“Laduma! A Tribute to Our Soccer Legends”

The East London Museum opened “Laduma! A Tribute to Our Soccer Legends” on 29 May 2010.
This exhibition focuses on the history of soccer in the Eastern Cape and incorporates the history of and current 2010 FIFA World CupTM. It spotlights local personalities (players and administrators), youth development, and our National teams.  In an array of colour, an enthusiastic representation of local players and fans covers the walls and cases sparkle with trophies and memorabilia from clubs, schools, and professional/ex-professional players.

Walking into the East London Museum ignites sensory participation and feels like the fit of a glove/one is fitting a glove with all the patriotism and excitement in our country during the games. “It’s like walking into a stadium. You can feel the lights shining on you and you can easily imagine you are a star player.”

The exhibition welcomes visitors from around the globe until December 2010. Live games can be viewed on a large LCD screen from a mini grand stand. Do not miss it if you are a local / semi-local. After December it is planned to condense the exhibit to a travelling display which will tour the less accessible Eastern Cape communities. 

*This exhibition was made possible thanks to funding from the
National Lottery Distibution Trust Fund (NLDTF)

East London Museum	East London Museum	East London Museum	East London Museum

Past and Present

The East London Museum has a diverse photographic collection built up over the years through donations. While working with the collection, it was fascinating to see how the city looked in its infancy - in some cases it was even difficult to identify the area despite the caption! 

Within the collection there is however a lack of more recent photographs recording the enormous changes that have taken place over the last few decades or that are currently taking place. This prompted the decision to compile an exhibition of old photographs and to take new photographs of the same scene and display them juxtaposed for comparison. Some of the lesser known photographs that will be new to viewers have also been selected.  Because of the many changes that have taken place – new tall building blocking the line of sight, trees that have grown from young saplings, changes to the road etc – it has not always been possible to photograph from exactly the same site. 

The development of open space has also been phenomenal but unfortunately the museum has few early photographs of the suburbs in the collection but donations would always be welcome.  

Showcase displaying old Camera's	Showcase with Photograph Albums	Some glass negatives

Opening of the East London Museum Past and Present Display	Opening of the East London Museum Past and Present Display	Opening of the East London Museum Past and Present Display