Local craftspeople are frequently in attendance in craft markets where
you can spend hours choosing rotund polished hippos, intricate
beadwork, stately wooden giraffes and a plethora of other sculpted
objets d’art made from colourful beads, gemstones, wood, leather,
grasses, fabric and metal.
In Cape Town visit Greenmarket Square,
an open market in a cobbled city square selling just about everything.
At the V&A Waterfront the Red Shed Craft Workshop is a vast indoor
craft market where items are designed and made to order. On Sundays
there is a weekly market on the green in scenic Hout Bay.
In Durban artful creations can be found in the old station building, where the African Art Centre
promotes the work of local artists. At the innovative harbour Bat
Centre, artists and crafters work on-site in studios and sell
high-quality decorative items. In the city centre, a wander along Grey
Street and the adjoining Victoria Street Market transports the visitor to an exotic place redolent with incense and spices.
In
Johannesburg local culture abounds at the African Craft Market in
Rosebank, where traders from all parts of the continent compete with
each other to charm shoppers with their exquisitely fashioned goods. On
Sundays and public holidays the roof of the adjoining shopping centre
becomes the popular Rosebank Rooftop Market, selling
arts, crafts, consumer goods and foodstuffs. The pick of local wares
are also sold by their makers at the roadside, in the central areas of
cities and on the scenic routes leading to the country’s many game
parks.
Museums
More than 300 museums all over the country reflect the heritage of South Africa. Visitors can find exhibits both conventional and eccentric, on every conceivable topic from beer to beadwork, from fashion to food. New additions are those reflecting the apartheid era, and commemorating those who fought and died in the cause of establishing a democratic country.
Important Museums
* The National Cultural History Museum, Pretoria * Transvaal Museum of Natural History, Pretoria. * The South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg * The National Museum and the Anglo-Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein. * The South African Cultural History Museum in Cape Town * Robben Island Museum. * Apartheid Museum in Gauteng.
Links:
* For more detailed information and museum listings, go to www.museums.org.za
Music
South Africa has a rich musical history. The local music, although deeply influenced by Europe and America, is
unique. South Africa offers a potent mix of indigenous and world musical
trends.
