Voices of the Land

Voices of the Land | Amazwi Elizwe | Landskrif

The permanent exhibitions in the museum depict the literary representation of the South African landscape from early colonial times to the present day.

Displays of original manuscripts, rare books, authors notebooks and letters are complemented by audio and video components and interactive touch screens.

Through literary imaginings the landscape is presented as a physical place with its long history of ownership conflicts, and as an aesthetic symbol of cultural identity.

Outdoor exhibitions include a sculpture by Strydom van der Merwe, ‘Pencils’. Metal strips on the ground hold quotations from three iconic writers.

The full African moon poured down its light from the blue sky into the wide, lonely plain. Olive Schreiner | The Story of an African Farm | 1883

How can I explain (commenced Mhudi), where shall I begin, for who could have foretold in my childhood days that the sweet life at Kunana would end like this?

Sol Plaatje | Mhudi | 1930

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.

Alan Paton | Cry, the Beloved Country | 1948