The Collections Department was renamed the Collections, Research and Documentation (CRD) department in 2004 to reflect the various focus areas that emerged with the museum’s growth since 1994. The CRD department acts as a hub for our ongoing memory work, providing access to material, but also shaping projects and research in the Museum. Our work draws on the idea of an archive as a living organism, fuelled by stories and experiences that are facilitated by the District Six ex-resident community and the Museum.

The Museum curates and manages a unique collection of oral history recordings, historical materials, fine prints and paintings, physical remains of District Six in the form of street signs and architectural vignettes, artefacts, photographic images, books, dissertations, theses, and audio-visual recordings. This growing collection has been donated to the museum by the large community of ex-residents of District Six and provides a unique view of life in the area.

 

The photographic collection consists of photographic prints, transparencies and negatives. These images date back to the turn of the century and document the traumatic process of the removal between 1966 and the early 1980s.

Included in this collection are a number of collections of works by professional photographers such as Jillian Edelstein, Paul Grendon, George Hallett, Jackie Heyns, Jimi Matthews, Cloete Breytenbach, Jansje Wissema and Jan Greshoff.

 

The Sound Archive was started in July 1997 and was charged with the collection, preservation, documentation and dissemination of the museum's audio-visual heritage collection. Groundbreaking at the time for its focus on memory the Sound Archive is largely responsible for generating oral histories as part of the museum’s research, exhibitionary and education practice. In addition to a number of life histories with District Sixers and ex-residents from other sites of forced removals, the AV collection consists of home video footage from District Six, documentaries relating to apartheid South Africa as well as footage related to New Year Carnival and musical traditions in Cape Town.

 

A significant percentage of the museum's collection exists in documentary evidence. This includes a newspaper record of District Six and related areas from the 1940s to the present day, original identification cards, posters and pamphlets, and also original correspondence and legal documents. The Resource Centre is the main gateway for learners and researchers accessing documentary material on District Six. Access to copies of original documents is provided in the Museum's Resource Centre.

 

The museum manages a small collection of original artworks by mostly local artists. Amongst our collection are works by Kenny and Mabel Baker, Sandra McGregor, Lionel Davis, Larry Scully, Rod Sauls and Gerard Sekoto.

 

Margaux Bergman, Resource Centre Coordinator
Dean Jates, Archival Technical Assistant
Chrischené Julius, Head of Department
Thulani Nxumalo, Sound Archivist