Kimberley project

Researching the effect of the largest diamond pit in the world on Southern Africa

Kimberley

Kimberley, in South Africa’s Northern Cape, is world-renowned as the birthplace of the diamond mining industry. The discovery of diamonds here in the late 19th century sparked the famous “Diamond Rush,” transforming Kimberley into a bustling city almost overnight. The Big Hole, an enormous hand-dug pit, stands as a reminder of the city's mining history. Kimberley played a central role in shaping South Africa’s mining policies and labor systems, and while diamond mining has declined, the city’s legacy continues as a center of South African history and mining heritage.
Kimberley mine, mcgregor museum

Kimberley latest news

Kimberley Africana Library Friends Presentation
Africana Library, Dutoitspan Road, Kimberley
Dr Jan-Bart Gewald gave a talk in Kimberley entitled “Diamonds and Dust: The Toxic Legacy of Diamond Mining in Kimberley, 1870-1929."
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January 21, 2025

Kimberley blog posts

Luke Blomsma
Fieldwork Kimberley
Archives, Dust and Northern Cape Heat
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March 21, 2025
Walker Swindell
Fieldwork: Kimberley 2025
The start of my research journey as part of Boom to Dust
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February 20, 2025
Jan-Bart Gewald
Diamonds in the Dust
Zama Zama Artisanal Miners and Ekapa Diamond Mining in Kimberley
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January 7, 2025

Kimberley publications

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