MuseuMAfricA
Situated in the heart of the Newtown Cultural Precinct, MuseuMAfricA is
Johannesburg's premier history museum. The museum is housed in what was
once the city's first fruit and vegetable market, a building
constructed for this purpose in 1913 and which, at the time, was a fine
example of the advances made in industrial building techniques. In the
early 1905, the market building was imaginatively adapted to house
MuseuMAfricA, a new museum that opened its doors in 1994, the year of
South Africa's first non-racial democratic elections. Conceived in the
midst of the country's political transition to democracy, the museum's
permanent displays focus on the history of Johannesburg in the 20th
century.
MuseuMAfricA's principal permanent exhibition is "Johannesburg
Transformations" which examines some of the momentous changes that have
swept through the city in the last century. The discovery of gold has
played a seminal role in the birth and development of the city and the
displays which make up "Johannesburg Transformations" plot the
political, economic and social effects of gold on the city's history
and its people. Visitors can discover what the impact of gold was on
the workers, how their struggle led to the emergence of a unique urban
culture, and the punishing effects which the housing crisis had on
their lives resulting in the development of informal settlements across
the city. Finally, the struggle for a democratic South Africa ends off
this exhibition by detailing the long walk to political freedom.
Visitors can also see "Tried for Treason", a display which deals with
the five-year trial of 156 people, including Nelson Mandela, who were
arrested and charged for their anti-apartheid activities. Although all
156 accused were acquitted, this trial marked a turning point in the
resistance movement. Apart from its historical displays, the museum
also houses the South African Rock Art Museum, the Bensusan Museum of
Photography and the Geological Museum.
This is the only museum, which attempts to tell the story of life in
Southern Africa from the stone age to nuclear age and beyond. It tells
this story with honesty and objectivity, using its extensive
collections, recent research, and the advice of experts in the fields
of geology, archaeology, anthropology and history; The section on
Johannesburg features models of Batswana & Bushman people. In
addition to a gallery of ancient San (Bushman) rock art, there is an
interesting section on a more recent phenomenon- squatter camps and
shebeens.
Open Tuesday - Sunday 9am - 5pm. Closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday and Day of Goodwill
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