A public space to debate and discuss how to memorialize past human rights abuse so that it will never again occur.

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Memory and Justice: www.memoryandjustice.org

Design

Design of Constitution Hill

After it was decided, in 1995, to move the Constitutional Court to the site of the Old Fort, a major international competition was held in 1998 to determine the design of Constitution Hill. The winner was OMM Design Workshop, in collaboration with Urban Solutions, led by principal architects Janin Maojada, Andrew Makin, and Paul Wygers. In 2004, the Constitutional Court moved into its new home at Constitutional Hill, and in 2006, construction for the entire complex was completed.

As part of the construction project, most of the old cells were restored to look as they had when the site was a functioning prison. The roof of the passageway into Number Four is inscribed with quotes from Nelson Mandela. As visitors enter the communal cells, they hear recordings of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika,” South Africa’s national anthem. In the section of the museum that was formerly the women’s prison, a shopping bag commemorates the black women who were arrested for buying food in white areas without a pass. In one cell hangs the white wedding dress belonging to Nikiwe Deborah Matshoba, who was arrested on the way to her own wedding.

The prison also contains a response room, where visitors are encouraged to document their reactions and can view videos of former prisoners returning to the site. In addition, a cell in the fort was remade into a children’s room that holds three-hour classroom programs.

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