The Bo-Kaap Museum

Översikt

The Bo-Kaap Museum, situated in the historic area that became home to many Muslims and freed slaves after the abolition of slavery, showcases local Islamic culture and heritage. The Bo-Kaap itself is well worth a visit. Colourful houses, steep cobbled streets, the muezzin’s calls to prayer, and children traditionally dressed for Madrassa, add to this unique Cape experience.

The Museum was established in 1978 as a satellite of the SA Cultural History Museum. It was furnished as a house that depicts the lifestyle of a nineteenth-century Muslim family. Today, the museum is in a transformation stage.

The Museum is managed by Iziko Museums, an amalgamation of five national museums that includes the SA Cultural History Museum and its satellites. The museum is being changed into a social history museum that will tell the story of the local community within a national socio-political and cultural context and two new displays with this theme have already been completed.

The George Hallet Photographic Exhibition portrays one man's impression of life in the Bo-Kaap. A second exhibition highlights the social history of the Bo-Kaap and the influence of Apartheid and Apartheid laws such as the Group Areas Act.

Older exhibitions show the material culture of the Muslim community at the Cape.

Cape Town Green Map
updated 03/2012 by urban sprout