An Afternoon at the Museums

(South African National Gallery, Devils Peak)

A productive morning of making epidemiological maps for my internship earned me an afternoon to enjoy more of the city. Keen to make use of my University of Cape Town student ID, I made the journey into town using the free campus shuttle and ventured into three museums on a discounted ticket.

My first stop of the afternoon was at The Company's Gardens. This beautiful park takes its name from the Dutch East India Company who first started the garden in 1652 for the provision of food for their ships that worked the spice trade route between Europe and the East Indies, via The Cape of Good Hope. The Company's Gardens also features a number of distinct gardens showcasing roses, herbs, vegetables, grassy picnic areas, the oldest cultivated pear tree in South Africa (estimated to have been planted in 1652), and several unique water features. Centrally located in town, I was easily able to walk to nearby museums.

I then purchased a student ticket to tour the South African Museum and Planetarium. The museum was founded in 1825, though in 1897, it was moved to its present building in the historic Company's Garden. Unfortunately the planetarium was closed, and most of the museum was either under construction or vacant to make way for (assumingly) new exhibits. Regardless, the museum houses more than one and a half million specimens of scientific importance to give visitors a greater understanding of the earth, its biological and cultural diversity, past, and present. The collections range from fossils almost 700-million years old to insects and models of whales. There are also stone tools on display made by our earliest ancestors over 120,000 years ago, traditional clothes from the last century, and even T-shirts with politically-charged graphics to extend the fight for equality.

The next museum I visited was the South African National Gallery . The permanent collection contains particularly fine examples of British art and many leading artists of the early 20th century are represented, yet also bring attention to the importance of art during and following the apartheid era. An authoritative collection of beadwork has been established and the permanent collection has been enriched with the addition of indigenous sculpture, as well as the repatriation of artifacts that were removed from the country over the last two hundred years. Selections from the permanent collection change regularly and temporary exhibitions of paintings, works on paper, photography, new media, sculpture, beadwork and textiles are continually hosted. The current special exhibit on display is called Studio, which celebrates the lives and work of South African artists through revolutionary quilts, portraiture, sculpture, and several other media.

The third museum I visited was the harrowing Slave Lodge. The Slave Lodge has a number of galleries that explore the history of slavery at the Cape. Built in 1679, the original building was used to confine men, women and children transported, mainly by the VOC (Dutch East India Company), as slaves to the Cape during the 17th and 18th centuries. Nearly all the men, women and children were from regions around the Indian Ocean, including present-day Madagascar, Mozambique, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesian islands such as Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Timor, which ultimately contributed to the richness and diversity of South African history, heritage, and culture.

Aside from the tragedy of slavery and the historic galleries, the museum also featured three special collections. "Material women? The shweshwe story" traced the origins of isishweshwe cloth from its roots as a trade item in Asia and Europe, to its establishment as a much-loved southern African material icon. "Singing Freedom: Music and the struggle against apartheid", demonstrated how events such as the 1952 Defiance Campaign, the Sharpeville Massacre and the Soweto Uprisings were accompanied by, and often also memorialized, through song. The final special collection was called, "'Labels' an artwork installation by Siemon Allen", and featured record covers, disks and images relating to music, and functions as a historical record of South Africa’s musical past, reflecting on famous as well as forgotten musicians.

The last point of interest for the evening was to relish in the sunset on Signal Hill. Affectionately known as "Lion's Rump" for it's position to the neighboring Lion's Head peak, the hill cradles the neighborhoods of Sea Point and Bantry Bay on Cape Town's western coast. Signal Hill is a popular route for runners given it's gentle slope and unparalleled views. From this point, you can take a peek at the other major mountains and the city bowl in a single panoramic shot.