Museums

The Western Cape has the largest concentration of museums on the African continent. These include Declared Cultural Institutions, museums affiliated to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), those that are managed by municipalities, institutional museums managed by national government departments and agencies or tertiary education institutions, and the rest by the private sector and private persons.

The DCAS Museum Service offers various education programmes to the public through partnerships with affiliated museums. DCAS provides support to affiliated museums through the payment of subsidies and grants and seconded officials to work at affiliated museums, and promotes social inclusion and active citizenship through the production of new permanent and travelling exhibitions about aspects of the Western Cape’s histories.

The 29 affiliated provincial museums in the Western Cape celebrate various national commemorative days with outreach and public programmes that promote social inclusion/cohesion. Exhibition displays are increasingly reflecting previously neglected aspects of local and the collective South African histories, contributing further to social inclusion/cohesion.

The Department will continue to stimulate transformation at affiliated museums to increase their appeal to the people of the Western Cape through exhibitions and public programmes reflective of the experiences of communities.