Heritage Spaces in South African 'Museums'

Hello All,

I had a really interesting (I think?) heritage experience in Cape Town, whilst I was staying in Stellenbosch for the World Economic History Congress at the University of Stellenbosch.  A heritage 'space' left as an open monument in Cape Town - District 6 - where the black population was forcibly removed in the 1970s during the apartheid regime.

District 6 - the empty spaces left after the clearance of the black inhabitants

District 6 Memorial Plaque

I thought that the empty spaces were a potent signifier for the traumatic events, when the homes of over 60,000 inhabitants were bulldozed. There is a commemorative plaque to the events - 

It felt a bit like an upside down archaeological site; instead of digging to recover the history, you could 'see' the history in the layers above the ground - intangible-tangible heritage.........it was actually quite moving to see these undeveloped spaces.  I understand that there are some plans to rebuild, but I think they should leave it as a memorial as a reminder of the events....

There is a District 6 Museum too, and I did actually try to visit it, but it seemed to be closed...or at least no-one answered the buzzer on the door.  Anyway, I enjoyed the empty spaces of District 6, but wondered if it needed a little more 'interpretation'....but maybe the local memory should be enough?

Mark