Museum of historic area to be opened

EVERYONE from Walter Sisulu to Govan Mbeki either lived in or visited the area. It was home to all sorts of people until apartheid disrupted the vibrant venue.

Today, Warwick Avenue market area is a bustling melting pot of public transport nodes, street food, students and everything in between.

Now plans are afoot for the history of the area to be documented and contained in an old house that has survived through the decades.

“A few books have been written on the Warwick market area, and it’s remembered very vividly by those who used to live there until the apartheid government used the Group Areas Act to remove people,” said Zainul Dawood, one of the project co-ordinators, and whose family roots are embedded in the vicinity. “It was a place where people of all kinds used to live together peacefully. Now, we aim to take the history from the books, and bring it to life with interactive displays that people can participate in at the museum.”

The co-ordinators have written to eThekwini Municipality for permission for the old house to be converted into a museum, and are awaiting its feedback.

The proposed Warwick Avenue Museum will collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific or historical interest and make the collections or related exhibits available for public viewing.

Dozens of old photographs have already been collated.

“Many stalwarts stepped through this area, hidden by the vast number of buildings, to hold political meetings.

“Warwick Triangle had a mixed community that was vibrant and united in spirit, the odd groupings of men known as gangsters, footballers honing their skills, children climbing mango trees and businessmen going about their trade. Music from the minstrel or Klopse bands added to the vibrancy and nonchalant laid back attitude of the people who lived here,” he said.

Because the area was so vibrant, Dawood said it is hoped the museum would be very interactive.

“I hope to have a built-in recording studio or equipment that can record and capture people’s memories of this place. There will also be maps where people can locate where their house used to be,” he said.

For more info, e-mail warwickmuseumdurban@gmail.com or visit its Facebook page.

ZAINUL DAWOOD GALLERY: The old house that could soon be converted into a museum capturing the history of the Warwick Avenue market area. PICTURES: SUPPLIED AND

BUSY, BUSY: The Victoria Street bus rank on September 21, 1950. The walls of the Early Morning Market are on the left. The buildings in the background were demolished to make way for the N3 freeway.

VIBRANT: The Warwick Avenue area in the 1970s. The Kajimusa building is on the left, and further up the road was Singh’s Mutton Market, Johns Building and Himalaya House.