The date, 16 June 1976 is ingrained in the South African psyche as a day of huge political significance. It marks the beginning of the Soweto student protests commonly referred to as the ‘Soweto Uprisings’. The use of the plural form is intentional, because ‘June 16’ or ‘June sixteenth’ also refers to a series of student protests that continued for the rest of 1976 and flared up again in 1977.
A new permanent exhibition of Firearms is now on display at the First Raadsaal and Wagon Museum. The exhibition tells the story of the history of firearms. The exhibition was opened by Sharon Snell, CEO of the National Museum, on 3 October 2025.
A new temporary frog exhibition went on display at the National Museum in July 2025. Visitors could find out more about the 12 species of frogs found in the Bloemfontein area and listen to audio of each species calls. The exhibition was curated by Dr Cora Stobie (Herpetologist) and designed by Ms Carien van Eck (Graphic Designer).
Historical research often requires visits to repositories, record centres and libraries. These treasure chests of information offer a unique window into our past. They are gateways to documents and records that were created by people who passed away long ago. These old records from days gone by are commonly known as archives.
Selected works by Phumulani Ntuli and Thalente Khomo from the ArtBankSA Contemporary Collection
Beyond Walls: Emerging Contemporary Voices, currently on show at Oliewenhuis Art Museum, draws from the ArtBankSA Contemporary Collection to stage an encounter with some of the most urgent enquiries in South African art practice today: questions of intergenerational knowledge transmission, cultural custodianship, contested memory, and the continuous formation of identity.