*Free Entry on Heritage Day, 24 September 2025
Cape Town, South Africa
For media images and interview requests please contact: Zikhona Jafta at mediaofficer@iziko.org.za
Iziko Museums of South Africa is set to host the in_herit FESTIVAL – a dynamic cultural programme and FREE ENTRY (excluding the Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome) on Heritage Day, 24 September. This annual celebration comprises of a series of walkabouts, workshops and exhibition highlights. This year also marks the bicentenary of the Iziko South African Museum. In keeping with this momentous moment, the in_herit FESTIVAL programme extends the national heritage month theme: Remembering, Reflecting and Reimagining our heritage institutions in a new era.
This in_herit FESTIVAL honours South Africa’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, offering the public an opportunity to engage and explore with history, art, and identity. Heritage Day at Iziko is jam-packed with activities. Music and dance performances by community cultural performers: the Collections Teams will bring the “behind-the-scenes-science” to the fore. Basket weaving, mock fossil digs, fossil casting and making sessions allow visitors to get involved. Free entry on Heritage Day, 24 September includes the following:
Participating Museums:
- Iziko South African Museum, 25 Queen Victoria Street,
- Iziko Slave Lodge c/o Adderly and Wale Streets
- Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, Wale Street, Bo-Kaap
- Iziko South African National Gallery, Government Avenue,
- Castle of Good Hope, c/o Buitenkant and Darling Street
- Groot Constantia Manor House Museum
Museum doors will be open from 09:00 to 17:00, with last entries at 16:30. Visitors can enjoy a range of special activities, live performances, and interactive exhibitions designed to spark curiosity and reflection.
“Our museums belong to all South Africans. As we celebrate 200 years of the Iziko South African Museum, we look forward to welcoming generations of visitors, learners, and researchers to engage with its world-class collections and exhibitions. Established in 1825 as the first museum in South and Southern Africa, this bicentenary is more than a milestone—it is a call to action, inviting every citizen to visit, reflect, and reconnect with our shared histories and heritage,” said Lennox Tukwayo, Chief Executive Officer of Iziko Museums of South Africa.
Be sure to catch:
Transformative Soul Wounds Workshop -Iziko Museums of South Africa invites you to the Soul Wounds Workshop. This transformative four-hour journey offers a supportive space to understand and heal the deep impacts of the past. Participants will be guided through reflection, meditation, and sound practices — fostering ancestral connection, restoration, and a renewed sense of self. The workshop is an extension of the Uitgeskryf in grond exhibition currently on show at the Iziko Slave Lodge.
Date: Saturday, 20 September 2025
Time: 12:00 until 14:00
Venue: Iziko Slave Lodge, C/O Adderly and Wale Streets, Cape Town
Book online via Webtickets https://bit.ly/SoulsandWounds
Enquiries: ndamon@iziko.org.za
Calligraphy Workshops –Discover a unique fusion of cultures! The Arabic Calligraphy in Chinese Style (ACCS) script blends Arabic script with Chinese techniques—uniting two sacred visual arts into one graceful style. Flowing and bold, the Maghrebi Calligraphy Script emerged in North Africa in the 13th century with sweeping curves and wide letters, making Qur’anic texts both beautiful and easy to read.
Date: Tues -Thurs, 23, 24, 25 September 2025
Time: 12:00 – 16:00
Venue: Iziko South African National Gallery Annexe,
Government Avenue, Gardens, Cape Town
Book online via Webtickets https://bit.ly/47IBOMf
Enquiries: Kauthar@deenartsfoundation.org.za
Don’t miss the Iziko Mobile Museum, traveling around the Western Cape and country bring the ‘museum without walls’ to communities unable to visit physically. The Mobile Museum. The Mobile Museum will be out-and about at the Retreat Public Library, Joe Marks Blvd, Retreat on 23 Sept-25.
‘Een Voet innie Kabr’ – An afternoon with author, Gaireyah Fredericks
‘Een Voet innie Kabr’ immerses the reader into the vibrant and colourful world of the Cape Muslim community. Gaireyah Fredericks, using her masterful command of Kaaps Afrikaans, invites readers to explore themes of life, death, grief, and faith, interwoven with humour and honesty. Her narratives bring to life unforgettable characters and are a testament to the enduring spirit and rich cultural tapestry of the Cape. We are proud to celebrate this collection, recently honoured with the prestigious UJ Debut Prize for Afrikaans 2025, recognizing its significant impact and literary merit.
Join Iziko Museums and author, Gaireyah Fredricks for an exclusive book reading and signing event.
Date: Saturday, 27 September 2025
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Venue: Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, 71 Wale St, Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town, 8001
Enquiries: ndamon@iziko.org.za
Exhibition highlights:
Motherhood: Paradox and Duality – Iziko South African National Gallery
Motherhood – one of the most profound yet paradoxical human experiences – a societal cornerstone
that influences economies, politics and cultural structures; fierce and tender, intimate yet universal, celebrated yet constrained by societal norms. Spanning centuries, Motherhood: Paradox and Duality
showcase works from historical paintings to contemporary pieces. The exhibition, curated by Andrea Lewis, unites over 70 artists across diverse media and time periods to challenge, redefine and expand our understanding of what it means to mother in a rapidly shifting world.
ISAM200: A story of change – Iziko South African Museum
A compelling visual journey through time featuring objects that embody the museum’s 200 years of
evolving practice of collection, research and ethical reflection – capturing the rich and complex narratives of scientific exploration, cultural heritage and the intricate relationship between science and society.
Making Freedom: From a History of Slavery to a People’s History – an exhibition at the Iziko Slave Lodge. Two newly unveiled spaces, the Hermanus ‘Ngxukumeshe’ Matroos Room and the Galant Gallery, honour stories of resistance and liberation in South Africa’s late and post-slavery periods. These spaces connect past and present, focusing on Hermanus Matroos’ cross-cultural impact and Galant van de Caab’s uprising for freedom. These stories also extend the slavery narrative into the Eastern Cape, linking enslaved peoples, Khoekhoe, and Xhosa communities through a lens of colonial conquest and resistance. Alongside this, the Galant uprising is brought to life through contemporary artworks, revealing the harsh realities of rural slavery and the enduring fight for freedom.
