1 post tagged “south african national museum of military history”
Don't let the title of this post mislead you - the minister of home affairs and I were not embroiled in a conflict! We took our cameras to the South African National Museum of Military History, otherwise known here as the "war museum" or "military museum".
Both of us have so far concentrated on nature photography, so we wanted to challenge ourselves a little and see if we could take decent photographs of something different to what we are accustomed. War is pretty much the opposite of nature - the one is creation, the other is destruction - so we really jumped into the deep end.
I'm not sure I met the challenge properly, although I did get one or two more or less interesting shots. I put a whole lot on my flickr page (link on the sidebar on the right of this page) purely for the historical interest. I think as far as non-nature photography goes, I have much to learn. Practice makes perfect, though.
Photography aside, the museum is a fascinating place and well worth the visit. I'd recommend it unhesitatingly. Some of the things on display leave one wondering where on earth the museum acquired them. There are items from many wars in which South Africa has participated, including both Boer Wars (1880-1881 and 1899-1902), World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945), and the Border Conflict (1975-1989).
There are also artefacts from earlier periods, including uniforms, weapons, vehicles and so on. The display of swords from as early as the 1600s is also impressive.
If you can do so, go for a visit. At R22 per adult, it is worth it.
