Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre

The Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre is located at 88 Hatfield Street in the Gardens district of Cape Town, South Africa, beside the Company's Garden and the Gardens Synagogue. It was opened in 1999 as the first Holocaust centre in Africa, and it was established by the Cape Town Holocaust Foundation with the support of the Cape Town Jewish community, survivors and education authorities. The centre is a free-standing, purpose-built facility whose permanent exhibition, titled 'Dignity and Hope', traces the history of the Holocaust from the rise of antisemitism and the Nazi regime to the persecution, ghettos and extermination of six million Jews, and the survival and resistance of individuals. The display uses photographs, documents, artefacts and survivor testimony, including the stories of survivors who settled in South Africa. The exhibition continues with a section on other genocides, including the Rwandan genocide, and with parts of the display relating the lessons of the Holocaust to the South African experience of apartheid, racism and human rights. The curatorial approach is chronological and testimony-led, and it is designed for education, with an educational programme serving schools and teachers across the Western Cape. The building has been developed and extended since 1999, and the exhibitions have been updated with new material and digital displays. The tone of the centre is sombre, and visitors are expected to behave respectfully. Visits usually require a security check, and bags may be inspected. Tours and school programmes can be arranged, and the centre is open Sunday to Thursday, with shorter hours on Friday and closed on Saturday. Entrance is free, though donations are welcomed. The centre is close to the South African Museum, the Company's Garden and the Houses of Parliament, which makes it easy to combine with other heritage visits.