Media Release

Zoë Modiga to Headline the Zeitz MOCAA Gala 2026
A Night of Artistic Brilliance, Musical Mastery, and Collective Celebration

(Cape Town, Friday, 12 December 2025): Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is delighted to announce that award-winning South African singer, songwriter, and performer Zoë Modiga will take centre stage as the exclusive headline act at the Zeitz MOCAA Gala on Friday, 20 February 2026. A singular voice in contemporary African music, Modiga brings a genre-defying sound rooted in jazz, soul, African rhythms, and experimental performance. Her recent accomplishments—including the release of her acclaimed third studio album Nomthandazo, recognition as a Spotify EQUAL Africa ambassador, major national headline appearances, performances at leading continental music showcases, and her 2025 honour as the SA Style Awards’ “Most Stylish Performing Artist in Music”—underscore her artistic impact. Modiga’s magnetic presence, vocal virtuosity, and profound storytelling promise an electrifying live musical experience for this elegant gathering of local and international patrons, art philanthropists, collectors and cultural luminaries.

A Time of Celebration, Recognition, and Connection

The Gala promises an unforgettable celebration of artistic excellence, generosity, and vision. Guests will arrive on a glamorous red carpet before enjoying a sparkling Hazendal MCC reception in the museum’s iconic Atrium, followed by a bespoke multi-course dining experience framed by the breathtaking architecture of the museum’s silos.

A key moment in the programme is the honouring of Abdoulaye Konaté, Dr Anita Blanchard, Martin Nesbitt, and Justice Albie Sachs who will receive the prestigious Zeitz MOCAA Honorary Awards. The evening will be guided by Gala MC Thando Dlomo, Emmy Award–winning South African storyteller and producer, alongside the Gala Host Committee: Acha Leke, Albie Sachs and Vanessa September, Roger Ross Williams, and Jo-Ann Strauss. Internationally acclaimed fashion designer Thebe Magugu, renowned for his Afro-modernist vision and distinctive elegance, will curate the styling of Gala hosts, adding a refined sartorial dimension to the occasion.

Among the notable guests the Gala will welcome are: Rita Mawuena Benissan (The Procession), Zohra Opoku (We Proceed in the Footsteps of the Sunlight), and Lerato Shadi (A Protea Is Not a Flower) whose work is currently on view at the museum; Berni Searle, who was the sixth artist to offer visitors proximity to her Atelier residency titled On Site; and Tandazani Dhlakama, former Zeitz MOCAA Curator and current Curator of Global Africa at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, who worked alongside the late Koyo Kouoh in co-curating the landmark travelling exhibition When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting, now on the final leg of its European tour at Liljevalchs in Stockholm, Sweden. The work of artists, curators, and collaborators such as these have meaningfully contributed to Zeitz MOCAA’s exhibitions, residencies, and artistic discourse. Their presence underscores the Gala as a celebration of the diverse and dynamic voices shaping the museum’s cultural landscape.

More than an Unforgettable Night

Set against the luminous backdrop of  Table Mountain and unfolding during Cape Town Art Week, the Gala is the premier highlight in a three-day cultural experience from Friday, 20 to Sunday, 22 February 2026. The Zeitz MOCAA Gala Collateral Programme, specially curated by art advisor Hamzeh Alfarahneh, offers an immersive exploration of South Africa’s vibrant art ecosystem. With an ethos of curiosity, joy, and hospitality, the programme extends the spirit of the Gala through studio and gallery visits, curator-led tours, and thought-provoking discussions that deepen engagement with contemporary African art.

Supporting the Future of Contemporary African and Diasporic Art

The annual fundraising Gala plays a vital role in ensuring that Zeitz MOCAA remains a vibrant civic space where art empowers communities and amplifies African and diasporic voices on the global stage. Proceeds from the event directly sustain the museum’s curatorial and education programmes, artist-focused research initiatives, and innovative learning platforms that deepen access and promote engagement. In 2025, these efforts enabled Zeitz MOCAA to host its Atelier Residency Programme, present cutting-edge exhibitions with accompanying symposia and monographs, and commission a new work for the Atrium, showcasing the innovative, provocative, and boundary-pushing creativity and vision of contemporary African artists. This next Gala will give attendees the opportunity to donate to the Zeitz MOCAA Centre for Art Education’s MOCAA on the Move project, an art classroom on wheels that will impact communities beyond the walls of the museum. By attending or sponsoring the Gala, patrons actively advance Zeitz MOCAA’s mission to provide a dynamic, accessible, and world-leading platform for contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.

For more information or to make a reservation, please contact Zeitz MOCAA Partnerships Manager and director of the annual fundraising Gala, Tiffany Andrews, at tiffany.andrews@zeitzmocaa.museum.

//ends

Please find the media toolkit with media release, biographies, portraits and image credits.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Evaan Jason Ferreira, Communications Specialist, evaanjason.ferreira@zeitzmocaa.museum
Esther Henderson, Communications Manager, esther.henderson@zeitzmocaa.museum

Issued by Zeitz MOCAA Communications.

About Zeitz MOCAA

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is a public not-for-profit institution that collects, preserves, researches and exhibits contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora; conceives and hosts international exhibitions; develops supporting educational, discursive and enrichment programmes; encourages intercultural understanding; and ensures access for all. The museum’s galleries feature rotating temporary exhibitions with dedicated space for the permanent collection. The institution also includes the BMW Centre for Art Education and the Atelier, a museum residency programme for artists living and working in Cape Town.

Zeitz MOCAA, situated at the Silo District, South Arm Road, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, is open Monday through Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm (last entry at 5.30 pm). z eitzmocaa.museum