DURBAN may be known as a laidback seaside town, but it has some historical gems, which trace the city’s history, tucked away in some beautiful old buildings.
Today, on May 18, the globe celebrates International Museum Day, and Durban Tourism provides a list of the top most educational or interesting museums people can visit in the city.
Also read: Phansi Museum goes digital with Google colla
International Museum Day has been celebrated all over the world since 1977. Lindeni Mgobhozi, a Durban-based tourist guide said, “The objective of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that museums are an important means of cultural exchange and enrichment and vital for the development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among communities.”
She advises the public to celebrate this day by visiting local museums to learn more about the city’s rich history. “The purpose of the modern museum is to collect, preserve, interpret and display objects of artistic, cultural or scientific significance for the study and education of the public. The more art you see, the more you will learn to define your own taste,” she added.
The theme for the 2023 International Museum Day edition is ‘Museums, Sustainability and Well-being’.
The top five museums that can be visited by the public, as recommended by Durban Tourism, are:
- Phansi Museum: This little museum, tucked away in an old house in the leafy suburbs of Glenwood, boasts an array of local art with a special focus on art from southern Africa. The museum, run by Paul Mikula and curator Sharon Crampton, is a little gem that reveals a real love for African art. It also hosts a number of small exhibitions that feature local artists throughout the year. The quaint museum in Roberts House features three levels with various galleries that focus on different aspects of culture.
A tourist exploring the artwork at Natural Science Museum. - The Natural Science Museum: It is located in the heart of Durban in the City Hall and has been called one of the most utilised natural science museums in the country since it attracts almost 300 000 visitors annually.
Ela Ghandi visiting her grandfather’s Mahatma Ghandi House in Inanda. - Mahatma Gandhi House: About 25km from central Durban on the northwestern edge of Inanda is a little museum that carries significant history linked to Durban’s large Indian population. The museum is at a settlement in Phoenix where Mahatma Gandhi lived for more than 20 years when he lived in South Africa.
The beuaty of The Sugar Terminal located in Durban. - Sugar Terminal: This may seem an odd choice for a museum, but the Sugar Terminal in Durban is filled with the history of the huge sugar-cane trade that early KwaZulu-Natal was built on. The three enormous arched silos, just past Maydon Wharf, house more than half a million tons of sugar. The Sugar Terminal is the largest in southern Africa and one of the most advanced in the world.
A bird made of wood shown at Durban Art Gallery. - Durban Art Gallery: More than a century old, the Durban Art Gallery was founded in 1892 and has hosted a collection of artworks that have seen the ushering in and the end of apartheid. Based right next to Durban’s iconic City Hall in the heart of the CBD, the museum also has an extensive natural science museum on the lower floor. It has hosted exhibits by artists like Penny Siopis and Andre Verster.
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