Hostels, homes, museum: Memorialising migrant labour pasts in Lwandle, South Africa

The history of Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum, opened in 1998. Lwandle, about 40 km from Cape Town, was established in the 1950s by the apartheid state as a “native location” to house temporary migrant labor.

"Murray and Witz's discussions of architectural restoration, memory and oral history effortlessly incorporate academic debates that have raged for several decades. Through meticulous documentation they show the steps taken to restore a migrant labour hostel, providing an invaluable guide for heritage scholars and museum practitioners." Professor Cynthia Kros, Wits School of Arts

“This book provides a unique and critical insiders' account of the varied and uneven processes through which museums take shape and change. It is a first-rate and original study that is of significance to work on museums, heritage, South African history, and institutional formation.” Professor Corinne Kratz, Emory University

Architect Noëleen Murray is an academic in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of the Western Cape. She was the principal editor of Desire Lines: Space, memory and identity in the post-apartheid city.

Leslie Witz is a Professor in the History Department at the University of the Western Cape. He is the author of Apartheid's Festival: Contesting South Africa's national pasts (2003).