Iziko Museums and UCT’s HERI reflect on their partnership

Dr Robyn Pickering and Prof Becky Ackermann, co-directors of the Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), and Dr Wendy Black, curator at the Archaeology Unit in Iziko Museums reflect on the reciprocal benefits of their partnership.

HERI looks at Human Evolution from all angles with a strong focus on inclusivity. Iziko Museums compliments this endeavour with the collections it houses. However, it goes beyond the collections; Iziko Museums is an educational institute having direct contact with the public. It thus gives HERI an opportunity to showcase beyond academia their work which focuses on the beginnings of humanity but not with a colonial lens.