MuseuMAfricA, Cultural history museum in Newtown district, Johannesburg, South Africa
MuseuMAfricA is a museum in the Newtown district of Johannesburg, South Africa, housed in a former fruit and vegetable market building from 1913. It presents exhibitions on African cultures and South African social history, alongside a photography collection spanning many decades and a mineral collection.
The museum opened in 1994, shortly after South Africa's first free elections, at a moment when new ways of telling African history became possible. Before that, the building had served as a working market for decades, giving the site a long life before its transformation.
The exhibitions tell personal stories of people who took part in social movements, using photographs, everyday objects, and documents. Visitors come face to face with the experiences of ordinary people from across southern Africa.
The museum is close to central Johannesburg and easy to reach during the day, when the surrounding streets are more active. It is worth planning a visit for the morning and keeping an eye on personal belongings while in the area.
The mineral collection, often overlooked by visitors focused on the history galleries, contains specimens from across the African continent. It sits alongside the social history displays, giving the building an unexpected range of subjects under one roof.
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