Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory & Learning

What Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory & Learning does

The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory & Learning is a UK-registered charitable trust (The Anti-Apartheid Legacy Trust) that operates as a heritage memory institution and educational platform dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of the Southern African liberation struggle against apartheid. Founded in 2018 and operating from 28 Penton Street, Islington — the former London headquarters of the exiled African National Congress (ANC), a site bombed in 1982 and historically associated with Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki, and Dulcie September — the organisation is preparing to open a permanent physical Centre of Memory and Learning in 2025 featuring a permanent exhibition, temporary gallery, community learning garden, seminar spaces, and archive reading room. Its core products and underlying platform combine archival collections, partner-supplied materials (AAM Archives, PLP Archive), oral histories, digital commissions, physical and travelling exhibitions, films, podcasts, and educational resources distributed through a website (antiapartheidlegacy.org.uk) and social channels (Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram). The organisation serves secondary-school students, youth activists, South African diaspora communities, local Islington residents, academic researchers, and social-justice organisations, with primary emphasis on connecting historical liberation struggles to contemporary discourse on anti-racism, inclusion, and social transformation.

The business model is non-commercial: as a charitable trust, all programmes, exhibitions, and educational resources are provided free of charge, and there is no pricing or revenue from product sales. Funding flows from a diversified consortium of grant-making bodies including the Heritage Fund, City Bridge Foundation, Clothworkers Foundation, Pilgrim Trust, Arts Council England, Greater London Authority, Islington Council, and the Joffe Charitable Trust, supplemented by donations and institutional partnerships. The organisation is governed by a Board of Trustees and a Project Advisory Group, with a core team of approximately five employees augmented by academic interns from partner universities including London Metropolitan University, University of East Anglia, Newcastle University, Syracuse University, and the University of York. Distribution is dual-channel — direct via the physical Centre and digital platform, and indirect via partner venues such as the British Library and the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town.

Name

Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory & Learning

Legal name

The Anti-Apartheid Legacy Trust

Website

https://antiapartheidlegacy.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory & Learning is a UK charitable trust that preserves and promotes Southern African liberation heritage from the former ANC-in-exile headquarters at 28 Penton Street, London, delivering free exhibitions, educational programmes, oral histories, podcasts, and digital content to schools, diaspora communities, researchers, and social-justice organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage and Cultural Education Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Heritage education
• Community memory
• Oral history archives
• Social justice exhibitions
• Cultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory & Learning is a UK charitable trust operating a heritage centre and educational programmes that preserve and promote the legacy of the Southern African liberation struggle against apartheid. Its core offerings are free educational workshops and enrichment programmes for schools and communities, oral history collection, physical and travelling exhibitions, artist digital commissions, podcasts, documentary films, downloadable educational resources, and a Young Activists programme, all anchored by the upcoming permanent Centre at 28 Penton Street, Islington (the former London HQ of the exiled ANC).

Product overview

Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning operates as a unified heritage and educational organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes and services. The core offering is the Centre of Memory and Learning (CML) at 28 Penton Street, which serves as the physical hub for all programming. This is supported by educational programmes and workshops for schools and communities, oral history collection, exhibitions (both physical and digital commissions), film resources, podcasts, and educational materials. The organization promotes the legacy and values of the Southern African liberation struggle through arts, cultural, and educational programming, engaging Britain's central role in this history while supporting contemporary discourse around social justice, inclusion, anti-racism, and collaboration for social transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Programmes and Workshops Free learning opportunities for schools, young people and communities including heritage talks, workshops, enrichment activities, work-based learning, and special events on the anti-apartheid struggle and contemporary social justice.
• Oral Histories Programme Community engagement programme that collects, preserves and presents oral histories related to the anti-apartheid struggle and the Southern African liberation movement.
• Exhibitions Physical and travelling exhibitions exploring anti-apartheid heritage and the legacy of the liberation struggle, delivered at the Centre and partner venues.
• Digital Commissions Artists' commissions created for the online space that respond to the heritage and legacy of the anti-apartheid struggle for contemporary audiences.
• Films and Documentaries Curated film resources and documentary content including the Antony Thomas series on South Africa and 'The South African Experience: Six Days in Soweto (1977)'.
• Podcasts Podcast series including 'History of Apartheid Podcasts', 'The Lab at Art Against Knives', and 'Confronting Controversial History'.
• Educational Resources Downloadable learning resources, archives, articles, and materials for educators and the public to learn about anti-apartheid history and the Southern African liberation struggle.
• Young Activists Programme Programme designed to engage young people in learning about, and continuing the legacy of, anti-apartheid activism and contemporary social justice.
• Heritage, Arts and Culture Programming Collections, exhibitions, and cultural programming that preserve and present the heritage of the anti-apartheid movement, including materials related to 28 Penton Street and the ANC-in-exile.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

