Bensusan Museum of Photography

In the heart of Newtown, Johannesburg just a few meters away from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Museum Africa you’ll find the home to a fine curated collection of unique and priceless finely crafted photographic equipment. Inside the Bensusan Museum of Photography you’ll be greeted with light capturing antiques that truly bring back the nostalgia of how photography has told stories over so many years of history.

The museum is named after Dr AD Bensusan, a former mayor of Johannesburg and an individual who pioneered the art and science in South Africa, the museum was donated to the city in 1968. In addition to a beautiful collection of cameras, the museum is also home to many fine collections of photographic records and historical documents. A noteworthy item in the collection is a very early Daguerre camera bought by WH Fox Talbot in 1839, which was the year that the invention of photography was announced to the world. This collection shows how photography has progressed over the years, navigating its way through the challenges and time to cater for the evolution and success of the image-capturing medium.

History can be experienced first hand through the display of artifacts, such as early wet-plate prints. Historical artifacts are not the only subject matter in this collection, you’ll come across current exposés on display such as stereoscopic views, holograms and digital images. As part of the collection, the museum also specializes in preserving the work of South African photographers in conjunction with interactive toys, darkrooms and multimedia shows providing educational basics into of photography.

With more than 400 antique cameras, 5000 photographs and 2000 photography books, the Bensusan Museum of Photography gives the everyday eye a window into how images have been captured over the years. For the fanatical photographers there is also a library populated with photographic cuttings, pamphlets, journals, books and magazine on the work of photographers, how they used their equipment and also processes and techniques.

Whether you’re just interested in seeing beautiful optics or gaining a little insight into the development of cinematography, The Bensusan Museum of Photography will surely give you a visual experience of the world that has allowed us to communicate visually.

Address: Museum Africa, 121 Bree Street, Newtown, Johannesburg.
Telephone: +27 (0)11 833-5624
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 09h00 to 17h00.

Arts On Main

In the centre of the newly revived Mabobeng precinct, Arts on Main is a unique combination of exhibition, studio and retail space, a space for Joburg’s creative community to share ideas and collectively engage with one another.

It is currently the home to studio space for artists William Kentridge, Kim Liebermann and others, as well as gallery space for GoetheOnMain, Nirox Projects and Bailey Art History Archives. On top of theses creative hubs, Arts on Main also includes retail spaces such as Black Coffee and Love Jozi. Arts on Main also hosts regular cinema screenings and offers a rooftop bar. Every Sunday and the first Thursday night of every month, this area becomes home to Market on Main, a mecca of local produce, original retail and a unique Jozi vibe.

There are also a number of spaces to hire for functions as well as residential opportunities, making Arts on Main the perfect space to live, work and play.

ARTS ON MAIN SITE

Admission

Free

Visiting hours

10:00AM - 16:00PM (Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun), 10:00AM - 20:00PM (Thurs)

ADDRESS

264 Fox Street, Johannesburg, Gauteng

EMAIL

info@mabonengprecinct.com

PHONE

+27 (0)83 245 1040 

Apartheid Museum

Many films have been made, books written and stories told about South Africa’s oppressive past, but nothing captures those dark years better than the Apartheid Museum, located in western Johannesburg. The museum exhibits unedited and uncensored audio-visual material and photographs documenting some of the most harrowing episodes in South Africa’s history.

The policy of apartheid was introduced by the National Party in 1948 as a form of domination and control of black people through racial segregation. Black people were subject to inhumane treatment, their movement was curtailed and they needed permission to travel to certain parts of the country.

The Apartheid Museum takes visitors on an emotion-filled journey through those times. Film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts in 22 individual exhibition areas bear witness to oppression. The exhibits include visuals of daily life in South Africa’s townships – under the watchful eye of security police in armoured Casspir vehicles – as well as of forced removals and innocent people being mauled by police dogs.

In other rooms, the sounds of toyi-toying and struggle songs reverberate, and visuals document the almost daily protests by the restless masses. Marches were brutally suppressed – as on 16 June 1976 in Soweto, when police opened fire on defenceless schoolchildren protesting the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools.

The museum also features footage of former president Nelson Mandela’s interview with the BBC while in hiding from the authorities in 1961, as well as of apartheid architect Hendrik Verwoerd justifying racial segregation.

A tour of the museum is sure to leave visitors wondering how South Africa has managed to put behind it the injustices of the past and build a society based on dignity and equality.

Conference facilities are available at the museum, and various events, from workshops to formal dinners, have been hosted at the venue.

Admission

Adults: R55
Pensioners, students, children: R40
School groups: R10 per learner; R15 per educator
Please note: guided tours and school group visits should be booked in advance. Due to the graphic nature of the exhibits’ content, the tour is not suitable for children under the age of 11.

Visiting hours

Tuesday to Sunday from 09h00 to 17h00
Closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day

Directions

Next to Gold Reef City Casino, west of Johannesburg

Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre

The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, formally known as the De Wildt Cheetah Centre, is a breeding sanctuary for cheetahs and other endangered animals. It was founded in 1971 by conservationist Ann van Dyk and is situated in the foothills of the Magaliesberg, about an hour outside Johannesburg. A day trip to the centre is well worth the drive if you’re interested in getting to know more about this important cause.

The centre has played a crucial role in the protection of cheetahs in South Africa, and has so far managed to breed roughly 600 – an astounding achievement considering the cheetah population in South Africa was estimated at 700 when the De Wildt breeding programme first started. In 1986, the centre celebrated its first major success and received international recognition when the cheetah was removed from the South African endangered species list.

A number of other creatures are also housed there including African wild dogs, brown hyenas, servals, suni antelopes, riverine rabbits and a population of vultures.

The centre is a non-profit institute and relies mainly on donations from sponsors, support from the public and income from tourism. It operates an outreach programme, visiting schools and institutions in an effort to raise awareness about cheetahs and nature conversation. An “ambassador cheetah” is present at these demonstrations, allowing people a chance to get a closer look. Visitors to the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre are able to book tours around the facilities and visit the cheetah enclosures.

Be sure to inquire about the cheetah run when, three times a week, visitors are invited to witness the ambassador cheetahs’ exercise as they chase after a high-speed lure. There are a variety of educational tour packages to choose from, and bookings should be made in advance. Tours include a game drive through the sanctuary and a chance to learn more the centre and its wildlife. Special private group tours and exclusive tours for two people can also be arranged. If you’re interested in spending the night in this tranquil part of Gauteng, they also offer accommodation at their lodge – also an ideal place for lunch parties and special occasions.

If you’re interested in becoming a bit more involved, there are several ways in which you can help the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre continue to make a difference. One of the more popular options is to symbolically adopt an animal. Your donations will go towards maintaining and caring for the animals and you will receive an adoption certificate and photographs of your new ward via email. 

NAME

The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre – De Wildt

PHONE

+27 (0)12 504 9906/7/8 or 083 892 0515

WEBSITE

www.dewildt.co.za