Cameroon: Tributes Pour In for Zeitz MOCAA CEO and Chief Curator Koyo Kouoh

Koyo Kouoh, CEO and chief curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, has died in Switzerland. She was 57.

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town in South Africa, confirmed her passing but gave no cause of death.

Zeitz MOCAA, in a statement, said:

“It is with profound sorrow that the Trustees of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) announce the sudden passing of Koyo Kouoh, our beloved Executive Director and Chief Curator, on Saturday, 10 May 2025.”

Kouoh, a Cameroonian-born curator and cultural luminary, left behind an indelible legacy that reshaped the landscape of contemporary African art. She was set to become the first African woman to curate the Venice Biennale in 2026.

In its statement, the Biennale said: “Koyo Kouoh worked with passion, intellectual rigour and vision on the conception and development of the Biennale Arte 2026. The presentation of the exhibition’s title and theme was due to take place in Venice on 20 May. Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art and in the international community of artists, curators, and scholars who had the privilege of knowing and admiring her extraordinary human and intellectual commitment.”

The 2026 Biennale is scheduled to run from 9 May to 22 November.

Kouoh took the top job at Zeitz in 2019, Africa’s biggest contemporary art museum, bringing two decades of experience as an international curator and cultural producer.

As a mark of respect for Kouoh, the museum has closed its doors and all programmes have been suspended until further notice.

By Melody Chironda