Newtown Cultural PrecinctThis complex of buildings in the city centre has been upgraded
and restored as part of the city fathers' urban renewal policy and
provides several attractions. The Market Theatre and Museum Africa,
for instance are housed in a Victorian building in Bree Street that
was originally Johannesburg's fresh produce market. The Museum of
Africa is particularly worth a visit with its exhibits that tell
the story of the city from its beginnings to the present day,
including an interesting section about the Treason Trial of the
1950s in which Nelson Mandela and other activists were accused of
plotting against the state. The same building houses a photography
museum and the Museum of South African Rock Art. At its eastern end
is the Market Theatre, famed for being the venue for many protest
theatre productions in the Apartheid era. Also in the area, in
President Street, is the South African Breweries Centre, which
offers a tour detailing brewing history through some reconstructed
gold-rush pub Opening Time: Museum Africa open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to
5pm Admission: Free |