Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum

On 16 June 1976 thousands of Soweto school students marched in protest against the compulsory use of Afrikaans as a language of teaching. Police opened fire, and 12-year-old Hector Pieterson was among the first to be killed. The photograph by Sam Nzima of Hector being carried by a fellow student, with his sister running alongside, was published around the world and became one of the defining images of apartheid. The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, a couple of blocks from where he was shot, opened on 16 June 2002 to tell the story of that day and the uprising that followed.

The memorial stands outside the museum, a simple paved space with the famous photograph and a stone inscription honouring the young people who died. Inside, the museum uses ramps and carefully placed windows that frame places connected with the events, such as Orlando Stadium. Photographs, newspaper coverage, television footage, documents and the testimony of people who were there explain why the students marched, how the protest spread and how the state responded. The tone is sober, and the personal stories are what stay with most visitors.

The date is now marked every year as Youth Day, a public holiday, and the surrounding area has been declared a national heritage site. It is a powerful place for teenagers and students to visit, as the story is told largely through the eyes of school pupils. Younger children may find some images upsetting, so it is worth preparing them beforehand.

Allow around an hour to an hour and a half. The museum is in Orlando West, close to Vilakazi Street, so it fits easily with Mandela House and lunch at one of the street's restaurants. Opening times and ticket details are not well published online, so contact the museum by phone before you go, especially around public holidays and on 16 June, when commemorations take place.

Most visitors arrive on a Soweto tour by minibus or bicycle, which adds useful context from local guides. If you drive, the museum is on Khumalo Road in Orlando West, about 20 kilometres south-west of the city centre. Combining it with the Apartheid Museum on the same day gives a full picture of the period, though it makes for a heavy day.