SEND A LOVE LETTER TO THE DISTRICT SIX MUSEUM TODAY!

Dear friend and supporter

Help us keep our doors open!

The Museum prides itself on being a place that people call home; a space where people meet socially, whether during our monthly Supper Clubs, participating in workshops, meeting old friends during Seven Steps Club mornings or making new ones.

Like many institutions across the private and public sectors in the country, we are feeling the dire impact of the closure of the cultural and tourism industries and the subsequent restrictions that came with the lock down.

While we may have gone to lockdown level 2, we do not foresee increasing visitor numbers in the next six months. We went from hosting over 69 000 self-guided visits and over 7 500 guided visits, to zero visitors to the Museum since the announcement of the lockdown in March. We understood the need to do this and recognised the part we had to play in protecting communities, our friends and family.

For 25 years the Museum has been a space for community activism and storytelling. Our exhibitions on the life of District Six, our archive of oral histories and our groundbreaking education work has always been driven by creative engagement with our community of ex-residents, as well as local and international partners and funders.

The arrival of Covid-19 on our doorstep has been a steep learning curve: working from home, the uncertainty as we watched the pandemic unfold, and the financial and food insecurity felt by many, has been overwhelming. Our country is moving into the next phase of its management of the pandemic, and as we prepare to reopen, our biggest challenge is not only ensuring the safety of our 15 staff members, but also ensuring the sustainability of our organisation.

We urgently need your support and solidarity.

The Museum covers its operational expenses which includes staff salaries and administrative costs through the income generated by feet through the door. In addition to our guided and self-guided visits, we have conducted over 1 000 customised programmes with local and international schools and universities. As an independent museum, these activities are the bedrock for ensuring that we cover our costs.

When District Sixers were handed their eviction notices, in true District Six fashion they renamed these notices ‘Love Letters’. This was a cynical comment on the casual indifference handed down by the Apartheid state, who saw only a ‘black spot’ that had to be removed, and not the deep ties that bound a community together.

We are now asking you to send us a Love Letter, but this time, with real love and care!

Please consider supporting us by sending us a Love Letter in one of the following ways:

• A monthly donation of R50. This is the value of an entrance fee.
• A once-off donation of R110. This is the value of a guided visit.
• Larger once-off donations are welcome

Your support will ensure that our community programmes continue and that the doors stay open.

Chrischené Julius
Acting Director

The Museum’s product and bookshop is now online! Visit The Little Wonder Store here.

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