The only heritage centre in the world dedicated to the San opened at !Khwa ttu on Heritage Day (September 24) in the Western Cape.
The centre boasts three interlinked elements – the Heritage Centre building at !Khwa ttu, community satellites, and a digital archive.
The Heritage Centre building was co-curated by San communities and serves as a vibrant demonstration of culture and beliefs, articulating the previously untold indigenous experiences of the San.
The centre boasts a collection of artefacts and historic photographs of the San people, with exhibitions, San-led trails and guided experiences, demonstrating the skills and knowledge of San people.
The community satellites will be located with partner organisations, in carefully identified sites around southern Africa. These satellite heritage centres will allow for active engagement with remote rural communities. Under a strategy of San curatorship, these satellites will employ the latest archival software to enable communities to curate their own archives and engage globally. Critically, it will be the San themselves, within their communities, who decide what, and how much of their data they wish to share.
The satellite centres will serve as information hubs, for personal, educational, economic, or advocacy purposes. Scholars and members of the general public will be able to seek out and explore San life, authentically and legitimately.
The digital archive will link community satellites, the !Khwa ttu Heritage Centre and the world, by bringing together the vast number of digital files about the San that already exist, and making them accessible via a single Internet portal. San communities will be able to access the digital archive, whilst the satellite provides opportunities for global interaction.
