MOCAA: This Cape Town Museum Is Africa’s Answer To The MoMA

Africa’s largest museum is set to open in Cape Town next month, backed by a former Puma CEO and designed by a star British architect. It is not without its critics.

CAPE TOWN — The enormous but forgotten cereal silo in the heart of Cape Town’s harbor was once hailed as Sub-Saharan Africa’s tallest building. But it has risen from its figurative ashes over the past four years, and the gigantic 116 cement silos, whose contents once fed thousands of people, have been redesigned for a different purpose: art.

The star British architect Thomas Heatherwick chose to gut the entire building, while also designing the atrium to resemble the inside of a wheat kernel. The museum itself, as well as rooms dedicated to performances and cultural education, will be housed on 9,500 square meters.

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is Africa’s long overdue answer to New York’s MoMA or London’s Tate Modern and the international art scene is eagerly awaiting its planned inauguration on September 22. read more