Empangeni Arts and Cultural History Museum

About Empangeni Arts and Cultural History Museum

Any visit to South Africa demands that you explore the arts, crafts and cultures of this country; and the Empangeni Arts and Cultural History Museum, just 90 minutes from Durban, represents this perfectly. The Empangeni Museum has a representative collection of contemporary Kwa-Zulu Natal artists’ works and an ethnographic collection of the regional culture.

This museum is housed in a building that dates back to 1916 and is perched in the centre of town. It used to be the hub of all of the town’s most exciting events; including dances, concerts and theatrical performances. Today, though, it is a place where the many cultures of KwaZulu-Natal converge in beautiful exhibitions that tell the tale of the South Africa of yesteryear. In fact, the entire focus of the museum is to collect and celebrate anything that contributes to the local art, culture and history in all of its diversity.

The large gallery exhibits beautiful artwork by acclaimed artists like Andries Botha, Raphael Magwaza, Dennis Purvis, and Diamond Bozas. There are also temporary exhibitions that are more dynamic, changing every now and then. This ensures that frequent visitors to the Empangeni Museum get to enjoy something new every time they come.

Displays include the Harrison Collection of the pioneer sugar farmers, the Mthethwa collection of Zulu culture, a reconstruction of an authentic reed and thatch house, and exhibits of the sugar cane and cattle farming implements that were used all those generations ago.

The town of Empangeni is in the balmy and verdant province of KwaZulu-Natal, and is situated just outside Richards Bay. It is home to a fabulous 18-hole golf course and is the base from which many travellers visit the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, where the Big Five can be spotted in their natural habitat.