This AFRICA DAY, we celebrate the launch of i.dig.africa, a platform for digital storytelling using museum collections about Africa's pasts.

i.dig.africa

presents stories developed by staff of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum, the National Museum of Kenya (Nairobi), the Field Museum (Chicago) and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Cambridge), initiated under the 'Reframing the African Past' project directed by Stefania Merlo (University of Cambridge) and Carla Klehm (University of Arkansas) and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Go to i.dig.africa

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Africa Day is commemorated annually on the 25th of May, and celebrates Africa's unique identity, heritage and cultural expression. It also marks the founding day of the African Union (formally known as the Organisation of African Unity), an organisation which aims to promote unity and solidarity among African states, accelerate the continent's political and socio-economic integration, and defend the sovereignty of its member states. In 2025 the AU celebrates its 62nd anniversary under the theme, "𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒔 & 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔"

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The KZN Museum proudly participated in the 2025 edition of the Maritzburg College Career Focus, where we engaged with future leaders of industry and inspired bright young minds to unlock their potential. Our team had the opportunity to introduce learners to the diverse and exciting world of museums—sharing insights into heritage preservation, archaeology, exhibitions, and the many career paths available in the museum sector. It was a rewarding experience to educate students about the important work we do and spark curiosity about history, science, and culture.

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We are pleased to announce the launch of the StoryMap,

Picturing uMgungundlovu: iNkosi Dingane kaSenzangakhona’s capital 1829–1838.

‘Picturing uMgungundlovu’ is an account of the Zulu king Dingane’s capital, its intense existence over a period of just nine years followed by its abandonment, and its coming back into view through archaeological and digital research. Our account draws on a range of different sources including the collections of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum.

‘Picturing uMgungundlovu’ presents our efforts to piece together the story of uMgungundlovu. It builds on years of collaborative work between the Five Hundred Year Archive, the metsemegologolo project and curators in Human Sciences at the KwaZulu-Natal Museum. The Five Hundred Year Archive has digitized the uMgungundlovu archive since 2014, and created a website portal to the various materials that are dispersed across several institutions (EMANDULO). The StoryMap was created under the ‘Reframing the African Past’ project directed by Stefania Merlo and Carla Klehm and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (2024/2025).

The launch of ‘Picturing uMgungundlovu’ coincides with International Museum Day as an example of how museum collections can be mobilized for story telling in the digital age.

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i.dig.africa

Picturing uMgungundlovu: iNkosi Dingane kaSenzangakhona’s capital 1829–1838.

Opening Times