You’re Invited
Join us for a glamorous celebration of contemporary African art – an evening that unites patrons, artists, and visionaries to power exhibitions, education, and community engagement.
Arrive as Cape Town Art Fair ignites the city from 20–22 February 2026. This invitation places you at the heart of Cape Town’s art world – an unmissable moment on the global calendar.
The Zeitz MOCAA Gala Collateral Programme is your immersive pathway into South Africa’s vibrant art ecosystem: studio and gallery visits, curator-led tours, and thought-provoking discussions – guided by an ethos of curiosity, joy, and hospitality, all set against Cape Town’s spectacular backdrop.
One night. Lasting impact. Be there.
Friday, 20 February 2026 • Zeitz MOCAA, V&A Waterfront
2026
Honourees
Celebrating Visionary Leadership
Justice Albie Sachs
Visionary Award
Justice Albie Sachs is a lifelong defender of human rights, a former judge of South Africa’s Constitutional Court, and an author whose work shaped the country’s democratic imagination.
His life’s arc, spanning activism, exile, imprisonment, and the drafting of a new constitution, shows that freedom is a collective practice that is carried from generation to generation. Sachs was also instrumental in shaping the Constitutional Court’s architecture and art collection, starting by commissioning the tapestry Humanity by Joseph Ndlovu, an artwork representing social interdependence. His life’s work reminds us that art is not peripheral to justice, but a force through which societies learn, heal and remain in relation.
Visionary Award
Justice Albie Sachs is a lifelong defender of human rights, a former judge of South Africa’s Constitutional Court, and an author whose work shaped the country’s democratic imagination.
His life’s arc, spanning activism, exile, imprisonment, and the drafting of a new constitution, shows that freedom is a collective practice that is carried from generation to generation. Sachs was also instrumental in shaping the Constitutional Court’s architecture and art collection, starting by commissioning the tapestry Humanity by Joseph Ndlovu, an artwork representing social interdependence. His life’s work reminds us that art is not peripheral to justice, but a force through which societies learn, heal and remain in relation.
Dr Anita Blanchard
Honorary Award for Philanthropic Achievement
Physician, educator and cultural advocate Dr Anita Blanchard has dedicated her career to strengthening community health, medical education, and civic leadership. A retired Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UChicago Medicine and former Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the Pritzker School, she has helped advance maternal and adolescent wellbeing through community programmes and co-created initiatives that embedded medical training in community engagement.
Her board service across major cultural institutions, including the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, shows her belief in art as a social resource. Blanchard’s work embodies connection: between care and culture, knowledge and access, and the futures that are shaped when communities are seen and supported.
Honorary Award for Philanthropic Achievement
Physician, educator and cultural advocate Dr Anita Blanchard has dedicated her career to strengthening community health, medical education, and civic leadership. A retired Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UChicago Medicine and former Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the Pritzker School, she has helped advance maternal and adolescent wellbeing through community programmes and co-created initiatives that embedded medical training in community engagement.
Her board service across major cultural institutions, including the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, shows her belief in art as a social resource. Blanchard’s work embodies connection: between care and culture, knowledge and access, and the futures that are shaped when communities are seen and supported.
Martin Nesbitt
Honorary Award for Philanthropic Achievement
Martin Nesbitt is a founding partner and Co-CEO of The Vistria Group, a private investment firm that seeks to deliver both financial returns and societal impact. With almost $16 billion in AUM, The Vistria Group delivers attractive returns and positive outcomes for the lives and livelihoods its portfolio companies support.
In his various leadership capacities, Mr. Nesbitt has been successful at guiding executive teams toward exceeding goals, maximizing investment returns and trailblazing on the importance of diversity and equity in the workplace.
Mr. Nesbitt currently serves on the Board of Directors of American Airlines Group and Chewy, Inc. He serves as Trustee of Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and Chairman of the Barack Obama Foundation. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee and was Treasurer of President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.
Honorary Award for Philanthropic Achievement
Martin Nesbitt is a founding partner and Co-CEO of The Vistria Group, a private investment firm that seeks to deliver both financial returns and societal impact. With almost $16 billion in AUM, The Vistria Group delivers attractive returns and positive outcomes for the lives and livelihoods its portfolio companies support.
In his various leadership capacities, Mr. Nesbitt has been successful at guiding executive teams toward exceeding goals, maximizing investment returns and trailblazing on the importance of diversity and equity in the workplace.
Mr. Nesbitt currently serves on the Board of Directors of American Airlines Group and Chewy, Inc. He serves as Trustee of Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and Chairman of the Barack Obama Foundation. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee and was Treasurer of President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.
