RU Digital Archives

The Cory Library for Humanities Research, situated at Rhodes University in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, serves as one of the country’s premier repositories of regional and humanities scholarship. Founded on the foundational deposit of historian Sir George Cory’s manuscripts, publications, and personal papers, the Library has developed a distinctive focus on the history, cultures, and intellectual life of the Eastern Cape, with particular attention to the development of the region's documentary record and its people.

The International Library of African Music (ILAM) aims to discover, record, analyse, and archive the music of sub-Saharan Africa, with the object of establishing a theory of music making in Africa and assessing the social, cultural, and artistic values of African music. ILAM is attached to the Music Department at Rhodes University and coordinates its Ethnomusicology Programme, which offers undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Ethnomusicology that include training in the performance of African music.

The Rhodes University Drama Department is one of the foremost institutions for studying theatre and performance in South Africa. We have an illustrious history with a long list of acclaimed and award-winning graduates.

The department offers an integrated approach to drama studies incorporating a broad range of disciplines: acting, directing, movement, physical theatre, choreography, applied theatre, theatre design, writing, theatre technology and arts administration.

The Rhodes University History Archive preserves and provides access to the documentary and visual record of the institution’s development since its founding in 1904. The archive comprises administrative papers, personal collections, institutional reports, photographs, and ephemera that collectively document the academic, social, and architectural development of the university. As a resource for researchers, alumni, and the broader community, the collection supports the study of institutional memory, governance, student life, and the wider educational context in South Africa. Through ongoing preservation and digitisation, the archive ensures that the legacy and lived experiences of Rhodes University remain accessible for future generations.