Collections

What we have

Amazwi houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of resources relating to South African literature in English. The museum preserves South Africa’s literary heritage through state-of-the-art environmental controls and monitoring procedures.


The collection includes authors’ manuscripts, photographs, posters, theatre programmes and published works, as well as comprehensive resources on South African literature, such as critical works, reviews and interviews published in books, journals and press-clippings, including digital material.

Since 2019, Amazwi’s collection mandate encompasses all of South Africa’s official languages. The museum is now collecting literature in all indigenous languages and encourages donors to contribute to Amazwi’s collection drive. The Curatorial Division has initially prioritised collection of the works of literary authors who write in isiXhosa.

What we do

Amazwi makes the museum’s collections available for research purposes to academics, educators and the public, by appointment. Access to certain manuscripts and rare books may be limited. Amazwi digitises selected materials in order to contribute to their accessibility, a process which also helps to conserve fragile objects.

The museum is working towards sharing its catalogue online but in the meantime, we are able to assist researchers in accessing our collections. Anyone can do this, either by visiting Amazwi’s Reading Room or by emailing a curator, who will assist with information and digitisation, as appropriate. You can reach Amazwi through the details provided on the ‘Contact Us’ page.

The collections are the foundation of Amazwi’s exhibition programme, which includes permanent, temporary, digital and travelling exhibitions. They also form the basis of research and other activities by the museum’s staff that promote South African literature.

Theatre Posters