Phansi Museum

Phansi Museum A spectacular collection of Southern African arts, crafts and traditions. Museum hostess and tour-guide, Phumzile Nkosi, is a real treasure.

Phansi is pronounced ‘punzi’, meaning ‘below’ or ‘beneath in IsiZulu, after the basement location where it began. ‘Phansi’ is also traditionally known as the place beneath, where the ancestral spirits dwell. The museum was started in 2000 as a small private museum, and has since expanded to host one of the biggest and most spectacular collections of African arts and crafts in the world. The collec

tion is held in Roberts House, a fully restored Victorian national monument, in Glenwood, Durban, South Africa. Three floors of the Victorian mansion are packed with Zulu beadwork, earplugs, wire baskets, milk-pails, beer-pots and fertility dolls ; Ndebele blankets and ceremonial items, and artefacts from the eastern Cape, Namibia and Kenya. The most popular exhibit is the life-size marionette room, where thirty life-size puppets are adorned with ceremonial dress from all over Southern Africa. This collection was exhibited at ABC Home, in Manhattan, New York, over the festive season 2008/2009, to great acclaim. Descended from Swazi Royalty,she is the ‘human face’ of the museum, and is extremely popular with visitors. Tours can last between 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the time-constraints of the visitor. The museum hosts cultural workshops and functions. The publishing division, Phansi Publishing, publishes short runs of specialist-interest arts, crafts and cultural literature. It has for the last 10 years produced an annual calendar which has become an iconic collecters item, adorning the walls of rural schools and boardrooms alike. The museum has a partnership with the Amazwi Abesifazane (Voices of Women) memory cloth project, and houses an archive of over 2000 memory cloths, exhibiting groups of these on a rotating basis. The BAT Shop has recently relocated from the BAT Centre to the museum, and sells funky original contemporay local crafts

Always a pleasure to host schools look at the beautiful artwork inspired by what they learnt from the tour❤️
11/06/2026

Always a pleasure to host schools look at the beautiful artwork inspired by what they learnt from the tour❤️

11/06/2026
08/06/2026

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Calling experienced artists, curators, educators, and arts practitioners in KZN 🎨✨

Applications are now OPEN for the Unlearn to Learn Mentorship Programme 2026/2027 — a collaborative mentorship programme focused on knowledge sharing, creative development, and artistic growth.

Please read through all application details and requirements carefully before submitting your application to the Unlearn to Learn Mentorship Programme.

This year, only 10 artists and 5 mentors will be selected to participate in the programme. As space is limited, applicants who are not selected this year are encouraged to apply again in future cycles, as the programme will continue next year.

Preference may be given to applicants who have not previously participated in the Unlearn to Learn Mentorship Programme.

We strongly encourage applications from emerging and early career practitioners, artists from underserved communities, self taught practitioners, and those exploring experimental, socially engaged, and interdisciplinary practices.

Please ensure that all required supporting documents are included in your submission. Incomplete applications will unfortunately not be considered.

Submit applications: Application forms can be found through the link in our bio.

DM us for any further enquiries 📧

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Curators

Come join our beautiful mum for a tour a cup of your favourite drink❤️
02/06/2026

Come join our beautiful mum for a tour a cup of your favourite drink❤️

Our Barista serving with a smile, come along we are open from now until 2:00 pm
30/05/2026

Our Barista serving with a smile, come along we are open from now until 2:00 pm

Gloria enjoying her cup of cappuccino ❤️
29/05/2026

Gloria enjoying her cup of cappuccino ❤️

Come grab a flat white to kick off your weekend
29/05/2026

Come grab a flat white to kick off your weekend

Address

500 Esther Roberts Road
Durban
4001

Telephone

+27312062889

Website

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