GENERAL:
Red Location Museum is a spectacular project operating under the banner of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

ARCHITECTS:
The Museum was designed by Jo Noero and Heinrich Wolf architects and was completed during 2005. Red Location Museum forms part of a massive Cultural Precinct development which, among others, would finally include an art gallery, theatre, art school, library archives, back packers lodge and jazz club.

LAUNCH OF THE MUSEUM:
On 10 November 2006 the Museum finally opened it's doors to the public and thousands attended the occation from local, national and international destinations.

ORIGINATION:
The idea for a Museum in the Red Location area was conceptualised during the early 1990's and was finally adopted by the local Municipality as a not-for-commercial entity. The original idea stemmed from the late anti-apartheid activist - Ernest Malgas, who was a well-known and beloved member from Red Location Community and dedicated his whole life to the People's Cause.

BACKGROUND TO RED LOCATION:
From 1870 the whites from Port Elizabeth became more and more disgruntled by the blacks living amongst them in the central parts of the Port (along Cape Road and in areas such as Gubbs, Strangers Location and Coopers Kloof).

After the First South African War (Anglo Boer War) between 1899 to 1902, Bubonic Plague broke out in the area and in 1903 the City Fathers used this an an opportunity to forcefully remove the Blacks, Coloureds, Indians and Chinese from the central parts to the Deal Party Estate (Red Location).

Here people were accommodated in galvanised iron structures which were derived from the Uitenhage Concentration Camp and the Hospital at Deelfontein, De Aar.

It is said that the name "Red Location" comes from the red overall image that the galvanised iron structures had - apparently due to the colour of the anti-rust agents it used to be painted with.

By 1936 more removals took place - this time the Chinese, Coloureds and Indians where removed forcefully from Red Location to other destinations in the City.

From the inception of the Apartheid Regime in 1948, the people from Red Location were strongly organised against it.

With the Defiance Campaign of 1952, the first national arrests took place at the New Brighton Railway Station(the Red Location Station when activists passively resisted the Apartheid pass laws. They were subsequently placed under house arrest and began organising themselves into underground structures - which was known as the Mandela Plan (M Plan). This plan spread out to the rest of South Africa - operating for many years as the well known "Street and Area committees".

Nelson Mandela came down to the area 8 years later to establish the first cell of the African National Congress's Military Wing by the name of Mkonto Wesizwe (Spear of the Nation).

By the end of 1989 the Apartheid system began dismantling rapidly and by 1994 - South Africa finally introduced Democracy.

Many well-known personalities came from the Red Location area - a few to mention are: Raymond Mhlaba, George Pemba, Dora Nginsa, Lilian Diedericks and Winston Ntshona.

TOP INTERNATIONAL AWARDS:
The Museum is famous for it's brilliant architecture. In December 2005 it scooped the World Leadership award for best architecture and civil engineering. During June 2006 it won the Riba Lubetkin award for best architecture. A few days later the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality won the Dedalo Minose price for commissioning the Red Location Museum project. The Museum also won the Eastern Cape PMR Leadership silver awards during JuLY 2006 and July 2007.

The Museum has a wide variety of up to 17 exhibitions running concurrently. It also features excellent facilities - such as a restaurant, an auditorium, outside arena with giant screen and a Museum Shop.

HIGHLIGHTS ON OUR PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS:
Red Location Museum, in collaboration with it's partner, the World Culture Museum is presenting the NoNameFever-uGawulayo; Exhibition at Red Location Museum from 14 December 2007 to the end of November 2008.

It is alarming to note that according to latest UNAID figures (19 November 2007) that of the 33.2 million people who are currently globally living with HIV, a staggering 18.8 million come from South Africa!

Since 1981, an estimated number of 24 million people died from the disease in South Africa. This means that our nation has gone through tremendous suffering - as almost every South African is affected in some way by the disease. 71 % of deaths between the age of 15 and 49, is caused by HIV.

Many of us fondly remember people like Nkosi Johnson, the child activist who lived with HIV - and who through his passion and motivational speeches - managed to break down stigmas and misconceptions against people living with the disease. There are scores of many unmentioned and precious people who are now no longer with us.

Have you noticed how many children still fall pregnant, despite the availability of condoms and the HIV campaigns? Certainly, now is the time for us to be alerted and to stand together, like the times when we were mobilised against Apartheid, and combat this disease through our morals, attitudes and involvement...

There are various Red Location Museum programmes which will be focussing on HIV during the next year:
- The live transmission of the 466664 concert at Red Location Museum on 1 December 2007, from 7:00pm
- The Hope Worldwide SA Debate scheduled with the Youth at Red Location Museum on 6 December from 12:00pm
- A contemporary Art Exhibition of local Nelson Mandela Bay artists - where their souls deeply reflect and ponder on HIV/AIDS. This exhibition opens on 12 December and will run until 30 January 2008
- A Streetart event where the public is invited to join in and through pastels creations on Olof Palme Street speak out about HIV/AIDS on 13 December 2007 from 10:00am
- The main event, NoNameFever -uGawulayo Exhibition, which opens on 14 December and will run until the end of November 2008
- A Fashion Show on HIV which will take place at the Museum on 16 December from 2:00pm
- A Poetry and Rapping session on 17 December 2007 from 2:00pm