The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) have opened applications for their 2026 Museum Fellowship Programme, a year-long initiative designed to train Africa’s next generation of museum professionals.
The programme combines academic study with practical museum experience, offering fellows a rare opportunity to work at one of the continent’s leading contemporary art institutions while earning a BA Honours degree in Historical Studies from UWC.
Launched in 2022 and supported by the Mellon Foundation, the fellowship addresses a widening gap in professional training for African curators, educators, and arts administrators. Fellows engage directly with Zeitz MOCAA’s departments, contributing to curatorial projects, public programming, education initiatives, and exhibition development. At the same time, they pursue academic coursework that explores African and diasporic museology, historiography, and the politics of cultural institutions.
Dr. Greer Valley, Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial Affairs at Zeitz MOCAA, and Professor Rory Bester of UWC co-lead the programme. They aim to equip fellows with the tools to reimagine museum practice from African perspectives.
“We’re not just training professionals,” Dr. Valley said. “We’re reshaping how museums on this continent think and operate.”
From March to April 2025, the team will travel to institutions across West Africa to identify potential candidates. Stops include Lagos, Lomé, Cotonou, Porto Novo, and Abidjan, where the team will also host presentations and conversations with local art practitioners.
Applications close on 30 June 2025, with only the first 100 submissions considered. Successful applicants will be notified by 4 August 2025. As Africa’s cultural landscape evolves, initiatives like this seek to ground its future in both academic inquiry and lived, local experience also positioning African voices at the heart of its institutional growth.
Zeitz MOCAA is a non-profit museum that collects, preserves, and exhibits contemporary African art and work from the Diaspora. It hosts global exhibitions, runs educational programs, and promotes access and cultural exchange.
Founded in 1960, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) drives excellence in teaching, research, and innovation while staying rooted in its mission to serve the public good.
Visit Zeitz MOCAA or UWC for additional information.
