South Africa Guide
Cape Town
Gold of Africa Museum
Opening time: Mon– Sat 9.30am–5pm
Price: R50
Website: www.goldofafrica.com
Address: 96 Strand St
Since the discovery of gold near Johannesburg in the late nineteenth century, South Africa has been closely associated in the Western mind with the precious metal and the riches it represents. However, the outstanding Gold of Africa Museum focuses on a completely different side to gold – the exquisite artworks crafted by nineteenth- and twentieth-century African goldsmiths from Mali, Senegal, Ghana and the Cote d'Ivoire. Arguably the most important such collection in the world, acquired in 2001 from the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva, it traces Africa's ancient gold routes, and includes several hundred beautiful items – precious masks, crocodiles, birds, a gold crown and human figures; the highlight is the sculpted Golden Lion from Ghana that is the symbol of the museum. There's also a small auditorium with a continuous film show; a wine cellar, where you can have a snack, a coffee and quaff a glass of Cape wine; a studio where goldsmiths practise their art; and a shop selling postcards, gold leaf and beautiful little souvenirs.