Must-see museums with free entrance this Heritage Day

For those who are strapped for cash and considering what to get up to this Heritage Day, there’s good news. Multiple museums across the Western Cape will allow South African citizens free entrance to celebrate and view the exhibitions on display.

Museum excursions offer individuals an educational, and often moving, account of a region’s biological and cultural heritage. They incorporate both art and artefacts into a space where one is able to digest history and the present. Below is a list of some of the most exciting museums to visit for free this Heritage Day:

ZEITZ MOCAA

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) is a must-see museum which offers a modern aesthetic appeal to museum-goers. The architectural brilliance of the museum is a spectacle on its own and spans a total of nine floors, which includes more than a hundred exhibitions on display.

Not only does Zeitz MOCAA allow entrants to celebrate Heritage Day with the museum team for free, but also the coinciding one year anniversary of the museum. An array of some of South Africa’s favourite traditional dishes will be available for purchase on Level 6 of the museum when the grumbling tummies kick-in after exploring the colossal space.

One can find countless exhibitions of twenty-first century art collections from both Africa and its Diaspora – a wonderful way to commemorate the heritages of many.

If you need any encouragement to visit the Zeitz MOCAA, you will be pleased to know that just last week, the iconic structural composition of the museum was awarded the title of ‘International Project of the Year’ at the Architects’ Journal 2018 AJ Retrofit Award.

DISTRICT SIX MUSEUM

The District Six Museum not only showcases a visual account of District Six, but also acts as a space to critically engage with the convoluted history of South Africa through the many seminars and discourses which take place there.

Ex-residents of District Six offer guided tours through the museum which ensure that the story told “is not only from the archive, but is also the lived experience of former residents. People learn a lot from listening to stories, and so I think the storytelling method makes it slightly different from what you would get at other museums,” explains Bonita Bennett, the District Six Museum manager.

Bennett goes on to explain that an “important part of the District Six story is the aspect of diversity. When we think of heritage we try and see a broader picture because the recent memory of being post-apartheid is that people think very much in racialised terms. And so, we are trying to break those divides and say that heritage is not racially defined.”

Bennett believes that museums should be a space which represents the diversity of the different cultural experiences within the city of Cape Town.

IZIKO SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM

Home to more than half a million specimens, some exhibited and others stored away, the South African Museum showcases the cultural and biological diversity of South Africa.

Differing from the contemporary experience of the Zeitz MOCAA museum, the South African Museum gives a more historical account of South Africa’s biological and cultural heritage. 

One can view life-size specimens of different creatures displayed in the museum, from lions, elephants and whales, to dinosaur skeletons.

“The museum is curated in such a way that as you walk around from room to room you get introduced to more information and, whether it be the era in which it was created, culture it represents or issue it addresses, you will be confronted with different points of view.

“I believe that it is important within the art world to be able to see differences between the art pieces and have a fully informed impression about South African art and what it represents historically and culturally,” explains Josephine Versfeld (20), a second year BA Visual Communication Design student at Stellenbosch University.

IZIKO SLAVE LODGE

Being one the oldest buildings in the city of Cape Town and established in 1679, the Slave Lodge provides individuals with a chilling account of some of the harsh conditions formerly experienced by slaves in South Africa.

One can even view a replicated slave ship which was used to transport large groups of slaves to the Cape for different forms of strenuous labour. The shackles worn by slaves from as early as the mid-1600s are also on display for individuals to view.

“It is really important for South Africans to not only celebrate Heritage Day by throwing a couple of chops on the braai, but by also reflecting on the heritage of the different people and cultures who make up our nation. The Slave Lodge gives a very honest and brutal historical portrayal and description of the history of the Cape, especially from the perspective of how slaves were treated,” says Brent Naude, a museum visitor.

THE STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

Students who are unable to make the trek to Cape Town can visit one of Stellenbosch’s local museums, the Stellenbosch University Museum, which gives visitors a recollection of the town of Stellenbosch, along with art galleries and cultural exhibitions.

This museum is not only free of charge on Heritage Day but everyday, making it an ideal location for a student-budget outing. Museum-goers are encouraged to participate in the regular discourse events which take place in the museum auditorium.

Currently, one can find the Material Gains exhibition which includes the works of both established and emerging artists specifically from African countries. The artworks address the idea of ‘material’, and emphasizes the notion of material being both a tangible substance and intangible concept.