Organizer Information
The opportunity is organized by Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in partnership with University of the Western Cape. Widely known as Zeitz MOCAA, the museum is one of Africa’s leading institutions dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and the African Diaspora. Located in Cape Town, Zeitz MOCAA operates as a major civic and cultural platform supporting exhibitions, curatorial research, public programming, museum scholarship, and critical artistic discourse across the continent.
The museum is internationally recognized for fostering innovative conversations around contemporary African art, heritage, and museology. Through its curatorial programmes, publications, educational initiatives, and institutional collaborations, Zeitz MOCAA contributes significantly to the development of emerging museum professionals and curators across Africa.
Its academic partner, the University of the Western Cape (UWC), is a respected South African university with strong foundations in humanities research, historical studies, and social transformation. UWC’s Department of Historical Studies provides the academic framework for the fellowship, combining museum practice with postgraduate-level scholarship in heritage, curatorship, historiography, public history, and museology.
Launched in 2022, the Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship Programme was established to nurture a new generation of African museum professionals, curators, researchers, and cultural practitioners. Supported by the Mellon Foundation, the programme combines practical institutional experience with academic study in a year-long intensive fellowship model.
Title & Description
Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship Programme 2026
The Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship Programme 2026 is a fully immersive year-long professional and academic fellowship designed for emerging museum professionals, curators, researchers, and arts practitioners from across Africa. Organized jointly by Zeitz MOCAA and the University of the Western Cape, the programme combines practical museum training with postgraduate academic study focused on contemporary African art, heritage, curatorial practice, and museology.
The fellowship offers selected participants direct exposure to the inner workings of one of Africa’s leading contemporary art museums while engaging critically with museum scholarship and public cultural practice. Fellows work closely with Zeitz MOCAA’s senior staff across departments including curatorial affairs, exhibition design, registrar and collection management, art education, institutional advancement, publishing, and public programming.
Alongside institutional practice, participants undertake academically rigorous coursework facilitated by UWC’s Department of Historical Studies. The programme includes studies in historiography, curatorship, public history, museology, heritage research, and contemporary art discourse related to Africa and the African Diaspora.
Structured as a pan-African initiative, the fellowship seeks to strengthen the continent’s cultural ecosystem by supporting professionals interested in museum practice, contemporary curating, public engagement, heritage preservation, art publishing, and exhibition development. Fellows actively participate in research, planning, management, and execution of museum projects while developing critical perspectives on the role of museums and cultural institutions in contemporary society.
The programme is ideal for individuals pursuing careers in museums, galleries, biennials, art centres, collections management, publishing, art festivals, and related cultural sectors. Through intensive institutional experience and academic mentorship, participants gain practical skills, professional networks, and deeper insight into the structures shaping contemporary African art and heritage discourse.
The fellowship is co-convened by Dr Greer Valley, Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial Affairs at Zeitz MOCAA, and Professor Rory Bester from UWC’s Department of Historical Studies.
Categories
Eligible disciplines and professional backgrounds may include:
- Curatorial
- Art Writing
- Research
- Culture
- Visual Arts
- Photography
- Writing
- Literature
- Art Management
- Educations
- Multimedia
- Video/Film
- Media Arts
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Public Art
- Scholarship
- Fellowship
Eligibility
The programme is open to applicants from African countries who are interested in museum studies, curatorial practice, heritage research, and contemporary art institutions.
Eligible applicants must:
- Hold citizenship of an African country
- Have a Bachelor’s degree in art, heritage, museum studies, or another relevant humanities field
- Demonstrate the ability to work at postgraduate academic level
- Possess knowledge of contemporary African art and heritage
- Have excellent English writing skills
- Possess 2–3 years of relevant professional experience
- Demonstrate interest in museum, curatorial, or arts-related careers
- Be available full-time from February 2026 to January 2027
In exceptional cases, applicants without formal academic qualifications may be considered if they demonstrate equivalent professional learning and experience.
The programme welcomes diversity across gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Full participation in a 12-month international fellowship programme
- Postgraduate-level academic study through UWC
- Professional museum training at Zeitz MOCAA
- Tuition coverage
- Accommodation support
- Monthly stipend
- Basic health insurance
- Mentorship from museum professionals and academic staff
- Access to curatorial, exhibition, and collection management departments
- Participation in exhibitions, publishing, education, and public programmes
- Institutional networking opportunities across Africa’s cultural sector
- Professional development in museology and heritage research
The fellowship offers significant long-term career development opportunities for professionals pursuing careers in museums, galleries, biennials, cultural institutions, and heritage organizations.
Travel and visa costs are not covered.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Cover or motivation letter
- Full CV
- Short biography (250 words)
- Original critical writing sample of at least 1000 words
- Letter of recommendation
- High-resolution portrait photograph
- Academic degree certificates
- Full academic transcripts
Applications exceeding stated word limits may not be reviewed.
Only complete online applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 June 2025
- Successful Applicant Notification: 4 August 2025
- Fellowship Period: February 2026 – January 2027
- Recruitment Drive: 24 March – 28 April 2025
- Live Online Q&A Session: 29 May 2025
Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Additional Details
The programme follows a hybrid structure balancing institutional work and academic study. Fellows dedicate three days per week to practical museum work at Zeitz MOCAA and two days to academic coursework through UWC.
The fellowship is supported by the Mellon Foundation and emphasizes the development of future African museum professionals capable of shaping critical cultural discourse across the continent and beyond.
In addition to the fellowship programme itself, Zeitz MOCAA and UWC are conducting a pan-African recruitment initiative across Nigeria, Togo, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire to engage directly with prospective applicants and cultural communities.
The fellowship strongly emphasizes public dialogue, critical research, heritage preservation, and contemporary curatorial practice while fostering interdisciplinary perspectives on museums as active civic and cultural spaces.