About Red Location Museum
The Red Location Museum is situated within the oldest township in South Africa, New Brighton. This massive informal settlement is on the outskirts of the industrial area of Port Elizabeth in Nelson Mandela Bay and represents a huge segment of the local population.
Did you know? Visit a museum next time you are in PE - the Port Elizabeth Museum on the beachfront, the South End Museum, No 7 Castle Hill Museum, or the Donkin Reserve memorial.
This vibrant township also has a complex history, one that resonates with local residents as well as South Africans on a broader scale. In fact, the world as a whole knows of the Apartheid regime, its tragedies and its victories, and these are aptly represented at the Red Location Museum.
The Museum is part of the Red Location Cultural Precinct; an urban renewal area and programme that is an initiative of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. It is dedicated to exposing the atrocities and sadness of the Apartheid regime, but also to celebrating the life and culture of the South African people in all of their diversity and resilience.
Red Location opened its doors in 2005 and was designed by Noero Wolff Architects after being commissioned by a foreign couple that wanted to share their personal encounter with this beautiful land in a new, modern, optimistic way. Its progressive design earned it the RIBA's Lubetkin Award, which is an esteemed international award. The materials used for its construction include corrugated iron, wire, concrete and wood as apt representations of the resources and “style” of townships.
The Red Location Museum is different from its counterparts for many reasons. For one, it involves visitors in a hands-on way, immersing them into the life and culture of the townships, rather than simply displaying it before them. Secondly, the sheer scale of the building and its exhibitions forces one to see, perceive and feel in a very tangible, real way. Massive black and white photographs of anti-Apartheid role-players, for example, are exhibited on pillars that are many metres high, while shacks are represented by storeys-high blocks in the middle of the enormous space, covered in the iconic red corrugated iron for which they have become known.
Each internal column, known as a memory box, houses a different themed exhibition, and invites visitors to be part of the informal settlements, both past and present. One houses named boxes containing the memories and treasures of those who were killed at the hands of white officials, while ominous nooses hang overhead. Another has been designed to reflect a typical shack, complete with its outside bucket toilet system and neighbour to indicate the size of the dwellings and the conditions in which folk live. There are 12 such memory boxes, each of which is a staggering 12 metres tall, allowing the museum a fantastic space in which to convey the facts, coupled with the emotional aspects of township living.
The Red Location Museum is situated on the site at which the first Umkhonto we Sizwe branch in the country was launched, as well as the location of the first Defiance Campaign arrests. This sense of history permeates the walls, photographs and smiling faces of the museum.
The museum has an art gallery as well as a well-equipped auditorium for presentations and educational sessions.
Need to Know
WhereRed Location Museum, On the corner of Olof Palme and Singaphi Streets Streets, New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
WhenOpen Monday to Saturday from 09h00.
Telephone+27 (0)41 408-8400
OvernightStay in Port Elizabeth Accommodation, Eastern Cape
Disclaimer
Please note, business details can change. While we endeavour to ensure all information provided by the service provider is correct at the time of publication, we do not assume any liability caused by errors or changes, such as price, cost, time, and location. Please check with the provider that the activity/business is still offered as described, before making any travel plans.
Feedback?
If this is your attraction, you can let us know if anything on this page is outdated or contains inaccuracies, by email. We regret, we do not have any other information, please contact the provider if you have questions.
Additional Reading
You might also be interested inAttractions near New Brighton
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options in Port Elizabeth
10 on Cape
10 on Cape are luxury apartments conveniently situated in the city centre of Port Elizabeth. We are a mere five to ten minute drive from all the ...
First Avenue Guesthouse
First Avenue Guesthouse is a well established 4 Star accommodation situated in a quiet cul-de-sac opposite Hobie Beach in the popular beachfront ...
Boutique Hotel On The Bay
Boutique Hotel On The Bay is located in Nelson Mandela Bay, offering a peaceful accommodation in Port Elizabeth with everything you need. Nearby,...
Barkly Street Guesthouse
Barkly Street Guesthouse is located in the picturesque grounds of the Barkly Street Theatre. The rooms are furnished with King-size beds and all ...
Summerseas Seaside Apartment
Summerseas Seaside Apartment is a self-catering holiday apartment in Summerstrand situated in a secure complex on the beachfront. Opening onto a ...
Terracotta Lodge
Terracotta Lodge offers accommodation in stylishly decorated, self contained garden units, in the beautiful city of Port Elizabeth. Our hospitali...
Heugh Road Guest House
Heugh Road Guest House is positioned 1km away from Port Elizabeth Airport and 3km away from the beach. The establishment is close to many tourist...
Colleen Glen Self Catering Cottage
Situated close to both the beach and town, Colleen Glen Self Catering Cottage offers a peaceful farm experience. Guests can enjoy bird watching a...
Things to do in the area
Visit the Red Location Museum
The Red Location Museum is dedicated to the struggle for quality that characterised the apartheid regime in South Africa. However, more than this...
New Brighton Beach
You'll find the New Brighton Beach just before Bluewater Bay in Port Elizabeth. If you don't feel like getting your feet wet in the waves make us...
Bluewater Bay Beach
On the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, where the ocean is wilder and the air is laced with sea spray, are the laid-back suburb of Bluewater Bay and ...
Swartkops Beach
On the outskirts of the industrial area of Port Elizabeth, heading towards the world-renowned Addo Elephant National Park, is the tiny sandy stre...
Accommodation convenient to Red Location Museum
FIND / South Africa Accommodation / Eastern Cape Accommodation / Sunshine Coast Accommodation / Port Elizabeth Accommodation