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A museum of cultural history housed in a historic building, a good place to discover the heritage of slaves in Cape Town.
The Slave Lodge is one of the oldest buildings in the city. Built in 1679, it housed over 9,000 slaves brought by the Dutch East India Company to serve as labour for the colony. From 1810 onwards, the building was converted to serve as a government office and later as the Supreme Court. It was first restored in 1960 to become the Museum of Cultural History and renamed Slave Lodge in 1998. Today, the collective memory attempts to highlight the heritage of slaves in Cape Town, a heritage that has long been obscured in the country's history. The focus is on the roots and ancestry of the Cape's mixed-race people. The route of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) slaves from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Mozambique is compared to the transatlantic route to the plantations in America. In an alcove, on an interactive light column, inside rotating rings, are inscribed names given to the slaves by their owners: Welcome, Fortune, September, Titus, Cupid, Solomon or Moses... For generations, these slaves, once they arrived at the Slave Lodge, were sold like ordinary goods under a fig tree located at the back of the building, now on Spin Street. Finally, a multimedia room immerses the visitor in this dark and oppressive world. To better understand their daily life, go to Groot Constantia, an agricultural estate where they were largely exploited. The temporary exhibitions are interesting.
Did you know? This review was written by our professional authors.
Further information
Opening time and information on SLAVE LODGE
Open from 9am to 5pm, closed on Sunday, on May 1st and on December 25th. Admission: R30, - 18 years students: 15 R.
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Members' reviews on SLAVE LODGE
The ratings and reviews below reflect the subjective opinions of members and not the opinion of The Little Witty.
Visit open minded and eager to accept the horrible past.
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Theres soooooo much and I do wish to return for a longer visit. They cover South African and African slave history and also highlights the important tragic reality that slavery still exists in various forms. They have a couple of rooms devoted to the amazing Nelson Mandela- which left me inspired and with tears in my eyes as always… he's just such an incredible human being and I’m always left hoping and wondering whether I possess even a bit of his courage, humility, love and compassion- He really is my favorite person ????
They have this fabulous timeline that traces Cape Town history, South African slave history and Slave history around the world simultaneously yet color-coded for better understanding- BRILLIANT!
They have an interesting guns collection which I didn’t spend too much time in.
They also highlight violence against women and talk about this epidemic which is necessary… violence towards women is merely another form of subjugation and suppression so Im glad for this section.
What I truly loved more than the other aspects I loved are the voices given to living descendants. People today are able to speak about their experiences and growing up the descendant of an enslaved person. Its fascinating and reminds us that consequences of slavery which ended in the 1800’s is palpable and affecting to this day.
In this way the museum is a living museum, an institution not just focusing on the past but inquiring and seeking ways to help those in the present and the future. It’s trying to be the change we want in this world. Truly magnificent exhibitions ✊????????????
They also cover the role of music as an outlet for repressed peoples and talk about the lovely anthem for a beautiful new South Africa and its significance.
Finally, of course they do cover apartheid which was also tremendously interesting and devastating but also inspiring because sooooooo many unknown people fought the good fight and died for the rights of all peoples. They feature lists of names of these heroes- a wonderful tribute and a humbling experience.
There are many sections I haven’t mentioned such as an Egyptian section but I was a bit pressed for time. I left feeling deep profound complex thoughts about our species and these thoughts and questions are still fresh in my mind. In that sense this museum did a phenomenal job in educating and enlightening a horrible terrible part of who we are whilst reminding us that we are loving and strong and beautiful and incredible as a species nonetheless. That hope always reigns supreme.