A multi award winning museum in New Brighton in Port Elizabeth marks the site of the historic Red Location, Nelson Mandela Bay’s oldest township and one of the city’s most important heritage sites.

During the apartheid area, the location was home and safe haven to scores of former anti-apartheid activists and political fugitives and today the Red Location Museum tells their stories.

Inspired by Robben Island, where Nobel Peace Price winner Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in exile, the museum pays homage to struggle leaders like Govan Mbeki and Raymond Mhlaba.

When visiting the Friendly City, a daytrip to this historical masterpiece is a must on any sightseeing itinerary. More than 100 000 visitors have paid tribute to these great South Africans since its inception two years ago.

The museum is a short drive along Nelson Mandela Bay’s Blue Flag Beaches from any of Beachfront Lodges’ three self-catering apartment blocks. Within 20 minutes, visitors will be catapulted into a world that is rich in the history of the region.

The Red Location Museum – separated only by the N2 national road from the Indian Ocean in Algoa Bay – offers a unique glance into this bygone era of institutionalised racism. It is surrounded by historical buildings well worth the visit.

The fifteen columns of a dynamic, permanent exhibition are each dedicated to a hero of the struggle. Multimedia display booths complement the columns and provide additional information.

Icons are selected annually through a nomination process, which means the exhibition keeps expanding.

This tour de force – built as part of the municipality’s urban renewal development plan – recently received a merit award from the South African Institute of Architects. It also afforded the metro a World Leadership Award.

The original township was established in 1903 and took its name from the red sheets of corrugated iron (recycled from the Boer War concentration camp at Uitenhage) that was used to construct the shacks, some of which can still be seen.

The museum boasts a restaurant, conference room, auditorium and arts and crafts stalls.

It is open from 9am to 4pm on weekdays and from 9am to 3pm on Saturdays. The unemployed, pensioners, disabled and pre-schoolers can visit for free on certain days.

For more information, visit www.freewebs.com/redlocationmuseum or phone 041 408 8400.

Issued by:

Full Stop Communications

Coetzee Gouws
082 575 7991
041 368 4992
coetzee@fullstopcom.com
www.fullstopcom.com

On behalf of:

Beachfront Lodges