The South African Museum aims to increase public awareness of indigenous knowledge in southern Africa by providing a space for exhibiting the products of this knowledge, discussing related issues and encouraging people to preserve their intellectual heritage. Indigenous knowledge refers to traditional knowledge that is handed on from generation to generation in communities.

The first phase of the project focuses primarily on knowledge held by the early African inhabitants of southern Africa, and includes the concepts, skills and practices of hunter-gatherers, herders and early farmers. Later phases will show the interrelation between local knowledge and traditions introduced to southern Africa by people from many parts of the world.

Ultimately the aim is to show the relationship between informal and scientific forms of knowledge, and to draw attention to the merging of ideas from different cultural traditions.

visit the online exhibition >