The District Six foundation was established in 1989, and in 1994, the District Six Museum came into being. This museum was established to commemorate and remember the District Six community that was scattered when the Apartheid Government declared the area a 'Whites only' area.
Museum Visits-
"In addition to being a space for ex-residents to gather and get involved in programmes, the Museum has also become a space for telling the story of District Six to visitors from near and far. It has been designed in such a way that a visitor can wander in from off the street and go on a self-guided tour. If preferred, a walk through the Museum with an ex-resident storyteller can be arranged (pre-booked tours are guaranteed and preferred; walk-in tours are subject to availability.)"
Guided tours are available at the following times from Monday to Saturday.
9h30 | 10h30 | 11h30 | 13h30
Site Walks-
‘The Museum also offers guided site walks led by former residents of the area. These must be booked in advance and are subject to weather conditions being favourable for walking.
Visitors can also walk through the vacant site by themselves and get a sense of the magnitude of the destruction that took place. The area has been nominated as a National Heritage Site and has been awarded provisional Grade 1 status (finalisation is pending). "As such it should be treated with sensitivity and respect."
The District Six Museum is the perfect extension of the classroom. Wonderful visuals, oral testimonies, documentaries, audiovisual materials, scavenger hunts and role plays all form part of the repertoire of experiences offered by the Museum.
Workshop fees are negotiable and go entirely towards covering materials and other direct costs. It is believed that no student should be excluded from educational opportunities because of financial constraints, and are thus able to offer a few sponsorships for schools with limited resources.
The Museum also encourages schools to approach local businesses / ex-learners / government organisations to contribute towards the cost of involving learners in the interactive programmes on offer.
School educators and learners are strongly advised to subscribe to the Museum mailing list to receive information about special programmes that are offered for schools!