Reframing the Zulu Collection Opens This July

We are delighted to announce the opening of Reframing the Zulu Collection, a new permanent exhibition at the Powell-Cotton Museum. The exhibition will launch with a private viewing on 17 July before opening to the public on 18 July.

Reframing the Zulu Collection offers a new interpretation of the museum’s Zulu collection, bringing together objects collected by members of the Powell-Cotton family during their visit to Zululand in 1935.

The collection has been re-examined not simply as a group of artefacts, but as carriers of knowledge, memory, identity and lived experience. This process has uncovered stories that remained hidden within the collection, including those of the individuals and communities who shared aspects of their culture and daily lives with Percy Powell-Cotton and his family.

Following the appointment of the museum’s Curator of Material Culture, Dr Rachel Gefferie, the project builds on the museum’s ongoing commitment to decolonisation. It follows the Decolonisation in Practice project and the reinterpretation of the East Africa collection, which opened in 2024.

The exhibition has been developed through close collaboration with the Community Advisory Team, whose commitment and expertise have shaped the narratives throughout the exhibition; the Conservation Team, who prepared the collection for display; and external consultants from Zulu heritage backgrounds, whose inherited knowledge, lived experience and family histories have enriched the presentation of contemporary Zulu life in the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe and Durban.

Structured as a journey between past and present, the exhibition explores both the historical circumstances in which the collection was assembled and the continuing vitality of Zulu culture today. Visitors will encounter the lives of the people documented during the Powell-Cottons’ travels alongside the perspectives of contemporary Zulu individuals, who have generously shared their knowledge, family histories and cultural heritage with the project.

The exhibition explores four key themes:

More Than Warriors: Reframing the Life of the Zulu Man

Using photographs from the museum’s archive, this section highlights the Zulu men who played an instrumental role in Percy Powell-Cotton’s journey through Zululand, presenting a broader understanding of their lives and experiences.

The Language of Zulu Beadwork

Discover the hidden messages, symbolism and cultural significance woven into the vibrant beadwork traditions of the Zulu people.

Stories of Marriage, Family and Everyday Life

Objects from the collection provide a window into everyday life, exploring universal experiences such as family, marriage, food and community through a Zulu cultural lens.

Contemporary Voices, Hero Narratives

This contemporary display explores how Zulu heritage continues to be lived, celebrated and reinterpreted across generations in South Africa and within the diaspora.