Abdoulaye Konaté
Honorary Award for Artistic Excellence
Malian artist and cultural leader Abdoulaye Konaté is known for monumental textile works that hold politics, ecology, and spiritual memory in a single visual language. His career bridges creation and institution-building, from directing Mali’s Palace of Culture to establishing the Balla Fasséké Kouyaté Conservatory, a national reference for arts education.
Konaté’s practice reveals art as a connective medium that gathers history and community into something that can be shared. His longstanding relationship with Zeitz MOCAA shows the enduring belief that art is not separate from civic life, but a vital part of it.
Honorary Award for Artistic Excellence
Malian artist and cultural leader Abdoulaye Konaté is known for monumental textile works that hold politics, ecology, and spiritual memory in a single visual language. His career bridges creation and institution-building, from directing Mali’s Palace of Culture to establishing the Balla Fasséké Kouyaté Conservatory, a national reference for arts education.
Konaté’s practice reveals art as a connective medium that gathers history and community into something that can be shared. His longstanding relationship with Zeitz MOCAA shows the enduring belief that art is not separate from civic life, but a vital part of it.
Honouring the Vision of Koyo Kouoh
Koyo shaped Zeitz MOCAA in ways that continue to define who we are and who we’re becoming. As our Executive Director and Chief Curator, she led with boldness, brilliance, and deep care; centering artists, challenging conventions, and expanding what a museum on the African continent could be.
She brought the world to us – and brought us to the world.
This year’s Gala honours her extraordinary legacy: not as a memory, but as a living force that guides our work, our mission, and our future. The vision she held for this institution: joyful, radical, deeply rooted, is the spirit we carry into this celebration.
Host Committee
Our custodians of cultural possibility
Acha Leke
Acha Leke chairs the Zeitz MOCAA Global Council and is a senior partner at McKinsey in Johannesburg. He plays a key role in linking African innovation and leadership with cultural investment, shaping impactful futures.
Jo-Ann Strauss
Jo-Ann Strauss, a member of the Zeitz MOCAA Global Council, is an entrepreneur, public speaker, and media personality. She champions storytelling and empowerment, amplifying contemporary African cultural narratives to global audiences.
Vanessa September
An architect and urban designer who transforms under-utilised spaces into places of dignity and community. She earned her degrees after apartheid, shaping a practice rooted in community-led design and teaching. She was CEO of Constitutional Hill Trust and now leads The Albie Collection project, curating the life and work of Justice Albie Sachs.
Roger Ross Williams
Roger Ross Williams is a founding board member of American Friends of Zeitz MOCAA and an Academy Award-winning filmmaker. His work broadens the narrative of the African diaspora in global cinema, celebrating storytelling as a powerful force for dignity and transformation.
Thando Dlomo
Voice of the Gala
Thando Dlomo is a South African–born, Emmy Award–winning producer, storyteller, and actress whose work spans broadcast news, film, and global media. A former producer at Entertainment Tonight, she made her acting debut in Sony’s The Woman King. Now based in Los Angeles, she is known for her distinctive voice and a storytelling approach that brings depth, clarity, and humanity to the screen.
An Evening to Remember
This year, the Gala opens in the spirit of song.
We are honoured to be joined by Zoë Modiga; visionary South African artist and voice of a modern African sound. Known for her genre-defying style and deeply expressive storytelling, Zoë draws on heritage, identity, and imagination to create music that feels both timeless and urgent. Her presence sets the tone for an evening rooted in beauty, boldness, and meaning.
The Zeitz MOCAA Gala is a signature moment in Cape Town’s cultural calendar. A night of glamour and generosity, where patrons, artists, and cultural leaders gather to celebrate African creativity and support the museum’s mission: to exhibit and preserve contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora to champion education, and to ensure access for all.
Red carpet arrivals. Live performances. Unforgettable food. Unmatched purpose.
The Gala is more than an event, it’s a love letter to African art and the people who make it.
Celebrate the art of Africa in the Heart of the V&A Waterfront
The Zeitz MOCAA Gala is the museum’s most significant annual fundraiser – a landmark evening of culinary excellence, live performance, and artistic celebration, set against Cape Town’s vibrant cultural landscape. It brings together artists, patrons, and cultural leaders from around the world in support of our mission to collect, preserve, and exhibit contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.
Proceeds from the Gala directly support the museum’s curatorial and education programming, enabling Zeitz MOCAA to host international exhibitions; develop enriching educational and discursive initiatives; expand artist residencies and community engagement; promote intercultural understanding; and ensure meaningful access for all.
This is more than a celebration – it’s a commitment to the future of art on the continent and beyond.