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Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACTSA is listed as a key partner on the organisation's website, indicating a close working relationship in the heritage, social justice, and community sector. ACTSA works on Southern African issues and shares the organisation's mission around anti-apartheid legacy.
• AAM ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti-Apartheid Movement Archives listed as a partner collection provider, supplying archival photographs and materials that support the organisation's educational programming, exhibitions, and digital content.
• International Coalition of Sites of ConsciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organisation is a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, an international network of heritage sites that connect past struggles with contemporary social issues. Membership facilitated a summer internship programme in partnership with Newcastle University.
• London Metropolitan UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA key academic partner with multiple collaborations including student placements, live briefs for graphic design and illustration students, co-created educational content, and internship placements. Students have created exhibition designs, graphic novels, animations, and educational materials responding to anti-apartheid heritage themes.
• University of East Anglia (UEA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on the organisation's website, indicating collaboration in the heritage and academic sector.
• Inclusive Society South AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African partner organisation listed on the website, indicating ongoing collaboration in the heritage and social justice space.
• Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint exhibition 'Strength in Unity' was displayed at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, featuring student-created posters about women in the anti-apartheid struggle alongside the Foundation's '90 Voices Herstory' project.
• The Makeba FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Makeba Foundation provided support and blessing for the 'Mama Afrika' theatre production about Miriam Makeba, performed by Anna Mudeka and promoted by the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre. Their involvement ensured authentic portrayal of Makeba's legacy.
• Cubitt ArtistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the '70 Conversations' programme, a six-week community cohesion and creativity programme delivered in May-June 2022.
• Newington Green Meeting HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Refugee Week events in June 2022 and hosted South African Women's Day celebrations in August 2022.
• Newcastle UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner that collaborated with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience to facilitate summer internship placements at the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre, producing research and blog content on apartheid-era architecture and sites of conscience.
• Syracuse UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican university that facilitated an internship placement at the Centre through its Maxwell School of Citizenship.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Islington Museum: Local borough heritage museum serving the same Islington community as the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre. Comparable as a small heritage institution delivering exhibitions, education, and community programming in the same geographic footprint.
• South African Jewish Museum: Heritage museum in Cape Town with a significant focus on South African Jewish history intertwined with the anti-apartheid struggle. Comparable as a heritage institution preserving South African historical memory and serving educational and diaspora audiences.

Peers

• Hull's Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation: Research and heritage institution focused on the history of slavery, emancipation, and social justice. Comparable as a site combining archives, research, and public engagement on historical injustice themes.

Broad incumbents

• International Slavery Museum (Liverpool): UK museum addressing historical injustice, racial oppression, and legacies of slavery with educational programming. Broader in scope but operates a comparable model of historical memory institution connected to contemporary social justice discourse.
• British Library: Partner venue and a major UK cultural institution with overlapping archival, exhibition, and educational programming. Comparable as a large-scale heritage institution engaged in public-facing interpretation of historical collections.

Direct peers

• Liliesleaf Trust (South Africa): The original South African Liliesleaf heritage site in Rivonia, which is operationally linked to the UK Anti-Apartheid Legacy via The Liliesleaf Trust UK brand and shared mission. Both operate as heritage centres preserving liberation struggle memory and offer comparable educational programming and archival collections.
• South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation: Foundation operating heritage and education programmes connecting historical persecution to contemporary human rights. Comparable mission focus on using memory of past injustice to drive contemporary social justice and education outcomes.
• Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation: Partner organisation that jointly hosted the 'Strength in Unity' exhibition with the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre. Comparable as a heritage and education-focused non-profit preserving anti-apartheid memory and engaging contemporary social justice themes.
• District Six Museum (Cape Town): Community-led heritage museum in Cape Town preserving the memory of District Six under apartheid. Directly comparable as a memory institution combining archival collections, oral histories, exhibitions, and educational outreach around apartheid-era displacement.
• Apartheid Museum (Johannesburg): Leading museum dedicated to the history of apartheid in South Africa. Directly comparable in subject matter and educational remit, and a natural partner or reference point for programming around Southern African liberation history.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pentonstreetcml
• Facebookfacebook.com/AntiApartheidLegacy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-liliesleaf-trust-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/antiapartheidlegacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory & Learning