The Luthuli Museum is located in the 1927 home of the late Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Luthuli. The essence of his anti-apartheid struggle is captured via photographs, newspaper clippings and mementos of South Africa’s turbulent past.
The Luthuli Museum was established in honour of the contribution made to South Africa and her people by the late Nobel laureate Chief Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli.
This historic museum was officially opened in August 2004. It incorporates Chief Albert Luthuli’s home, built in 1927 and later declared a national monument. The street in which the museum is located, Nokukhanya Luthuli Street, is named after Luthuli’s wife. The museum is in the small town of KwaDukuza, previously known as Groutvilled, about a 45-minute drive north-east of Durban.
Manicured lawns and shady trees welcome visitors to the museum and provide a serene setting in which to reflect on the achievements of one of South Africa’s most influential political figures.
Among the many displays are a variety of photographs of early anti-apartheid veterans of the day, including Luthuli. A striking, life-size replica figure of Luthuli sits on a chair just inside the front door of the museum, maintaining a palpable presence many years after his death.
Adjacent to Luthuli’s homestead is a modern interpretative centre that hosts temporary art and cultural exhibitions. The Luthuli Museum also provides customised educational tours for student groups, as well as art and poetry programmes.
In his autobiography Let My People Go, Luthuli described himself as a ‘compulsive football fan’. With this in mind, an outdoor soccer exhibition illustrating his interest in the beautiful game and his administrative role in the sport has been assembled by the Luthuli Museum.
The first African to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, in honour of his passive resistance against apartheid, Luthuli has been described as ‘a leader ahead of his time’. He left behind a powerful legacy of non-violence, non-racialism, democracy and respect for human rights.
– By southafrica.net
