Fietas Museum

Whose bones are these? This question echoes in the Fietas Museum, a poignant reminder of a community uprooted. The Fietas Museum stands as a testament to the vibrant life that once thrived in Pageview, Johannesburg. Before the forced removals, Pageview was known as Fietas, a melting pot of cultures. The museum itself occupies one of the few original buildings that survived the destruction. It’s a two-story structure, a former shop and family home, located at 25 14th Street, the heart of what was once a bustling marketplace. Opened on September 24, 2013, the Fietas Museum chronicles the life and death of this vibrant community. Inside, photographs by David Goldblatt and Paul Weinberg capture the energy of Fietas in its heyday and the devastation wrought by the Group Areas Act. These images show 14th Street teeming with shoppers, a magnet for bargain hunters from all walks of life, from Nationalists to Johannesburg Stock Exchange members. Then, the same street, emptied, silenced, a ghost of its former self. The museum also houses personal testimonies and family photographs, donated by former residents. These poignant reminders of ordinary lives disrupted add another layer to the museum’s narrative. The Fietas Museum isn’t just about the past. It’s a living museum, curated by Salma Patel, whose family has deep roots in Fietas. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the exhibits, pinning their own memories and mementos to a map of the old neighborhood. This creates an evolving tapestry of stories, ensuring that Fietas lives on in the hearts and minds of those who remember it. The Fietas Museum stands as a stark reminder of the human cost of apartheid, a place where the ghosts of the past whisper stories of resilience, loss, and the enduring power of community.