Zeitz MOCAA, in partnership with the University of the Western Cape (UWC), welcomed four fellows from across the African continent to participate in the fifth cycle of the Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship Programme.
The pan-African museum fellowship programme centres on contemporary art, curatorial practice, art education, conservation, heritage, and museology in Africa and its diaspora. Designed to nurture critical, practice-based, and scholarly engagement, the programme supports the development of a new generation of art and museum professionals to work across the continent and beyond.
The 2026 cohort consists of Bengi Rwabuhemba, a Ugandan writer and cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on the contemporary revitalisation of Indigenous knowledge in postcolonial African societies; Mawadah Nofal, an Egyptian art historian, interdisciplinary researcher, and artist interested in speculation, the potentials of museums, political imaginations, and workshopping as a creative research practice; Reem Aljeally, a Sudanese multifaceted artist whose work integrates architecture, visual arts, and curation, while her curatorial practice has been intrigued by questions of forming one’s identity in its social context, spaces we inhabit, and what forms the Sudanese contemporary scene; and Rohini Amratlal, a South African contemporary artist and curator whose practice spans tapestry, print, sculpture, and installation, engaging questions of identity, memory, and lived experience in post-apartheid South Africa.
Launched in 2022, the programme is co-convened by Dr Greer Valley, Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial Affairs at Zeitz MOCAA, and Professor Rory Bester in the Department of Historical Studies at UWC. Zeitz MOCAA is proud to once again partner with UWC to advance knowledge production and professional training within the arts and heritage sectors. Now in its fifth year, the programme reflects a sustained and impactful collaboration dedicated to cultivating critical exploration, skills development, and emerging professional practice across the continent. Alumni of the programme have continued into roles across cultural institutions, pursued postgraduate study at Master’s and PhD levels, undertaken international fellowships, and contributed to published research, reflecting the programme’s ongoing role in supporting the development of arts and heritage practitioners.
“It is a privilege to welcome the 2026 cohort to the Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship Programme. This group of fellows brings with them a rich diversity of practices, research interests, and lived experiences that reflect the complexity of contemporary artistic and cultural production on the continent. Through sustained engagement with museum practice and scholarly inquiry, the programme offers a critical space for thinking, making, and working within the institution, while imagining new futures for museums in Africa,” says Dr Greer Valley.
Professor Rory Bester adds: “UWC’s interdisciplinary curriculum, combined with the immersive, hands-on experience offered by a leading contemporary art museum such as Zeitz MOCAA, provides fellows with a rigorous intellectual framework for understanding the systems, histories, and networks that shape Africa’s art and heritage landscape. The fellowship remains a vital platform for research-led practice and critical engagement.”
Fellows gain practical work experience and mentorship at Zeitz MOCAA across the Curatorial, Registrar & Collection Management, Exhibition Design, Art Education, and Institutional Advancement departments. Following an initial orientation and rotation period, each fellow is placed within a single department of their choice. Here they actively contribute to the research, planning, execution, and management of exhibitions, publications, public programming, education initiatives and fundraising campaigns.
For updates on the programme and fellows, visit zeitzmocaa.museum and follow Zeitz MOCAA’s official social media channels.
The Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship Programme is presented in partnership with the University of the Western Cape and is generously supported by the Mellon Foundation.
Image credit: 2026 Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum fellows, from left: Reem Aljeally, Mawadah Nofal, Rohini Amratlal, and Bengi Rwabuhemba. Photo: Ramiie G, courtesy of Zeitz MOCAA.