Fewer South Africans visiting museums; cultural leaders warn of heritage loss

South Africa’s museums are losing their audiences. That quiet crisis came into sharp focus at the launch of the Legendary Women in the Arts exhibition at the Ditsong Museums of South Africa, where cultural leaders warned that falling attendance is severing the public’s connection to the country’s artistic heritage and creative roots.

Ria Ledwaba, chairperson of the South African Gallery of Legends (Sagol), raised the alarm directly. “There are less people visiting this museum; I don’t know whether it is about the marketing,” she said. The problem reaches well beyond Ditsong. Ledwaba pointed out that Freedom Park in Pretoria remains unknown to many of the citizens it exists to serve. “I know a lot of people have never been to Freedom Park, which is the heritage of South Africa,” she observed. Across the country, public cultural institutions are struggling to reach the very communities they were built for.

The exhibition was designed, in part, to close that gap. Developed through a partnership between the National Arts Council (NAC) and Sagol, it opened on August 27, 2026, the night before its public debut, with an exclusive gathering of students, artists and cultural figures. The occasion also marked the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings. At its heart are six South African women artists whose work has shaped the nation’s cultural landscape: Dr Esther Mahlangu, Dr Noria Mabasa, Helen Sebedi, Gogo Esther Mnguni, Rebecca Matibe and Dr Gcina Mhlope.

One object draws particular attention. Gogo Esther Mnguni’s vibrant netball, decorated with distinctive isiNdebele patterns and bright colours, was officially unveiled during the ceremony. The 90-year-old artist’s work carries a specific history: the ball was touched by all players during the 2023 Netball World Cup final in Cape Town. Mnguni also designed a rugby ball used in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris, applying the same culturally rooted patterns. She remains one of the few artists still working with chicken feathers as a painting technique, a traditional method that ties her practice directly to South Africa’s creative inheritance.

What makes the exhibition especially pointed is what it acknowledges about the past. All six women created their work in rural areas, often in workshops without electricity, resources or adequate support. Ledwaba did not soften that reality. “And then later on, we see the support coming, we see government coming on board, sports and culture, national arts and heritage councils also coming on board and giving them a space to showcase their work,” she noted, the sequence of events carrying its own quiet criticism. Recognition, she implied, has a habit of arriving late.

The exhibition will remain on display at Ditsong Museums for six months, giving the public extended access to these works. Ledwaba was clear about who that access is ultimately for. “It is not just for them, but for future generations too,” she said, citing Helen Sebedi’s sculptures as examples of artistic excellence that should inspire young creatives. The institutional arrangement that made it possible was equally direct: “If Sagol did not have a memorandum of understanding with Ditsong Museum, this would have never happened,” Ledwaba explained.

Meanwhile, Ledwaba is working to build longer-term pathways for young people. Her foundation has launched a programme selecting nine young academic champions from their province to represent South Africa on the world stage at the Olympics. The foundation is also offering 100 percent scholarships to grade 7 students to attend top-performing schools, with enrollment agreements already in place for 2027. She intends to go further, creating art programmes where young people can learn directly from the celebrated women artists themselves. “That is why I want the legends to identify those young people in their community, those that are interested, and then set aside funding to be able to support them,” she said.

Whether those programmes can also reverse the broader decline in museum attendance, and bring ordinary citizens back through the doors of institutions built to serve them, remains the harder question.