ONE of Durban’s most unique cultural beacons, the Phansi Museum is the perfect place to visit this Heritage Day.
The museum, situated on 500 Esther Roberts Road, Glenwood, formerly known as Frere Road, was declared a national monument in 1980. It was built in 1896.
In IsiZulu “phansi” means below or beneath and it is a reference to the basement location where Phansi Museum began. It is traditionally known as the place where ancestral spirits dwell.
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According to the museum curator, Phumzile Nkosi the museum is one of a few national historical monuments in the city of Durban.
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“The collection is educational especially to the young generation, so they can see how we used to live. Visitors can see a selection of embroidered, appliqued and beaded artworks, headrests, ceremonial attire and medical items dating back to the mid-19th Century. The home was built in 1902 by the parents of Esther Roberts, one of the first female anthropologists in South Africa,”she said.
Roberts was a member of the Black Sash, a South African human rights organisation advocating for social justice in South Africa.
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