The Ulwazi Programme is a project of the Local History Museums, which has under its wing all of the Municipal run libraries and heritage centres, such as the beautifully curated KwaMuhle Museum and the fascinating Old Court House, but there are a number of smaller, independently run museums in KwaZulu-Natal that are also worth a visit.
One such organisation is the KwaZulu Cultural Museum at Ondini, near Ulundi which houses the most wonderful collection of Zulu beadwork, including a number of items that belonged to Cetshwayo kaMpande, king of the Zulus from 1872 to 1879. The museum’s collection focuses on the Nguni speaking people, and is arranged according to the use for which the different items were intended, with categories such as ‘warfare’ and ‘domestic’ separating the collection.
The museum has also managed to digitise a lot of their collection and even includes a virtual tour, so if you aren’t able to make it out to Ondini you are still able to enjoy the beadwork and other museum pieces by visiting their website.