Situated just a block away from South Africa’s parliament, the District Six Museum keeps alive the memory of one of the Apartheid government’s most painful realities – the forced removal of black, coloured, and Indian community members from areas designated ‘whites-only’ under the country’s old Group Areas Act. Based in an old Methodist church and opened in 1994, the museum reflects the painful and turbulent breakdown of one the most vibrant parts of the city. Since the demolition of homes and businesses, the area has remained largely undeveloped and land claims have not been finalised. Part of the museum’s mission has been to find those who lost their homes and community, and tell their stories. They do so beautifully, recreating bedrooms, barber shops, and kitchens using remains that were donated by the families or rescued from the land. — Serena Hawkey
