoma, working within the post-World War II multilateral system, strategically engaged with institutions such as the United Nations, the Organisation of African Unity, and the Non- Aligned Movement. His approach combined legal argumentation, coalition-building, and international advocacy to secure recognition for SWAPO and Namibia‘s right to self-determination. Despite contextual differences, both figures demonstrate that non-state actors from the Global South can shape global norms, influence international discourse, and build legitimacy without conventional power. Their examples offer enduring lessons for contemporary public diplomacy, particularly in how moral clarity, symbolic communication, and transnational engagement can advance justice in global affairs. This paper contributes to the decolonisation of diplomatic studies by positioning African and Asian leaders as innovators in global public diplomacy.