Reconstructing Holocaust & Genocide Education

The world has changed dramatically over the past few years.

Across continents, we are witnessing a rise in antisemitism, racism, political polarisation, historical distortion, and the deliberate manipulation of memory.

Social media has transformed the way history is consumed, while misinformation increasingly challenges established historical facts and democratic values. These developments demand more than simply preserving the past.

They require us to rethink how we teach it.

The Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre is embarking on the new, ambitious project: the creation of a new permanent exhibition that will explore not only the history of the Holocaust, but also why it continues to matter in the twenty-first century.

This is not simply an exhibition redesign. It is an opportunity to reimagine Holocaust and genocide education for a new generation.

Reconstructing Holocaust & Genocide Education for the Global South and Beyond.

The new exhibition will place the Holocaust firmly at its centre while creating carefully considered connections with other histories of genocide, including the genocide against the Herero and Nama in present-day Namibia and the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Rather than presenting these histories in isolation, the exhibition will invite visitors to explore the mechanisms that make mass violence possible: prejudice, antisemitism, racism, propaganda, dehumanisation, denialism, and the fragility of democratic institutions.

Through immersive exhibition design, multimedia installations, survivor testimony, photography, archival material, and interactive educational tools, visitors will be encouraged not only to understand history, but to recognise its relevance to contemporary society.

About the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre.

For more than 25 years, the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre has been a leader in Holocaust education on the African continent.

Established in 1999 as Africa’s first Holocaust Centre, we have welcomed more than half a million visitors, worked with over 200,000 learners, and developed more than exhibitions exploring the Holocaust, genocide, prejudice, propaganda, and human rights.

Every year, thousands of learners, educators, diplomats, parliamentarians, researchers, and visitors from around the world pass through our doors. The impact of this new exhibition will therefore extend far beyond Cape Town, contributing to international conversations about Holocaust remembrance and human rights education.

Why a Holocaust & Genocide Centre in South Africa Matters.

There are few places in the world where conversations about memory, justice, reconciliation, and human dignity resonate as profoundly as they do in South Africa.

Since the events of October 7, 2023, South Africa has also become one of the principal arenas in which global debates surrounding the Holocaust, antisemitism, Israel, human rights, and historical memory are unfolding. This has reinforced our conviction that Holocaust education

in the Global South cannot simply replicate European or North American models. It must respond to the realities, questions, and experiences of this region while remaining firmly grounded in historical scholarship.

We believe that South Africa is not only a place where these global conversations are taking place—it is also a place from which new approaches to Holocaust and genocide education can emerge.

Funding the Project.

The total cost of creating the new permanent exhibition is USD 540,000.

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our supporters and grant-making partners, we have already secured USD 470,000 towards this goal. In addition, one of our donors has committed to matching every new donation on a 1:1 basis, significantly increasing the impact of every contribution we receive.

We are therefore seeking to raise the remaining USD 36,000 required to complete the project. Through the matching commitment, every dollar donated today will effectively have twice the impact.

The scale of this budget should also be understood in the South African context. The Centre is relatively compact. Exhibition design, production and installation costs are substantially lower in South Africa than in the United States or Western Europe, meaning that donor support can go considerably further. 

Join Us.

Museums do** more than preserve history. They shape how future generations understand the past, confront prejudice, and defend democratic values. At a time when historical truth is increasingly contested and antisemitism is once again on the rise around the world, investing in thoughtful, evidence-based education has never been more important.**

By supporting this project, you will help create a permanent educational resource that can inspire hundreds of thousands of visitors, learners and teachers over the coming decades—and help develop a model for Holocaust and genocide education that speaks to new audiences in the Global South and beyond.

We invite you to become part of this transformative project. Please get in touch to learn more about the exhibition, ask questions, or discuss how you can help shape the future of Holocaust and genocide education.