Iziko Museums of South Africa is tasked with the responsibility to care, conserve and maintain the national estate and objects, artefacts and specimens which forms part of our national heritage and cultural identity. Iziko Museums is undertaking a bold and ambitious plan to Reimagine its museums. ReImagining Iziko Museums is an industrious project that aims to upgrade, preserve, conserve, and reinterpret the museum facilities, infrastructure, objects, artefacts and collections.
The Iziko Koopman’s de Wet House Museum, is next to benefit from the undertaking. As part of the Reimagining process, furniture and artefacts were removed from Koopman’s de wet House. Facilities and infrastructure, as well as conservation work will take place at the Koopman’s de Wet House Museum over the next few months.
The Iziko Koopmans-de Wet Museum will continue to operate under that name. The Research and Exhibitions department will continue to exhibit the narrative of the site. To that end, physical and virtual exhibitions will be developed. These will continue to profile various elements of the Koopman’s-de Wet contribution to the country’s heritage. The exhibitions will also recognise the role played by the enslaved in the social fabric of the Koopman’s-de Wet Museum and the Cape.
We appreciate the fact that the site and museum were developed to preserve the legacy of Koopmans-de Wet and the heritage embedded in it. We recognise that the family contributed to the socio-economic life of the Cape. Marie Koopman’s-de Wet was an activist in her right and was passionate about language and painting, those elements of her and her family’s legacy will continue to be honoured. It is within this particular context that the museum is set to host the South African Heritage Hub – a venture that seeks to incorporate the history and heritage of Koopman’s de Wet House, as well as the legacy of Marie and her sister Margerette.
While the Koopmans de Wet family worked hard to accumulate their wealth, education and contributed to the cultural life of the city, the enslaved also worked as masons, carpenters, smiths, tailors, furniture makers and musicians. To this end the envisaged hub activities will include both heritage and entrepreneurial ventures as the pillars that will continue to inspire the work of the museum, whilst the next generation of heritage practitioners are being trained.
Members of the public and or organisations wanting to support the work of Iziko Museums of South Africa with the establishment of the South African Heritage Hub and the related youth entrepreneurial projects set to occur at the Iziko Koopmans de Wet House museum are at liberty to contact info@iziko.org.za.
