The Zeitz Museum puts Cape Town with great art cities

Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille’s address at the opening of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa on Friday. THE day is finally here. It is my great pleasure to be present at the opening of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa – a first for our beautiful continent.

I remember attending the initial announcement in 2013 when I said I hoped to be serving a second term as mayor so that I could be present at the opening. And here we are today.

Today we are celebrating this museum as a symbol of the confidence we have in being African.

What better city to be the home of the Zeitz than Cape Town. Our city is renowned as an iconic tourist destination and the creative capital of Africa – the Zeitz confirms our good reputation.

With the Zeitz being in Cape Town, we will attract even more visitors from across the world who can come to our beautiful city to enjoy a diverse set of offerings and see the best in African contemporary art.

This is in line with the City of Cape Town’s Advanced African Agenda whereby we are committed to contributing to the Africa Rising narrative and building an inclusive city where we all have the freedom to celebrate our diverse heritage and feel a sense of belonging in Cape Town.

The museum will be a key attraction to travellers from all over the world and will help us combat seasonality by turning Cape Town into a 365- days-a-year must-see destination.

I am honoured to be here today and to see Cape Town taking its rightful place among great art cities such as Paris, New York, Mexico City, Vienna, and Sao Paulo.

Art spurs conversations and creates platforms where we can confront our challenges, celebrate our diversity and build bridges.

The museum’s ethos of “Access to All” resonates in the decision to provide free access to all visitors who are 18 years and younger.

This is a celebration of an inclusive city where our youth is provided with the opportunity to see and experience the best in African art.

I also invite you to take a walk down the road to the Artscape Theatre with whom we have partnered to create a space and programme for emerging artists from disadvantaged areas.

At the next First Thursdays event on October 5, I will showcase young artists and musicians from Cape Town at the Mayor’s First Thursday’s venue at Barons on Greenmarket Square. I invite you all to join. With all of these successes, we can truly say that Cape Town is making progress possible for all of its residents.