The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. The Museum is a first of its kind, and illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid.
The Museum, with its large blown-up photographs, metal cages and numerous monitors recording continuous replays of apartheid scenes set in a double volume ceiling, concrete and red brick walls and grey concrete floor, is next to the Gold Reef City Casino, five kilometres south of the city centre. The museum came about as part of a casino bid. Bidders were obliged to include a social responsibility project, and the winning consortium indicated that they would build a museum.
After a few hours at the Apartheid Museum you will feel that you were in the townships in the '70s and '80s, dodging police bullets or teargas canisters, or marching and toyi-toyiing with thousands of school children, or carrying the body of a comrade into a nearby house. This extraordinarily powerful museum, certain to become one of Johannesburg's most important tourist attractions, has become an obligatory stop for tourists and residents alike.
The Museum is a beacon of hope showing the world how South Africa is coming to terms with its oppresive past and working towards a future that all South Africans can call their own.
Opening hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays: 10am to 5pm.
