Iziko South African Museum

My mother and father took us on annual summer holiday visits to the museum, back in the ‘70’s. In those days, it felt like we were off exploring the history of the big wide world all in one place, on one day.

By the 80’s, some of our family that had emigrated to Australia and Canada started coming back on Christmas holidays. No summer holiday in Cape Town was complete without taking my strange accented cousins through the museum. At that stage, the now infamous “bushman” diorama was still the first exhibit that greeted you on entry. Still brainwashed and naive at that time, I actually really loved the diorama that displayed a “typical” scene of people living in harmony with the land. Only now, in retrospect, do I see how offensive the display actually was to the people it represented by showing them off (inaccurately) as something to be gawked at like animals in a zoo.

By the mid-‘90’s, (post Apartheid), the museum changed its exhibitions to better showcase South Africa’s cultural history and indigenous knowledge. It acknowledged the error of the past displays, and apologized for its offensiveness. A formal acknowledgment of this is on permanent display. The museum encourages visitors to consider the ramifications of how a culture is represented and perceived when the subject of the exhibition’s voice or input is either excluded or included.

Now, in the 21^st century, when you enter the museum (once the restoration of the foyer is complete and you no longer need to enter via the planetarium’s doors), the first displays include video footage of people of different cultures (who call South Africa home) welcoming visitors to the museum. You are led through a cavernous display showcasing early indigenous knowledge represented through rock art. You can browse through documents relating to studies on indigenous knowledge and cultures that have been uploaded to an interactive computer in the room.

My favourite spot in this exhibition is the mini-cinema room where a looping video of traditional healers are shown dancing in trance. The clapping and singing transports me to another place and time and I feel like I could be right there with them. I always leave that tiny space feeling moved, both spiritually and emotionally.

I feel that the museum has matured alongside me over the last decade. After the death of Apartheid, with the freedom to befriend anyone, I had the opportunity to learn from my friends about various lifestyles, traditions, cultures and art, and discovered a real appreciation for the diversity present in South Africa.

Also, the museum now includes wonderful temporary exhibitions. My new favourite is the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year. (It’s currently on from 9 December 2009 to 13 March 2010) I love dragging along whatever friends I can scrounge up to join me on these escapades. The only issue I have is that there aren’t enough hours to spend in the museum in one day. I suppose that explains why I keep going back!

Perhaps, one day, I’ll bump into you at my favourite place in Cape Town, catching up with some culture too…