Faded red and peeling plaster, cracks running through cement like the webbed veins of history that were made at this exact same spot. Each cell is a damp, dark cage shuttering light but these walls weren’t sufficient to hold in the hopes of the soldiers and fighters trapped behind these bars.

Constitution Hill in Johannesburg probably holds the title for having seen some of the most remarkable leaders society has seen for all the wrong reasons. This former prison and military fort has held the Mahatma Gandhi, Joe Slovo, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and of course, Nelson Mandela himself since its founding in the 1890 and an operational history of over 100 years. Illustrating some of the most harrowing and horrific incidents that took place within these walls, works of art in every imaginable medium have been put up within the 3 sections still preserved as they had been. Winding up the stairs to the ramparts, it becomes apparent why this location was chosen as a means of keeping an eye on the miners flocking into the city as it flourished and thrived. This was the city’s panopticon and so it remains today albeit for a completely different purpose. Behind every room, every open square is a story and a sign of defiance of the times waiting to be discovered in this living breathing museum.